2021 College Football Odds, Picks & Predictions for LSU vs. UCLA: Sharps Align With Betting Model Projections

2021 College Football Odds, Picks & Predictions for LSU vs. UCLA: Sharps Align With Betting Model Projections article feature image
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Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images. Pictured: Head coach Chip Kelly of the UCLA Bruins

  • LSU travels west to the Rose Bowl to take on the 1-0 UCLA Bruins.
  • The Tigers opened as four-point favorites, but the line has since dropped.
  • See what our model thinks the spread should be, below.

LSU vs. UCLA Odds 

LSU Odds-2.5
UCLA Odds+2.5
Over/Under65
DateSaturday, Sept. 4
Time8:30 p.m. ET
TVFOX

For those of you who have followed along through the years this may sound familiar, but it's worth repeating at the start of the college football season: The biggest games aren't always the best games to bet.

In fact, in a sport like college football with so many teams, and therefore so many games, often the top values come from lower-profile matchups that casual bettors are ignoring.

However, sometimes the stars do align and we get a situation where a game is not only a nationally-televised primetime matchup, but also a very nice opportunity for bettors to find value.

And as I'm sure you've figured out by now, LSU vs. UCLA is a perfect example of this on Saturday night.

LSU vs. UCLA Pick

Sharp Action

When it comes to tracking professional betting action, LSU vs. UCLA is about as classic as it gets.

LSU has attracted 57% of the spread tickets to this point, yet the line has dropped from a high of UCLA +4 at DraftKings through the key number of 3 and down to +2.5 at the time of writing.

Big Money

Yes, the Bruins are receiving just 43% of the overall spread action, but that slight minority of bets makes up a much more bullish 61% of the real money wagered.

Combined with the line movement, this is a dead giveaway that UCLA is landing the biggest bets in this game, so much so that oddsmakers have had to react by making aggressive adjustments to the spread.

Model Projection

Despite the odds movement we've seen thus far, our College Football PRO Projections suggest there's still plenty of meat left on this bone.

We project the LSU vs. UCLA spread at Bruins -2.1 — making them the favorite — which is still offering a staggering 10.7% edge when compared the latest line.

Want to increase this edge even further?

At the time of writing, BetMGM is still hanging UCLA at +3 (-115), an incredible value considering the current consensus spread of +2.5 and the importance of 3 in football betting.

Top Experts

We've got three experts riding along with Chip Kelly & Company, aligning four of the PRO Report's five value indicators with UCLA.

PRO Report Pick: UCLA +3 (-115)

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