Mississippi State at LSU Football Betting Odds

Written September 24, 2008 by Jack Jones

The LSU Tigers fan base is hoping the team won’t need to come from behind against the Mississippi State Rebels when the two square off in Tiger Stadium on Saturday. Unless the team suffers a let down from their tough game last week against Auburn, that shouldn’t be a problem as LSU is a 24 point spread favorite over Mississippi State, with the total set at 39.

LSU’s road to a second straight national championship started off with a couple of easy wins against Appalachian State and North Texas, but the team knew that they were going to have their work cut out for them when they headed on the road to face Auburn last Saturday. The other Tigers got off to a quick 14-3 start before LSU put together a late rally. It wasn’t until a late touchdown pass from quarterback Jarrett Lee to Brandon LaFell with a little over a minute left in the game gave LSU a 26-21 lead and the team’s first victory at Auburn in ten years.

Even after Lee led the team on the game-winning drive last week, Les Miles isn’t ready to hand over the starting duties to the sophomore quite yet. Junior Andrew Hatch has also been getting some time under center, and even though Lee was 4-for-4 on the last drive, he only ended the game 11-for-22 and 182 yards. Hatch wasn’t much better at 2-for-6 for 16 yards, but he did have 40 rushing yards before leaving in the third frame with a neck injury.

Join Now and Get a 10% Cash Bonus!

Whoever Miles decides to go with this week is going to have Charles Scott to hand the ball off to. So far this season Scott has gained 394 yards and four touchdowns running the ball, helping LSU to rank second in the league with 220 ypg. That’s not good news for a Mississippi State team that is struggling to stop opposing rushers.

Now the team has to stay focused coming off that tough, competitive game that gave them a nice notch on their belt for SEC play. The winner of the LSU-Auburn game has gone on to participate in six of the last eight SEC title games, but the road to the Georgia Dome is still full of potential pitfalls in Florida, Georgia, and Alabama, three teams ranked in the Top 10 in the nation. With those games on the horizon, and the fact the Tigers have won 17 of their last 18 games at home, the Tigers could overlook this week’s opponent.

The Tigers are expected to make quick work of the Bulldogs here after having beaten them eight straight times by an average of 32.4 ppg. Mississippi State hasn’t gone to LSU and came away with a victory since 1991. Last year was especially embarrassing for the Bulldogs, as the Tigers held them to just 10 rushing yards and 136 passing yards, getting six interceptions in the 45-0 blowout. You can bet LSU -24 at Bodog and get a 10% cash bonus!

If the Bulldogs want to win this game then they are going to have to find a way to stop Scott and the LSU running game. Last week against Georgia Tech the Bulldogs allowed 438 yards and four touchdowns on the ground on their way to losing the game by a score of 38-7.

The offense wasn’t much better either, turning the ball over four times to give the team 12 giveaways on the year. The Bulldogs also had gone eight straight quarters without an offensive touchdown until late in the fourth when they scored on the Yellow Jacket second-stringers. If you think the Bulldogs can keep it close, take the 24 point spread at Bodog.

Football Score Predictions: LSU 31, Mississippi State 7

Get free football picks this weekend from our experts to win more of your college football bets. Compare our live college football odds from some of the leading sportsbooks so you know that you are getting the best number for each one of your wagers.