LSU and Ole Miss have the unenviable task of playing in perhaps the biggest game of the week. Number four LSU is traveling to face number 13 Ole Miss, and while Ole Miss is without their starting QB, the Rebels have gotten good play from the backup and they're at home. One believes LSU is destined for a huge road win, while another believes Ole Miss will enter the College Football Playoff conversation with a win.
Analysts split on crucial top-25 matchup between LSU and Ole Miss originally appeared on The Sporting News
LSU and Ole Miss have the unenviable task of playing in perhaps the biggest game of the week. Number four LSU is traveling to face number 13 Ole Miss, and while Ole Miss is without their starting QB, the Rebels have gotten good play from the backup and they're at home.
Because of all the factors that each team could point to as advantageous, it is no surprise that analysts are split on the matchup. One believes LSU is destined for a huge road win, while another believes Ole Miss will enter the College Football Playoff conversation with a win.
One analyst picks LSU, another rolls with Ole Miss in huge CFB matchup
Ole Miss is ever so slightly favored to win this one, probably due to playing at home. They're 1.5-point favorites. CBS Sports insider Chris Hummer is taking the Tigers despite that.
"Let's start with this: Almost any advanced statistical metric you look at suggests Ole Miss should win this game. The Tigers, despite their ranking, have struggled to generate any sort of consistent run game, which makes them predictable on offense," he admitted.
"But I'm a stubborn person, and LSU was my preseason SEC championship pick. I don't love the Tigers in Oxford. I wouldn't bet it. But I am going to pick it. LSU is the best defense the Rebels have seen all year, and Garrett Nussmeier does just enough to give LSU a big road win," he concluded, adding that the final score will be 30-27 Tigers.
All of that is very valid, though. The Tigers have struggled at times this year despite their pristine 4-0 record. That's why Brad Crawford is going the opposite way and picking a close home win for the Rebels.
Maybe this is who LSU is this season, a defense-first football team that will need to get by offensively to finish in the SEC's elite tier and reach the playoff," the insider began.
Unfortunately, that would mean that Ole Miss must really get the ball moving on offense, which may not be an issue no matter what the QB situation is like. Crawford thinks this is the biggest test that LSU defense has faced yet, and they might not be up to task.
"I'm not sure how much stock we should take in the victories over Clemson and Florida since those two teams are horrid," he concluded, noting that it will be 27-24 Rebels. They are split, but neither insider expects a wide margin of victory for either side.
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