The LSU Tigers will open their 2014 college football betting slate as four-point favorites against the Wisconsin Badgers in a non-conference battle between a pair of Top 25 squads.
LSU vs. Wisconsin betting preview, from spread to season player props
LSU faces a tough opener in Houston against Wisconsin. But the Badgers are bad as underdogs over the years and they get four points here.
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In addition to being closely ranked nationally, with LSU pegged at No. 13 and Wisconsin at No. 14, the two teams are deadlocked in college football futures odds, each pegged at 25/1 to win the national championship.
LSU finished with a respectable 10-3 record in 2013, but with all three of their losses coming against SEC rivals, the Tigers finished well back of powerhouses Auburn and Alabama in the SEC West.
The team was also a major disappointment to bettors, posting a 5-7-1 record against the spread, while failing to cover in five of their last six games. The Tigers start the season with the betting line on their regular season wins total set at nine, with the UNDER and OVER both sporting moneyline odds of 20/23.
With a healthy quarterback competition raging in camp between sophomore Anthony Jennings and true freshman Brandon Harris, it remains unclear who will lead the LSU offense against Wisconsin. But regardless of who takes the snaps, it is expected that freshman running back Leonard Fournette will play a big role in the Tigers' offense this season. The 19-year-old top recruit is a 33/1 bet to win this year's Heisman Trophy.
Wisconsin returns to action after posting an ordinary 9-4 record last season, 6-2 against Big Ten rivals. The Badgers were particularly disappointing down the stretch, losing their last two games, including a 31-24 loss to Penn State, a game in which they were pegged as 25-point home favorites.
After failing to cover in their final three games, the Badgers ended the season with a 9-4 record ATS, a trend they will need to reverse if they are to live up to their status as 2/1 favorites to win the Big Ten conference title.
While it is unclear who will be the Badgers' starting QB for the long haul, it is certain they will rely heavily this season on RB Melvin Gordon to drive the team's offense. Gordon ran for 1,609 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2013, and after electing not to enter the 2014 NFL Draft, the 21-year-old starts 2014 as a 12/1 bet to win this year's Heisman Trophy in college football player props betting.
