UCLA vs. LSU Week 1: How to Watch, Game Info, Betting Odds
College football is back, and one of the most hotly-anticipated matchups in Week 1 pits a West Coast program on the rebound against a southern powerhouse not too far removed from a national title.
WHO: UCLA vs. LSU
DATE: Saturday, Sept. 4
TIME: 5:30 p.m. PT
LOCATION: Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, CA
TV: FOX – Joe Davis (play-by-play), Brock Huard (analyst), Bruce Feldman (sideline reporter)
RADIO: AM 1150, Sirius Ch. 137, XM Ch. 197, SXM App 959 – Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Matt Stevens (analyst), Wayne Cook (sideline reporter)
SPREAD: LSU -1.5 (-110), UCLA +1.5 (-110)*
MONEY LINE: LSU (-121), UCLA (+101)*
OVER/UNDER: O 64 (-107), U 64 (-113)*
LSU is currently ranked No. 16 in the AP Poll and No. 13 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. UCLA is not ranked in either poll, but did receive votes in each and holds the No. 6 spot in the SI Pac-12 Week 1 Power Rankings.
UCLA finished 2020 with back-to-back losses, closing things out at 3-4. The Bruins were 2-2 at home and posted an identical 2-2 record against the spread in those games. UCLA opened 2021 with a 44-10 home win against Hawaii, healthily covering the 17.5-point spread while falling several points shy of the 66.5-point over/under mark.
LSU wrapped up its 2020 season with a 5-5 record, the program's worst since 1999, but managed to win its last two games of the year, one of which was an upset win over then-No. 6 Florida on the road. One year removed from their 2019 national championship season, the Tigers were 6-4 against the spread and 3-3 on the road.
UCLA is once again led by quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who was a member of the Maxwell and Davey O'Brien Award preseason watch lists. Thompson-Robinson was not exactly the driving force behind the Bruins' blowout win over the Rainbow Warriors, as he completed just 10 of his 20 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown compared to his team's 244 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. Running backs Zach Charbonnet and Brittain Brown led the charge on offense, while countless front seven players strung together a dominant performance on the other side of the ball.
LSU has very few starters left from its recent national championship squad, as the past two NFL Drafts and coaching carousels have both stripped the Tigers for parts. Quarterback Max Johnson will get the starting nod with last year's QB1 Myles Brennan undergoing surgery in August, but Johnson was the one who led LSU to victories over Florida and Ole Miss to end 2020 on a high note. Aside from both of their lines being notoriously large, athletic and tough to handle, cornerback Derek Stingley stands out as the Tigers' biggest impact player, as he projects to be a top-10 pick in next year's NFL Draft after posting back-to-back First Team All-SEC campaigns as an underclassman.
UCLA and LSU have never played head-to-head. The Bruins are 12-12-2 all-time against SEC opponents, including 5-1 since the turn of the century, while the Tigers are 15-3 and undefeated in their last 12 games against Pac-12 schools.
*Odds via BetOnline
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