UCLA is coming off a home loss to Indiana, in which I predicted that the Hoosier defense would make things difficult for UCLA’s lacking offense. Well, that certainly was the case. But things were worse than I thought.
Indiana had its way with the Bruins, 42-13, in a game where UCLA looked completely overmatched.
LSU is coming off a come-from-behind road win over South Carolina, as they outscored the Gamecocks, 20-9, in the second half to secure a 36-33 victory and move to 1-0 in SEC play.
UCLA vs. LSU Betting and DFS Preview
All UCLA vs. LSU odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook and are correct as of Monday, Sept. 16.
- Spread
LSU -24 - Moneyline
UCLA +1275, LSU -2730 - Over/Under
55.5 - Game time
3:30 p.m. ET - Location
Tiger Stadium | Baton Rouge, LA - Predicted Weather at Kick
90 degrees, Partly Cloudy - How to Watch
ABC
LSU first opened as 20.5-point favorites. But after UCLA was completely manhandled at home this past weekend by Indiana, that number has steadily climbed to -24. The same can be said for the moneyline, which opened at LSU -1700 and has charged up to -2730.
Neither team has covered a spread in 2024, and as they head into this one, they have a combined 0-4 record against the spread.
LSU has seen both games with set totals hit the Over in 2024, while UCLA is 1-1 on the total.
Top DFS Picks and Fantasy Plays
- QB Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
- QB Ethan Garbers, UCLA
- RB Josh Williams, LSU
- RB T.J. Harden, UCLA
- RB Kaleb Jackson, LSU
- WR Kyren Lacy, LSU
- WR Moliki Matavao, UCLA
- WR Mason Taylor, LSU
- WR Aaron Anderson, LSU
LSU seemingly always has pass-catching weapons, and 2024 is no different, as they have a trio of big-time playmakers on the outside. Kyren Lacy enters as their star and leads the Tigers in catches, targets, and touchdowns with five.
Behind him is Mason Taylor, who has 160 yards on 17 catches and a touchdown, followed by Aaron Anderson’s 15 catches for 223 yards and a score. Lacy is always a DFS option, and Taylor and Anderson should be strongly considered for this matchup.
For UCLA, T.J. Harden does everything for this offense, even though they have struggled early in 2024. Harden leads the Bruins in rushing attempts and receptions but has only managed to get into the end zone once in 2024. The Bruins have only managed to score one rushing and one receiving touchdown through two games.
UCLA vs. LSU Prediction
It’s hard to imagine a more challenging environment for UCLA to travel to following a home blowout loss to Indiana. LSU is always a tough place to play, but it’s even more challenging when you’re limping in and they smell blood in the water.
UCLA wanted to establish an identity as a tough, hard-nosed football team that controls the line of scrimmage and can run the football under head coach Deshaun Foster and OC Eric Bieniemy.
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But they’ve been a far cry from that. They were overwhelmed by Indiana’s strong and athletic defense, and it’s hard to picture a much different outcome in Death Valley against this tested Tigers unit.
UCLA’s best hope is that LSU overlooks them in this one. The Tigers have already been in a top-25 battle with USC, and they just pulled off a hard-fought, come-from-behind SEC road victory in Columbia. Perhaps they’re sleepwalking in this one?
With the SEC schedule resuming in a few weeks, maybe the Tigers look past the Bruins. But they have South Alabama next week, so a look-ahead game doesn’t quite fit the narrative. And Brian Kelly still has CFP aspirations, so he’ll have his team ready for an afternoon kickoff on national TV.
I don’t think this is going to go well for UCLA.
The Prediction: LSU 44, UCLA 16
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