College Football Futures: There is no argument that the West Division of the Southeastern Conference is the toughest in college football starting with the Alabama Crimson Tide, who won the BCS National Championship in 2009, 2011, and 2012 and Auburn Tigers who won the 2010 National Championship with a runner-up finish last year. The Ole Miss Rebels are expecting their best team in years as are the Mississippi State Bulldogs. That leaves the LSU Tigers wondering where they fit in as a perennial double-digit win program that won the national title in 2007 and were runners up in 2011. LSU could be a surprise value choice as a quality program that is being overlooked. The Tigers opened as an 18/1 choice to win the BCS National Championship and as a 13/2 choice to win the Southeastern Conference championship.
Cam the Man
Although just five starters return on offense Cam Cameron also returns after a phenomenal first year as offensive coordinator as the offense produced one more TD per game than in 2012. LSU is always in the national top ten for recruiting and has proven to be able to reload instead of rebuild.
Handicapper’s Notes
LSU has struggled to hold their board value at home in Tiger Stadium with just five payouts against the spread in their last 16 home games with five out of their last eight home games going over the total. LSU has been a much better betting value on the road with just seven losses against the spread in their last 20 road tilts as just six out of their last 19 road games have gone over the total. The Tigers have been an erratic value as a favorite as they have covered the spread in just seven out of their last 20 games as a chalk with seven out of their last 10 games as a favorite going over the total. The Tigers have lost just seven out of their last 19 games against the spread as a dog with just five out of their last 16 games as a pup going over the total.
Our Prognosis
LSU hosts Alabama on November 8 but has tough road games at Auburn and Florida before then. We like LSU as a power value for 2014!
