USC vs. LSU odds, spread, schedule: Week 1 college football betting picks

In this story:
Week 1 of a historic 2024 college football season begins with a full weekend of marquee games leading into a Sunday night tilt from Las Vegas as No. 13 LSU faces off against No. 23 USC in what has become an SEC vs. Big Ten matchup thanks to conference realignment.
- Both teams are in need of major defensive repairs after playing poorly on that side of the ball, and each brought on new coordinators in hope of improvement
- And both are debuting new quarterbacks after losing former Heisman Trophy winners at the position
- USC joins the Big Ten this season
USC vs. LSU odds, spread, schedule: Week 1 college football picks
Lines are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
LSU: -4.5 (-114)
USC: +4.5 (-106)
LSU: -200 to win
USC: +164 to win
Over 63.5 points (-115)
Under 63.5 points (-105)
FPI picks: LSU 55% | USC 45%
LSU vs. USC football betting trends
+ LSU is 6-2 against the spread in its last 8 games overall
+ USC is 2-8 against the spread in its last 10 games overall
+ Total went over in 16 of LSU's last 17 games
+ Total went over in 17 of USC's last 20 games
+ LSU is 7-0 straight-up in its last 10 games as the favorite
+ Total went over in 4 of USC"s last 5 games as the underdog
Spread consensus picks
LSU: 64 percent of bettors predict the Tigers will win the game and cover the 4.5 point spread
USC: 36 percent of wagers suggest the Trojans will either win in an upset or stay within 4.5 points
College Football HQ pick: LSU -4.5
USC vs. LSU game time, schedule
When: Sun., Sept. 1
Time: 6:30 p.m. CT, 4:30 p.m. PT
TV: ABC network
AP top 25 college football rankings
First-place votes in parentheses
- Georgia (46)
- Ohio State (15)
- Oregon (1)
- Texas
- Alabama
- Ole Miss
- Notre Dame
- Penn State
- Michigan
- Florida State
- Missouri
- Utah
- LSU
- Clemson
- Tennessee
- Oklahoma
- Oklahoma State
- Kansas State
- Miami
- Texas A&M
- Arizona
- Kansas
- USC
- NC State
- Iowa
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | Teams

James Parks is the founder and publisher of College Football HQ. He has covered football for a decade, previously managing several team sites and publishing national content for 247Sports.com for five years. His work has also been published on CBSSports.com. He founded College Football HQ in 2020, and the site joined the Sports Illustrated Fannation Network in 2022 and the On SI network in 2024.