College football odds: Florida an increasing underdog against LSU

Florida enters Week 7’s huge matchup with LSU as a road underdog. Thanks to Will Grier’s suspension, the line has been moving in the Tigers’ favor all week.

The Florida Gators are 10–2 straight up and against the spread over their last 12 games, including a 6–0 SU and 5–1 ATS start to the season this year. They hit the road this week to take on the LSU Tigers on Saturday night at Tiger Stadium.

Florida is a 9.5-point underdog on the road according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. In their last four games as the betting underdog, the Gators are 4–0 SU and 3–1 ATS.

Up until this week there hasn’t been anything but positivity surrounding Florida. A surprising 6–0 SU and 5–1 ATS start highlighted by a comeback win over Tennessee and dominating performances in wins over Ole Miss and Missouri had some people talking about the Gators as a potential playoff team.

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But in a stunning blow to the team earlier this week, starting quarterback Will Grier was suspended for the duration of the season for taking a banned substance.

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Bettors have reacted accordingly, moving LSU from a 6.5-point favorite at home to a 9.5-point favorite. Florida is 1–4 SU and ATS in its last five games against LSU per the OddsShark College Football Database.

​Leonard Fournette leads the nation in rushing yards with 1,022 through the first five games of LSU’s season, good for an average of 204.4 yards per game. The star back has helped lead the offense to an average of 37.8 points per game, fueling LSU’s 5–0 SU start.

The Tigers are just 2–3 ATS over that stretch despite winning each of their last four games by double digits. LSU is 13–0 SU in its last 13 home games in the month of October.

The total for Saturday’s game is set at 46 points. The OVER is 4–0 in LSU’s last four games.

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The Gators have been excellent all year on defense, having allowed only 14.3 points per game. With Grier out, the defense will be under even more pressure if the Gators are going to remain in the playoff picture.

This unit will get its toughest assignment of the season squaring off against the Heisman frontrunner Fournette on the road this Saturday.