The LSU Tigers face yet another test in the 2018 season, going down to the Swamp on Saturday afternoon against an upward-trending Florida Gators team.
Given recent history, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the 2018 campaign would be another ho-hum affair for both the LSU Tigers and Florida Gators. Despite the prestige of both programs, the past few seasons have largely consisted of unmet expectations and even lackluster performances. Through five weeks and ahead of their meeting on Saturday at The Swamp, that’s not been the case in 2018.
Armed with Ohio State transfer Joe Burrow at quarterback, Ed Orgeron’s Tigers made a statement right out of the gate this season, thrashing Miami in their primetime season-opener. Since then, they’ve only continued to make more statements with wins over Auburn and Ole Miss, the latter being a blowout.
The arrival of Burrow in the LSU offense has been a revelation. They aren’t setting records by any means, but they are better than average, which is miles ahead of where they have been. With Nick Brossette anchoring the run game on the opposite side of a stout defense led by the likes of Grant Delpit and Greedy Williams, this is a complete and balanced Tigers team that can win on both sides of the ball.
Florida hasn’t been without a hiccup this season, losing to Kentucky earlier in the year to break a winning streak against the Wildcats. Since that game, however, they’ve seemed to take it up a notch under new head coach Dan Mullen. After demolishing rival Tennessee, they then went to Starkville last week — Mullen’s former residence — and fought tooth-and-nail for a big win over Mississippi State.
Feleipe Franks and the Gators offense aren’t necessarily consistent just yet, but they are much better than they were under Jim McElwain’s watch. Their bread-and-butter, however, is their defense, led by the likes of Jachai Polite and CeCe Jefferson. Stopping the Tigers weapons is a tough task, but one that the Gators might be up to with the talent they possess.
TV and Game Info
Date: Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018
Start Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Gainesville, FL
Stadium: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
TV Info: CBS
Live Stream: FuboTV, CBS All-Access
On the road, the Tigers are getting a bit of respect as the favorites in this contest. Having said that, they may not be getting enough respect given their dominance and consistency to this point in the year. What’s clear about the oddsmakers is that they believe this is going to be a defensively driven affair on Saturday afternoon.
Betting Odds (via Odds Shark)
Point Spread: LSU -2
Moneyline: LSU -130, Florida +110
Over/Under: 43.5
Prediction
As impressive as Florida has been in recent weeks, I just don’t think they’re on the same playing field as the Tigers right now. Orgeron’s team is miles better than I expected them to be and is a group that I legitimately could see playing spoiler for Alabama or Georgia. The Gators aren’t of that caliber just yet, and that should leave to the visitors walking away with a win where the outcome is rarely in doubt.
Final Score: LSU Tigers 28, Florida Gators 13