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The first Saturday in September kicks off a new season of college football and one of the top matchups on the slate pits the LSU Tigers, out of the SEC against the Big Ten’s Wisconsin Badgers. Game time from Lambeau Field in Green Bay is set for 3:30 p.m. (ET) and this contest will be broadcast nationally on ABC.
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LSU vs. Wisconsin Game Overview
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The Tigers open the 2016 season as +900 third-favorites to win a national title and their futures odds to win the SEC are set at +350 as second-favorites behind Alabama (+165). They closed out last season with a 56-27 romp over Texas Tech in the Texas Bowl as seven-point favorites to finish the year with a straight-up record of 9-3 while going an even 6-6 against the spread. LSU was in the driver seat for a spot in the College Football Playoff until three-straight losses in the month of November derailed its plans.
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One thing we do know about this year’s Tigers is that they should have a very potent running game behind Heisman favorite Leonard Fournette. He ended his sophomore season with 1,953 rushing yards and 22 rushing touchdowns on 300 carries and everything points to an even better season this time around. The Tigers averaged 30.7 points a game in 2015, but their defense was ranked 44th in points allowed (24.0). This should be a good test for new defensive coordinator Dave Aranda’s unit after he left the Badgers to take the job at LSU.
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Wisconsin’s late-season loss to Northwestern last year as a 12-point home favorite ended its run at a Big Ten title, but it was still a good year with a SU record of 10-3. The Badgers went 6-7 ATS, but they did manage to cover as 3.5-point underdogs in a 23-21 upset over USC in the Holiday Bowl. Their futures odds to win the Big Ten this season have been set at +1400, which is well down the list. Wisconsin’s odds to win a national title have been set at +125000, which are some of the longest on the board.
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The Badgers’ offense should also be fueled by the ground game behind senior running back Corey Clement. He missed nine games last season due to injury, but head coach Paul Chryst remains optimistic that Clement can return to a form that could very well put him in the 2016 Heisman mix. Wisconsin’s defense led the nation in points-allowed last season; giving up an average of just 13.1 points a game. With several key starters back in the fold including linebacker Vince Biegel and cornerback Sojourn Shelton, this should remain one of the stingiest defensive units in college football.
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Betting Trends
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The Tigers have covered ATS in five of their last seven games played on natural grass and the total has gone OVER in their last six nonconference games.
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The Badgers are 1-4 ATS in their last five games against a team from the SEC and the total has stayed UNDER in eight of their last 11 games.
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These two opened the 2014 season against one another with LSU winning 28-24 as a three-point favorite. The total went OVER the closing 49.5-point line in that game.
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