Top Sportsbooks
LSU vs. Auburn
Betting Line: Auburn: 6 o/u 52
10/23/10
I bet that single die hard Auburn fan who went out of his way to boo HC Gene Chizik as he arrived on campus for the first time two years ago didn’t envision his Tigers sitting at a perfect 7-0 with a huge chance to win the SEC. Oh no, he wouldn’t have booed Chizik had he known that. The Auburn Tigers will continue their quest for perfection against a fellow unbeaten. That team is Les Miles’s LSU Tigers. Fans are still clinging to their BCS Championship from 2006, but they certainly feel as if they could do it again this year. Something has got to give here, and these undefeated powerhouses will put on a show!
Riddle me this: How do you stop a 6-6 QB that can run, pass, and is iNCredibly hard to tackle? Have fun trying to answer that one. The QB I’m speaking about is Heisman candidate Cameron Newton. So far there hasn’t been a team that can do it. Think of Cam as a “souped up” version of Michigan’s Denard Robinson. He is almost a cross between Tim Tebow and Denard Robinson, taking both players best skills and turning them into touchdowns. He will have one of his toughest challenges of the year against LSU’s defense, but don’t expect him to go unheard from after helping Auburn put up 68 points on Arkansas the week before.
Auburn’s defense is averaging just over 2 sacks per Game. They allowed Arkansas to rack up 566 yards in total offense. Don’t let the score of that Game fool you. It was much, much closer than the Scorelets on. The Razorbacks played without QB Ryan Mallett for more than a half, and several questionable calls went in favor of the Tigers. LSU isn’t half as good on offense as Arkansas is, but the Tigers will need to show they can get stops. They had trouble doing that against teams like Clemson, and South Carolina. If they don’t play a big Game it’s very likely that LSU will not only cover, but win this one outright
Cam Newton won’t run all over LSU like he has done most teams. He will get his yards, but it won’t be to the degree in which he has in the past. Bottom line, the Auburn Tigers must step it up on defense in this huge home Game.
The LSU Tigers stand undefeated at 7-0, but there are reasons to worry. The offense has been very short of spectacular, and they allowed McNeese State to hang around way too long despite winning that Game 32-10. Les Miles GAffes and clock management are enough to stop the heart of any fan. Can they overcome this? The short answer is yes. This team has proved they can win the road this year with big victories over North Carolina and Florida. The Game against Florida two weeks ago was one of their best offensive efforts of the year. It will be up to Stevan Ridley and Jordan Jefferson get points on offense.
If LSU is going to win this one, it will be because of a monumental defensive effort. They held a potent West Virginia offense to 179 offensive yards. They stopped explosive RB Noel Devine in that Game. They were able to hold Florida to just 243. In the past three Games the Tigers have recorded 10 sacks. Turnovers will be big here. LSU hasn’t had a ton, but they aren’t giving the ball away either. If they can keep Auburn in the 250-300 yardage range there is a very good chance they can win this and cover the 6.5 point spread.
There are different ways to be 7-0 in college football. One way is to be a dominant team and simply beat every team you face in every aspect of every Game. That would be, say, Alabama last year. Then there’s these two teams. Neither team is dominating. Both have caught huge breaks on their way to 7-0. Both could easily have 2 or 3 losses each.
Of the two, Auburn would seem to have more of a direct path to the SEC title AND a potential BCS title Game. After LSU, they have Ole Miss, ChattanooGA, Georgia and Alabama. LSU has Alabama and Arkansas. Either way, this Game is HUGE for both sides.
Auburn as been squeaking by. All of their wins against “good” teams have been by 3 points, with an 8 point come from behind win over South Carolina and then last weeks Game against Arkansas where they trailed by 6 in the 4th quarter. Hardly dominating. One set of numbers we use has LSU pulling the upset here, all of Our numbers show the Game closer than 6. LSU +6 is the play here.