LSU vs Army prediction, picks: College Football odds

It's a special edition of Saturday night in Death Valley this weekend as the LSU Tigers welcome the Army Black Knights. The hosts are rolling out the red carpet for their special visitors as these teams prepare to battle for the second time ever. The Tigers are huge favorites at home, but there are some interesting betting storylines ahead of this highly anticipated contest.

The non-conference clash is set to kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. SEC Network will carry the national broadcast with Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers and Cole Cubelic on the call.

Caesars Sportsbook, the official odds partner of Bet.NOLA.com, is favoring the hosts by more than 30 points with the over/under set at 59 total points.

Let's take a closer look at the odds, highlight some picks and make a prediction for this Week 8 bout:

Army Black Knights (2-4) at LSU Tigers (5-2)

Time/TV: Saturday at 6:30 p.m. (SEC Network)

Spread: LSU -31

Over/Under: 59

Moneyline: N/A

TOP PICK

LSU -31 vs. Army (-110 at Caesars Sportsbook)

I said it on Wednesday's episode of Bayou Bets, this is a spread that previous LSU teams wouldn't cover. Les Miles and Ed Orgeron-led teams typically took it easy on non-conference opponents, but Brian Kelly is different. Kelly stepped onto the scene in Baton Rouge and the Tigers immediately started blowing the doors off non-conference opponents.

Unfortunately for Army, I expect this one to play out the same way.

Kelly's LSU is 5-2 against the spread over the last season and a half in non-conference showdowns. Those lone two losses both came against a great Florida State squad, otherwise, the Tigers have taken care of business as expected.

I'm not going to bet against the trends here, even though I think LSU takes it relatively easy on the Black Knights. The Tigers simply have too much firepower on offense. They're averaging over 45 points per game this season and I doubt Army will score more than 10-14 points against a defense desperate to improve. Thus, I like LSU to lay the 31 points at home as it looks ahead to Alabama.

Prediction: LSU 52, Army 10 (Over 59)

OTHER PICKS

Army-LSU OVER 31 first half points (-105 at Caesars Sportsbook)

LSU to cover an 18.5-point first half spread is tempting, but ultimately, something I'm avoiding. The reality is I'm not sure how long Jayden Daniels and the starters will play in this contest.

Given Kelly's history in lopsided non-conference matchups, I expect the Tigers' first-team offense to play the first half. The coaching staff will give Daniels his opportunities to rack up stats for the Heisman Trophy race before turning it over to Garrett Nussmeier and/or Rickie Collins.

LSU is capable of putting up 28-35 points on its own, and I doubt Army stays off the scoresheet either. 31 points is a very achievable goal within the first half hour of play.

Army-LSU OVER 59 points (-105 at Caesars Sportsbook)

If you have bet the over on every LSU game this season, congratulations, you've won every bet you've placed. There are no player props available at Caesars Sportsbook for this contest, so we're going to turn to 'ole reliable for our final selection in this showdown.

The reason this isn't the best bet for this game is because there are too many uncertainties here. How long will the starters stay in the game? How much respect will the Tigers show to Army on the field? In the end, I think that as long as LSU executives offensively as it did against Grambling State, this game should see over 60 points scored. The Tigers' offense is incredibly clinical and they'll get at least eight possessions, leaving the Black Knights with only a little work to do.