There are plenty of swamps in Louisiana. It’s no wonder visiting the Gators in The Swamp has not been an intimidating experience for LSU.
The ninth-ranked Tigers visit No. 5 Florida Saturday, armed with the satisfying knowledge that they are the last team to beat the Gators at home. And for good measure, they know they did it twice, winning 24-21 in 2004 and crushing them 36-7 two years before that. Are things different in 2006?
Oddsmakers at BetUS have this SEC battle as even odds, a line that reflects the comparable talent and comparable production from these schools so far. Both average more than 30 points per game and give up less than 10. Both average more than 400 yards in total offense.
Strength of schedule is where Florida may earn an edge. While LSU has been favored by 30 or more points in three of their routs, their only outing against a quality foe was a 7-3 loss at Auburn.
Not that Florida has ignored early-season cupcakes, but they have at least beaten a decent ’Bama squad and won 21-20 at Tennessee. The Gators are also in the midst of a make-or-break stretch, where they face Auburn next week, then hit the road after a bye week to play Georgia. In short, their season is on the line now.
The total settled in around 40 by mid-week, meaning the smart money is backing a hard-fought, low-scoring game, unlike LSU’s recent games (they have scored at least 45 in all four of their wins in 2006).
More SEC action
While the LSU/Florida match is the biggest on the SEC schedule this week, by no means is it the only marquee game on the board.
Arkansas visits No. 2 Auburn and the line has been bet down a few points to -15.5 in favor of the 5-0 Tigers. Auburn has won and covered three in a row vs. the Razorbacks, who have yet to cover a spread in 2006.
Troubling as well is the fact Arkansas gave up 240 rushing yards at Vandy – they could be in big trouble against run-heavy Auburn.
And in another battle of Top 25-ranked schools, No. 13 Tennessee travels to No. 10 Georgia where the roadies are small chalk. The Volunteers sat as 2.5-point favorites mid-week to continue a recent trend between these rivals – the road team has won four of five straight up.
To do it, they need to wreck the 5-0 season the Bulldogs have compiled so far, but
that perfect record comes with an asterisk. They beat Ole Miss 14-9 last week as 17.5-point chalk and snuck a 14-13 decision against overmatched Colorado (where the Bulldogs were favored 26.5!)
Tennessee meanwhile rebounded well from their loss to Florida with a couple of impressive covers, slamming Memphis and Marshall.
