West Virginia LSU Betting – Two struggling coaches look for a breakthrough win
The West Virginia Mountaineers and LSU Tigers have two of the more colorful yet confusing head coaches in the FBS. They meet Saturday night in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
NCAA football betting: West Virginia Mountaineers @ LSU Tigers
Online Betting Odds: LSU -8.5
Why To Bet On West Virginia
This might be a tired theme, but the best reason to bet on West Virginia involves the weaknesses possessed by LSU. The Tigers barely beat a North Carolina team that was playing without 12 starters in week one. Had UNC tight end Zack Pianalto not dropped a touchdown pass with two seconds left in regulation, LSU would have blown a 30-10 lead against North Carolina’s hugely depleted roster. This game marked just the latest display of head coach Les Miles’ infinitely head-scratching ways. Miles won a national title in 2007, but he won it despite losing two games in what was an especially wacky college football season. Ever since that season, LSU has declined noticeably as a program. The Tigers won easily in week two, but that’s because they were playing lowly Vanderbilt. LSU fought off Mississippi State in week three, but the Bayou Bengals needed more than 39 minutes to finally score a touchdown in a sluggish 29-7 win over the beleaguered Bulldogs. It’s worth noting that LSU spent two and a half quarters trying to score a touchdown on a night when Mississippi State quarterbacks handed LSU five interceptions. The LSU offense is simply a train wreck. Quarterback Jordan Jefferson threw for only 97 yards against Mississippi State. It’s hard to have high expectations for a big game when one realizes that the quarterback position is a profound weakness for the Tigers. Given this larger reality, West Virginia stands a very good chance of going into Tiger Stadium and winning… even at night.
Why To Bet On LSU
The Tigers’ best case for a victory is that they’re playing West Virginia. The Mountaineers looked very solid in a win over Maryland on Sept. 18, but then again, Maryland has not been an upper-tier program since 2003. Moreover – and far more significantly – West Virginia is part of a Big East Conference that has no quality wins to speak of. The teams that were expected to lead the Big East in 2010 – Pittsburgh, Connecticut and Cincinnati – have all absorbed losses on the road against credible opposition, and no team in the Big East has been impressive over the first three weeks of the season. West Virginia, in fact, was extraordinarily lucky to escape Marshall with a 24-21 overtime win in week two. The Mountaineers trailed that game 21-6 early in the fourth quarter, and were saved from certain defeat when Marshall – leading by 15 – fumbled inside the Mountaineer 5. It’s going to be tough for West Virginia to carry the Big East banner into a loud and intimidating SEC stadium.
How The Game Will Play Out
This game – involving two erratic and shaky coaches – is not likely to be well-played or easy to understand. Expect a lot of mistakes and plenty of bizarre plot twists. Ultimately, LSU’s offense is too awful to trust with a touchdown spread. One should definitely take the Mountaineers plus the points. The sense here is that West Virginia just might be able to win the game outright as well.
West Virginia LSU Betting Pick: West Virginia
