2017 Free NCAA Football Picks – Week 2 BYU vs LSU Odds & Expert Predictions 9/2/17

2017 Free NCAA Football Picks – Week 2 BYU vs LSU Odds & Expert Predictions 9/2/17: A non-conference matchup between BYU and LSU is set to go down in week 2 NCAA Football action on Saturday, September 2nd from Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. This showdown will be the season opener for both teams and the odds makers at Bovada Sportsbook have made LSU a strong -14 point favorite in this neutral field game. The total for this game is over/under 47 at Bovada and has yet to be released at any of the top USA online sportsbooks but it will be posted as soon as it becomes available on our live college football odds feed. Let’s take a closer look at this BYU-LSU game and make our free college football picks on the outcome.

2017 Free NCAA Football Picks – Week 2 BYU vs LSU Odds & Expert Predictions 9/2/17

Game: BYU vs LSU
Line: LSU -14 at Bovada Sportsbook
Total: Over/Under 47 points at Bovada
Where: Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX
Time: 6:30 PM EST
Date: Saturday, September 2nd, 2017

New LSU Tigers head coach Ed Orgeron begins his first full season on the job in Baton Rouge after doing a solid job as interim head coach last season. Orgeron went 6-2 last season to close out the year after Les Miles was let go and Orgeron has a talented squad returning in 2017 to kick off his tenure with a bang. LSU has 9 starters returning from last year’s 8-4 squad and excitement is in the air after they closed the season on a three game winning streak including a 29-9 win over Louisville in the Citrus Bowl.

LSU has 5 starters back on an offensive unit that ranked just 68th nationally scoring 28.3 points per game and 59th in the nation in yards per game at 423.1. However, the talent is there this season to really be improved and LSU made a great hire in bringing in new offensive coordinator Matt Canada from Pittsburgh to really get things jumping on offense. Canada played a big part in handing defending National Champion Clemson it’s only loss last season as his Pittsburgh offense put up 43 points on the Tigers in a 43-42 win. LSU’s offense will be built thru junior running back Derrius Guice who is an outstanding talent that ran for 1387 yards and 15 touchdowns last season.

On the flip side of the ball, LSU returns 4 starters on a defensive unit that was outstanding last season. LSU’s defense allowed just 15.8 points per game to finish 5th in the country and 314.4 yards per game to finish 10th nationally last season. LSU’s defensive coordinator Dava Aranda is now the highest paid assistant coach in all of college football at $1.8 million and Orgeron was smart in making sure LSU retained him. Aranda will have another stout LSU defense this season as they are loaded with talent and it’s headlined by junior BUCK Arden Key. Key led the SEC in sacks per game at 1.1 last year.

The BYU Cougars come into the 2017 season with high expectations as well in the 2nd year of head coach Kalani Sitake’s tenure. Sitake went 9-4 in his first full season on the job in Provo, UT and he welcomes back 13 starters from last year’s team.

BYU’s offense this season should be improved from last season’s mediocre unit that ranked just 62nd nationally in scoring at 29.5 points per game. The offense really struggled to move the ball as they only averaged 399.1 yards per game and that was only good for 71st nationally. BYU needs better play from the quarterback position and junior quarterback Tanner Mangum appears up to the task. Mangum did a very good playing his freshman season for an injured Taysom Hill as he threw for 3377 yards and 23 touchdowns. Mangum sat behind Hill last season as Hill returned but he is now ready to take over the reigns again and we expect BYU to be better for it.

Defensively, BYU is very stout for a program not in the Power 5 conferences. BYU finished 14th nationally in allowing just 19.5 points per game last season and 34th nationally in giving up just 365 yards per game. BYU plays a tough non-conference schedule year in and year out as an independent so those stats weren’t built against cream puffs either. BYU has 7 starters back on defense this season and we expect their unit to be one of the top 25 units in the nation again.

BYU vs LSU Free Pick and Score Prediction: LSU to cover the spread at -14 and win the game by a score of 34-14.

Bet on the BYU vs LSU NCAA Football game at Bovada Sportsbook