It's been a while since the reigning national champion LSU Tigers have tasted defeat. It's been much longer since they've dropped a home opener. The sixth-ranked Tigers look to extend those winning streaks when they host the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday in the 2020 season-opening game for the SEC teams. Kickoff from Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge is set for 3:30 p.m. on CBS.
LSU is riding a national-best 16-game overall winning streak and has emerged victorious in 14 consecutive home openers. Meanwhile, Mississippi State is hoping to begin the Mike Leach era on a good note after having lost 18 of the last 20 games in the all-time series. The Tigers are 16.5-point favorites in the latest LSU vs. Mississippi State odds from William Hill, while the over-under for total points scored is 57. Before making any Mississippi State vs. LSU picks, check out the college football predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past four-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of over $3,800 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It is a sizzling 13-1 on top-rated picks through three weeks of the 2020 college football season, returning over $900 in profit already. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on LSU vs. Mississippi State. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the college football odds from William Hill and trends for Mississippi State vs. LSU:
- LSU vs. Mississippi State spread: Tigers -16.5
- LSU vs. Mississippi State over-under: 57 points
- LSU vs. Mississippi State money line: Tigers -800, Bulldogs +550
- LSU: The Tigers are 4-0 against the spread in their last four games as home favorites
- MSU: The Bulldogs are 1-6 ATS in their last seven road games
Why LSU can cover
The Tigers own a 75-35-3 all-time record against the Bulldogs, including a 49-19-1 mark in Baton Rouge. They have won nine consecutive conference games and are tied for the second-longest active FBS streak with eight or more overall wins in 20 straight seasons. LSU has scored at least 35 points in each of its final seven contests last year and have recorded a passing touchdown in 19 in a row.
With 1,000-yard receivers Ja'Marr Chase (1,780) and Justin Jefferson (1,540) no longer around, the top wideout on the Tigers is Terrace Marshall Jr. The junior made 46 catches for 671 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2019 despite missing three games due to injury. Fourth-year junior Myles Brennan will take over under center and make his first career start after throwing for 600 yards and a pair of TDs in 17 relief appearances.
Why Mississippi State can cover
The Bulldogs have turned to Mike Leach with hopes of avoiding back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 2008-09 after going 6-7 last year. Leach, who became the winningest coach in Texas Tech history during his tenure from 2000-09, replaces Joe Moorhead after posting a 55-47 record over eight campaigns at Washington State. His teams are known for their aerial attack as he leads all active FBS head coaches with the most average passing yards per game since 2001 (394.5) and is first in completion percentage over the last eight years (66.9 percent).
Leach's quarterbacks have thrown for at least 3,000 yards in 17 of his 18 seasons as a head coach, and K.J. Costello will attempt to continue the trend. A graduate transfer from Stanford, Costello appeared in only five games for the Cardinal last year due to head and thumb injuries, but became just the ninth signal-caller in school history to throw for over 6,000 yards (6,151). He recorded eight 300-yard performances in 29 games over three seasons with Stanford.
How to make LSU vs. Mississippi State picks
SportsLine's model is leaning under on the total, with neither team producing a 100-yard rusher in the simulations. The model also has generated an against-the-spread pick that cashes in well over 50 percent of simulations. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Mississippi State vs. LSU? And which side of the spread hits well over 50 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the LSU vs. Mississippi State spread to back, all from the advanced model that is up over $3,800 on its top-rated college football spread picks, and find out.
