LSU vs. South Carolina, Indiana vs. UCLA tips: college football odds, bets

South Carolina should have lost to Old Dominion in Week 1, but instead won 23-19 despite being outgained in total yards gained (305-288) in a game in which it forced four turnovers.

While the Gamecocks put in an impressive performance in Week 2 with a 31-6 win over Kentucky, their success rate was a meager 28 percent and they won again in a game in which they forced two more turnovers.

Say what you want about LSU, but Garrett Nussmeier is a legitimate Heisman candidate.

He has completed 57 of 76 (75 percent) passes for 610 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception through two weeks, including a heroic 308-yard performance against USC in a heartbreaking loss.

I can't seriously expect South Carolina's secondary, which ranked 87th in pass completion percentage last year, to stop Nussmeier and Co.

Conversely, I am quite satisfied with LSU's defense in this duel.

South Carolina has switched to a running-heavy offense (66.5 percent run rate) this season, based on dual-threat quarterback LaNorris Sellers and running back Raheim Sanders, who transferred from Arkansas.

LSU's secondary is awful, but the Tigers have decent talent in the front seven behind star linebacker Harold Perkins.

The overrated Gamecocks are coming off a loss, and LSU is coming off a blowout victory after a brutal, last-second, prime-time loss to USC two weeks ago.

The selection: LSU-6

Washington (-5.5) against Washington State (at Lumen Field)

Most projection systems make Washington a double-digit favorite in this rivalry game.

According to my numbers, the Huskies are the favorite by 11 points, mostly because the Cougars are overrated after their lucky win last week against Texas Tech.

The Raiders had a total gain of nearly 80 yards over the Cougars (491 to 416), but lost by 21 yards due to four turnovers and three failed attempts to convert the fourth down.

It also didn't help that RB1 Tahj Boyd was unavailable.

Washington State comes into this game with an overrated rating and the Cougars should be no match for coach Jedd Fisch and quarterback Will Rogers.

It's difficult to assess the Huskies at the start of the season because they have completely overhauled their coaching staff and roster since their National Championship Game appearance last year.

But Fisch transformed Arizona into an offensive force last year, and Rogers amassed more than 12,000 passing yards in four seasons at Mississippi State.

I bet he can tear Washington State's questionable defense to pieces.

Indiana (-3) vs. UCLA

Indiana has hired an outstanding head coach in Curt Cignetti who wins everywhere he goes.

Under Cignetti, James Madison ranked second in the nation in chaos rates last year.

The up-and-coming coach brought a boatload of his defenders from JMU, and the revamped Hoosier defense forced nine chaotic plays against FIU in Week 1, including eight TFLs, four sacks and an interception.

Betting on college football?

This becomes a problem for UCLA, which seems lost on offense.

In contrast, Indiana's new QB1, Kurtis Rourke, has been excellent in his first two games as a Hoosier (73% completion, 10.3 YPA, 3 TD, 0 INT).

He dominated the MAC during his years in Ohio, and I'm confident he can play just as well in the Big Ten under Cignetti's tutelage.

UCLA's offense could be forced onto the defensive on Saturday, while Rourke should look competent enough in a decisive victory for the Hoosiers.

Last week: 1-2. Oklahoma State (N), Iowa State (S), Oregon (N)
Season 2024: 2–4.

Why you can bet on the New York Post

Tanner McGrath has been a professional sports handicapper since 2018. He specializes in college sports and baseball and is a diehard fan of the Vermont Catamounts, Miami Marlins, and all underdogs. He lost on the Miami Miracle in 2018, but made up for it four years later by winning the NL Cy Young with 40/1 underdog odds on Sandy Alcantara.