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Andrew Rogers
Citrus Bowl Point Spread: College Football Bowl Odds, Prediction
LSU played inspired football over the final eight weeks of the college football season – and it has been rewarded with a Citrus Bowl showdown with Notre Dame on Monday. The Tigers went 7-1 to end the season, earning victories over Florida and Auburn, playing No. 1 Alabama tough and covering the spread in each of their final six games. But they’ll be in tough against a Fighting Irish team that boasted one of the most electrifying running games in the country.
Tigers vs. Fighting Irish Spread and Betting Analysis
These teams are headed in opposite directions from a spread perspective, with the Tigers having successfully covered five consecutive times following a straight-up victory and the Fighting Irish having gone 0-4 ATS in their previous four games against teams with winning records. But Sports Interaction bettors aren’t so convinced, with only 51 percent leaning toward the Tigers despite their sensational end to the season.
Things are a little clearer on the totals side, with two-thirds of wagerers taking the over on the 51-point total. But recent trends on both sides suggest the under play might be a better option in this one. Notre Dame has gone below the total in four of its previous five games and is 2-6 O/U in its last eight following an ATS loss; LSU has exceeded the total just eight times in its past 29 games overall and is 2-5-1 O/U in its previous eight non-conference outings.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
The Fighting Irish have an impressive resume that includes victories over USC and N.C. State and a one-point loss to CFP participant Georgia. But one-sided losses to Miami and Stanford over the final three games took some sheen off Notre Dame’s otherwise solid season. QB Brandon Wimbush will be the player to watch for the Irish; the junior signal caller accounted for 30 TDs (16 passing, 14 rushing) despite completing fewer than 50 percent of his passes.
Louisiana State Tigers
No team took better care of the ball than the Tigers, who finished tied with Alabama for the fewest turnovers among Division I schools (eight). The Tigers finished inside the top 20 in sacks per game (2.92). Running back Derrius Guice is dealing with an undisclosed injury but returned to practice in full pads Tuesday and is expected to play; Guice led LSU with 1,153 rushing yards and 11 TDs, and ran for at least 97 yards in four of his final five games.
