LSU football vs. Mississippi State best bets for Week 3 match-up

LSU football has gotten off to a rocky start this season. The Tigers sit at 1-1 after two weeks following a heartbreaking loss to Florida State and a blowout win over Southern. Now, Brian Kelly’s squad will have the opportunity to improve to over .500 for the first time this season. Standing in their way is a tough Mississippi State squad who is looking to break into the AP Top 25 polls and prove to the nation that it’s not to be taken lightly.

It should come as no surprise that Mike Leach’s offense looks to be one of the best in the country after just a couple of weeks. The Bulldogs are averaging 44 points per game after scoring a combined 88 points against Memphis and Arizona. Meanwhile, the Bayou Bengals’ offense took almost an entire game to get anything going during Week 1. There is a ton of talent on each side of the ball for both teams, which means this game could go either way.

Here are the best bets for the SEC opener between LSU and Mississippi State.

Best LSU football bets for Week 3 match-up against Mississippi State

For the first time this season, the Tigers head into a game as the underdog in the eyes of Las Vegas oddsmakers. The Bulldogs have been the favorites all week leading up to the game, and as of Thursday night, nothing has changed. Mississippi State has held firm since the opening lines were released to the public a few days ago.

Here are the odds via FanDuel Sportsbook:

Spread: Mississippi State -2.5 (-110) | LSU +2.5 (-110)

Moneyline: Mississippi State (-128) | LSU (+106)

O/U: 53.5 (O: -108) | (U: -112)

The problem with early season betting—especially on teams who haven’t played great programs early on—is that there’s really no telling how opening conference games will go. Mississippi State has had its way with two big programs and LSU hung with Florida State before thrashing Southern. How will they fare against each other though? There’s really no telling.

Many people are justifiably skeptical about betting the popular gamelines, which is why it’s a blessing that FanDuel offers an array of other props in Louisiana. I’ll be staying away from gamelines with my best bets. If I were to pick a gameline to bet on though, I’d go with the hosts against the spread at +2.5.

My best bets come from the player props, where there are a plethora of great odds.

Noah Cain any time touchdown scorer is a decent bet at +110. However, I prefer the better of the Tigers’ two main running backs last week, Armoni Goodwin. Goodwin was utilized quite a bit in the red zone against Southern. He tallied two touchdowns en route to what many believe is a breakout performance for the youngster. John Emery Jr. will return in a limited capacity against Mississippi State, but keep an eye on Goodwin any time touchdown scorer at +200.

On a similar note, Emery Jr. suiting up will result in other backs losing some of their carries. I predict the Penn State transfer, Cain, will be the one to see his workload take a hit. Therefore, for my last best bet on LSU, I’ll take Cain U 37.5 rushing yards (-114).

As for a player prop on the Bulldogs, Will Rogers’ passing yards line is too high in my opinion. Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis ran rampant on the Tigers’ defense in Week 1 and managed just 260 yards through the air. The return of some defensive pieces for LSU will see Defensive Coordinator Matt House’s unit tighten up against Mississippi State.

Rogers “only” hit 313 passing yards (that sounds really silly to say only, but keep reading for context in his line) against a bad Arizona team the last time out. The Tigers are better defensively than the Wildcats. While they may not have any staple DBU players from years past, they’re still a formidable SEC secondary. Take Rogers under 325.5 passing yards at -114.