The LSU Tigers took care of business in a 33-10 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks last week. Now they will head to Knoxville with a chance to move to 8-3 with a victory on Saturday night. The Tigers still have a legitimate shot at winning nine regular season games with the chance to hit the 10-win mark with a successful bowl appearance.
The Butch Jones era is finally over for the Volunteers but they aren’t projected to offer much resistance this week even after making a coaching change. The Vols had been hoping to hold out until the end of the season but the pain was too much. Last week’s stomping at the hands of Missouri was the final straw. The Vols kept getting embarrassed week after week, and they finally had to do something.
Tennessee is listed as a 15.5-point home underdog in after losing four of its last five including key defeats at the hands of Kentucky and Missouri over its last three games. The key here is whether or not they’ll put up a fight. They looked like a team that had completely quit the last few weeks. Are they interested in showing up here or are they tapped out with nothing on the line to play for?
Details
Odds: LSU -15.5
Date & Time: Saturday November 18th, 2017 – 7:00 PM ET
Location: Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tennessee
Broadcast: ESPN
Reasons To Bet On The LSU Tigers
The Tigers bounced back from a hard-fought loss to Alabama with an impressive double-digit victory over the Razorbacks. Linebacker Devin White was absolutely dominant in the victory over Arkansas as he finished with 14 tackles in the victory. Meanwhile, the LSU offense clicked with junior running back Derrius Guice going off for 147 yards and three touchdowns in the victory over the Razorbacks. If Guice can deliver another performance like that this week then the Tigers will be tough to slow down. The effectiveness of the LSU ground game helped open up room for senior quarterback Danny Etling, who threw for 217 yards and two touchdowns against Arkansas. Etling can’t win games on his own but if Guice is even close to as effective as he was last week then the Tigers offense should continue to roll.
Reasons To Bet On The Tennessee Volunteers
It’s hard to find many reasons to bet on Tennessee following another embarrassing loss to Missouri last week. The Volts have dropped five of their last six including a 33-point loss in their most recent outing. If there is a silver lining then it might be that they have played fairly well at home for the most part with the exception of a blowout loss to Georgia. Tennessee is 4-2 at home this season including a close loss to South Carolina. Perhaps the coaching change provides a spark and leads to a little added motivation this week. The Vols likely won’t pull off the upset, but they are getting 14 points as a home underdog for this Saturday.
Outlook
The Tigers opened up as a 14-point favorite here but the line has climbed since then. Now we seem the posted up at -15.5 as the bets have come in on the Tigers to push them past the key number. The total opened up at 46 but is now down to 45.5.
The Tigers aren’t exactly a high scoring offense but Guice is capable of putting up big numbers. When he does, the passing attack becomes that much more dangerous. Tennessee hasn’t exactly been effective moving the football in recent weeks and they will be in tough against an LSU defense that has played well for the most part. 15.5 points is lot but considering the direction both teams are trending in, it isn’t realistic to think that the Tigers can win and cover on the road. As soon as the Vols get hit a couple of times, they’ll realize they don’t want to be in this. LSU picks up a big win this week and keeps its hopes for a 10-win season including its bowl game alive.
Pick: LSU -15.5
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