In one of the few matchups in Week 1 of the new college football season between preseason ranked teams, the Wisconsin Badgers and the LSU Tigers will square-off in this year’s Texas Kickoff Classic this Saturday night at NRG Stadium in Houston. The game is slated to get underway at 9 p.m. (ET) and it will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. Wisconsin Badgers vs. LSU Tigers Game Overview The Badgers vaulted to the top of the futures board to win the Big Ten this season at +225 betting odds when Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller was lost for the season, but this team believed it was the best in this conference long before that happened. Wisconsin went 6-2 in Big Ten play last season and with a number of starters back on both sides of the ball it has its sights set on running the table this time around. A big reason for such optimism is the return of running back Melvin Gordon, who tore it up last season with 1,609 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground. Joel Stave is also back at quarterback after throwing for 2,494 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2013. No matter who is on the field for Wisconsin on defense, you know this unit is going to be as tough as they come. Last season it was ranked sixth in the nation in points allowed (16.3).
The one constant in college football is the revolving door of players coming and leaving a program and there are few head coaches better at reloading the roster each season than Les Miles. That is the case this season with a number of new faces on both sides of the ball, but the Oddmakers must like his efforts after listing the Tigers as +600 fourth-favorites to win the ultra-competitive SEC this season. LSU’s ground game will be anchored by the duo of Terrence Magee and Kenny Hilliard, but all eyes will be on freshman Leonard Fournette, who comes in as one of the most hyped running backs in recent memory. More importantly, the Tigers’ defense is stacked up front with some young but solid talent and the unit ,as a whole, is looking to improve upon the 22 PPG it gave up last season. Wisconsin vs. LSU Betting Trends The Badgers are 4-1 against the spread in their last five nonconference games and 9-3-1 ATS in their last 13 games overall. The total has stayed UNDER in 11 of their last 16 game outside the Big Ten. The Tigers are 2-5 ATS in their last seven nonconference matchups and they ended last season 1-5 ATS in their last six games. The total has gone OVER in four of their last five games outside the SEC. This will be the first meeting between these two college football powers in recent memory. Wisconsin vs. LSU Over/Under Prediction I like Wisconsin’s chances to cover in this game given it will be played at a neutral site, but what I like better is this game staying UNDER the current 50-point total line. Running the ball and playing defense will be the primary focus of both team’s game plan, which should work perfectly to keep this a fairly low-scoring affair.
