UCLA vs. LSU: Picks, Predictions and Odds

One of the games that is flying under the radar a bit on Saturday’s Week 4 slate is a Big Ten vs. SEC matchup between UCLA and LSU at Tiger Stadium. 

This is a game that probably looked a lot more appetizing on paper a year or two ago, when both of these programs were consistently ranked inside the top 25 and were contenders in their respective conferences.

That’s not exactly the case this season. UCLA is clearly in the midst of a rebuild, while LSU has struggled mightily in each of its games against Power 4 conference opponents thus far.

With both teams currently sitting with one loss on the season, this matchup could be a good barometer for how the rest of each team’s season will play out, especially the Tigers. Let’s get into our betting picks, predictions and best bets for UCLA vs. LSU in Baton Rouge. 

UCLA vs. LSU betting picks and predictions

UCLA +22.5 (-110)

UCLA is coming off an embarrassing Big Ten debut loss in Indiana last week, as the Bruins were thoroughly dominated in a 42-13 defeat. UCLA’s defense offered little resistance to its opponent, surrendering 430 yards of total offense to the Hoosiers in the loss.  

Things won’t get any easier for this struggling Bruins team, as they’ll hit the road for a date with the 16th ranked LSU Tigers. However, things haven’t exactly been smooth for Brian Kelly’s team either to this point.

LSU is coming off a narrow 36-33 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks on the road, in which the Tigers needed some good fortune (and serious help from the officials) to escape Columbia with a win.

LSU has a ton of talent, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. However, the Tigers continue to get off to slow starts, which could harm them here as they try to cover a massive number at home. The Tigers found themselves trailing 17-0 late in the 2nd quarter a week ago, and it took a massive effort from quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and a pair of rushing touchdowns from Caden Durham to pull the Tigers back into that game. 

There simply hasn’t been a single game yet this season in which the Tigers played their best for all 60 minutes, and we’re not sure if they’ll find a more consistent effort this week against a UCLA team that just suffered an embarrassing loss at home. 

While LSU has the offensive and talent capabilities to win this game by 30+ points, it would be hard to trust this group given that this team hasn’t performed at a high level for a full 60-minute game yet this season. UCLA’s offense is still a work in progress, but we can expect the Bruins defense to bounce back and play with a renewed focus and intensity after last week’s ignominious defeat.

Under 56.5 total points (-110)

This is a scenario where the game script for each team will tell the story for both the spread and total on Saturday. If UCLA is going to keep this one respectable, then that likely means that the Bruins defense will have stepped up and LSU’s offense will have gotten off to another slow start.

The one thing that the Bruins defense does somewhat effectively is stop the run (61st in opponent rushing success rate). UCLA also runs the ball at one of the highest rates in the country, which should come in handy in this matchup as the Bruins look to shorten the game and limit the amount of possessions for LSU’s offense.

On the other side, LSU’s offense has a ton of talent on paper, but the Tigers have also benefited massively from turnover luck over the last two weeks. If that regresses a bit, then this game could finish in the low 50s, as opposed to the 60s and more. 

It’s not pretty, but let’s take the Under 56.5 total points (-110) in this matchup. 

Read more betting picks and predictions for College Football on site.

UCLA vs. LSU odds

UCLA	+1000 ML
LSU	-2000 ML
Spread	LSU -22.5
Total Points	O//U 56.5

Read UCLA vs. LSU: How to watch, TV Channel, streaming start time, injury report and stats on site.

Read the latest College Football news on site.

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.