After upsetting Auburn last week, No. 7 Florida now faces their toughest test as they travel to Baton Rouge to take on No. 5 LSU.
It’s week seven of college football already, and conference matchups are just starting to heat up. The game of the week in college football lands in Baton Rouge as No. 7 Florida will look to take down a top ten ranked SEC West opponent for the second week in a row. This time, however, it will be away from the comfortable confines of the swamp.
The spread is bigger than I would have expected it to be, but that just shows how much faith the oddsmakers have in this LSU football team. They have been ruthless to their opponents this season, outscoring them 273-99 en route to a 5-0 record and top-five ranking in the AP poll.
This has all come behind their quarterback, Joe Burrow, who has come out of the gates blazing this college football season. The senior transfer from Ohio State has thrown for an unbelievable 78% completion percentage this season along with 1,864 passing yards and 22 touchdowns to just three interceptions. That offensive output has put Burrow second behind Tua Tagovailoa in the Heisman odds for the 2019 season.
Florida hasn’t had as much luck at quarterback this season but has still managed a 6-0 record of their own this season. Junior Kyle Trask was thrown into action after Feleipe Franks went down with an injury in week three against Kentucky. He has done well in replacement duties though, throwing for a 72% completion rate, 881 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and two interceptions.
Florida has the advantage on the defensive side of the ball, as they have held their opponents to just 14.2 points per game, good for No. 8 in the country. LSU has given up 21.2 points per game, good for No. 31 in the nation. That includes 38 point outbursts to both Texas and Vanderbilt.
The impact of wins in this game is different for both teams. For Florida, a win here would make everyone have to take them seriously for a college football playoff spot. For LSU, a win is almost expected at home, as they still have tough games against Auburn and Alabama later in the season.
Date: Saturday, Oct. 11
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Location: Baton Rouge, LA
Stadium: Tiger Stadium
TV Channel: ESPN
Odds: LSU -13.0
Over/Under: 56.0
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Prediction: The lack of their starting quarterback is finally going to catch up with Florida in this one as I just don’t see Trask being able to match the production of Burrow on Saturday night. That being said, I do think that this one is going to be more low scoring than some of the games that we have seen from LSU this season, but it will still result in a win. Florida has a legit top ten defense int he country this season, but the lack of experience on offense won’t bode well for the Gators. Give me LSU to cover the spread and the under in this huge SEC showdown.
Score: LSU 31, Florida 17
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