LSU Tigers vs UCLA Bruins Predictions, Picks, Odds, and NCAA Football Betting Preview | September 4 2021

The UCLA Bruins will look to get their second win of the season against the No. 16 LSU Tigers. This isn’t going to be an easy assignment for either team, which makes this game even more interesting to watch. Check out our preview of this contest below.

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Betting Preview for the LSU Tigers vs UCLA Bruins NCAA Week 1 College Football Game on September 4, 2021

Where: Rose Bowl, Pasadena

When: Saturday, September 4, 2021, 8:30 PM ET

Line: LSU Tigers (-3.5) vs. UCLA Bruins (+3.5) – view all 2021 NCAAF lines

TV Broadcast: ESPN

Betting on the LSU Tigers (-3.5)

Record: 0-0 Overall / 0-0 Conference

After ruling the college football world in 2019, LSU was sent crashing down to Earth the following season in which they limped towards a .500 campaign. Some majors changes have been made, however, by the program to prevent another disappointing season to happen such as hiring Daronte Jones as the team’s new defensive coordinator. The Tigers’ defense was abysmal in 2020, as they allowed 34.9 points per game and over 490 total yards per contest. If that’s going to do the trick for LSU’s defense, it’s got to show against UCLA, which struggled with turnovers in 2020. The Bruins then was 84th nationally with a -0.3 turnover margin per game and 99th with 1.9 turnovers per contest. LSU has the talent on defense, including two studs in the secondary with cornerbacks Derek Stingley Jr. and Eli Rickjs to slow down UCLA’s attack.

LSU is 4-1 against the spread in its last five games overall.

Betting on the UCLA Bruins (+3.5)

Record: 1-0 Overall / 0-0 Conference

UCLA is already warmed up for the LSU game. Unlike LSU, the Bruins have already played in an official game this season as they wrecked the Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors last week to the tune of a 44-10 score. Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson went 10/20 for 130 passing yards and a touchdown, but he really didn’t have to work a lot in this game, as UCLA’s rushing attack was destroying Hawai’i’s defense all game long. The duo of Zach Charbonnet and Brittain Brown combined for 184 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground. UCLA will have to keep getting both Charbonnet and Brown the ball against LSU to test the Tigers’ defense that was 94th in 2020 with 4.9 yards allowed per carry by their opponents. That could help loosen up LSU’s imposing secondary and give Thompson-Robinson’s targets time to free themselves up downfield.

UCLA is 3-2 against the spread in its last five games as the home team.

Writer’s Prediction

LSU wins, 34-27.

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