CFB Week 1 is officially off to the races. With the NFL not resuming for another week, college football will be thrust into a magnified spotlight. This Sunday, prepare for a battle of proud programs at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium: USC vs. LSU.
As two schools with decorated histories on the gridiron, the No. 23 USC Trojans and No. 13 LSU Tigers will make for a fantastic opening bid. In 2024, it is being dubbed as the Modelo Vegas Kickoff Classic: Beach vs. Bayou.
If Colorado vs. NDSU in primetime didn’t get your blood pumping on Thursday, this Sin City affair certainly will.
Changing Of The Guard
Louisiana State and Southern California have accounted for each of the past two Heisman Trophy winners. Still, Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels have since moved on to the pros, which means there will be new quarterbacks at the helm on both sidelines.
After two seasons backing up the superstar Williams, Miller Moss will get the keys to the Trojans’ car. The junior quarterback saw fill-in action in 10 total games throughout the aforementioned span. To make a statement, Moss set a Holiday Bowl record last December by tossing six touchdowns versus the Louisville Cardinals.
For the program from Baton Rouge, Garrett Nussmeier will be Daniels’ successor behind center. Nussmeier — who is the son of former NFL quarterback Doug Nussmeier — has been with the Fighting Tigers since 2021. In spot work dating back to 2022 (14 games), Nussmeier shows a 9-5 TD-INT ratio while completing 61.7% of his pass attempts.
What To Watch For
Lincoln Riley is entering Year Three in Los Angeles. Simultaneously, Brian Kelly is also commencing his third season at LSU. Despite offering different specialities, these programs have had ironically similar results on the gridiron.
As noted, both coaches have sent a Heisman quarterback to the NFL within the last two years. In 2023, the Tigers poured out 45.5 PPG (tops in FBS) while the Trojans were close behind 41.8 PPG (third in FBS). However, neither squads’ defense was the cream of the CFB crop. The Tigers allowed 28.0 PPG a season ago; Southern Cal was shellacked for 34.4 PPG.
Over Riley’s tenure with the Trojans, he has compiled a 19-8 (.704) record with one bowl victory. Throughout that same time span, Kelly has guided LSU to 20-7 (.741) results along with two bowl wins.
Kelly and Riley have both failed to get their current programs into the College Football Playoff. With an expanded CFP field in 2024 (growing from four schools to a dozen), that will likely change in the near future. Still, LSU is annually tasked with navigating the ever-fierce SEC. For the Trojans, they will try their collective hands in a competitive Big Ten conference going forward.
USC vs. LSU Prediction
Entering the weekend, DraftKings Sportsbook labels the Tigers as four-point favorites in Sunday’s neutral-site contest against USC. The total is set at 64.5 combined points, which certainly presents a high bar. So what will it be in Sin City—”Fight On” or “Geaux Tigers”?
Despite Southern Cal being much closer to Vegas than LSU, supporters of the Tigers are expected to show up in droves. According to KTNV, USC vs. LSU has a solid shot to break Allegiant Stadium’s attendance record.
Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC, making this game a Sunday-evening spectacular. Simply, this will be the marquee football event of the entire weekend. It would be nice if LSU’s point-spread was within the field-goal threshold but I am still comfortable laying four on the Fighting Tigers.
When it pertains to CFB betting, I reference ESPN’s SP+ rankings and College Football Power Index (FPI) quite often. On both lists, LSU is regarded as the superior team in 2024. Amongst 134 FBS programs nationwide, the Tigers are 10th in SP+ and 12th in FPI. Conversely, the Trojans show up 21st in SP+ and 17th on the FPI.
Overall, ESPN Analytics gives LSU a 55.1% chance at victory this weekend. With the spread as it currently is, I like the Tigers to win by more than four points in Vegas.
Monday’s Notable CFB Schedule
All odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook. Game lines may shift upon publication.
Monday, Sep. 2, 7:30 p.m. ET: Boston College at Florida State (-17)
Total: 50
Editor’s note: The advice provided by the author does not represent the views of Playboy. Taking any advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. Always use your own judgement when participating in sports betting. Still, for daily bettors, the best insight anyone ever gave me was to stay away from parlays.