2008 BCS Championship Game Betting Preview - Ohio State (11-1) vs. LSU (11-2) Articles | Gambling

By: Richard Bleuze

2008 BCS Championship Game Betting Preview
Ohio State (11-1) vs. LSU (11-2)
Monday,January 7, 2008 @ 8:00 pm Eastern – FOX

SBG Global Opening Line: LSU  -5.5 , Total 51.5

The top two teams in the national polls meet on Monday in the BCS Title game as #1 Ohio State takes on #2 LSU.   Unfortunately college football does not have a playoff system so a true #1 may not be crowned this year but the game on Monday should still be excellent.   Ohio State is looking to make up for last season’s loss in the title game when they were pounded by Florida while LSU is trying to prove they are the best team in the country.   SBG Global reports that early college football betting has the public taking LSU  at Home.

Ohio State has had a lot of time off to think about what happened in last year’s game.   "Last year we did get complacent," said Butkus Award winner James Laurinaitis, "We felt we were invincible. We have a lot of guys on this team that know what it takes to get it done.  We're not looking at last year at all. It's over with. This is a great opportunity for us."   The Buckeyes have been off for 51 days since their win over Michigan in their regular season finale.   Ohio State watched as many teams including West Virginia and Missouri had chances to play in the title game and lost.   LSU also had to wonder whether they would get an invite.   They were able to jump over Georgia in the polls and get the BCS National Title shot.  The Tigers will become the first team with two losses to play in the BCS championship game.

The game on Monday could be about defense.   Ohio State led the nation allowing only 222.5 yards per game.  Laurinaitis led the way with 103 tackles.  Tackle Vernon Gholston had 13 sacks.   LSU will try and move the ball against that defense.   The Tigers averaged 38.7 points this season which was good for 12th in the country. LSU has two quarterbacks, Matt Flynn, who threw for 2,233 yards, 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, and Ryan Perrilloux, who had 694 yards passing, eight TDs and two interceptions.  Jacob Hester leads the running attack as he had 1,017 yards this season.

SBG Global Current Line: LSU  -3.5 , Total 48 

The Ohio State offense can also score.   They averaged 32 points per game this season.  Quarterback Todd Boeckman completed 64.5 percent of his passes for 2,171 yards, 23 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.  Running back Chris Wells rushed for 1,463 yards and 14 touchdowns.   The Buckeyes will be facing an LSU defense led by Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner Glenn Dorsey.   He leads a defense that gave up 19.6 points per game, 20th in the country in scoring.   The Tigers are ranked 3rd in the nation in total defense.
They also rank fourth in the nation in turnovers gained and fifth in interceptions with 21.

Ohio State will be trying to win their 5th National Championship.   Ohio State and LSU have only played twice in history with Ohio State winning once and the other game ending in a tie.   The teams have not played since 1987.
Ohio State was a pointspread success this season going 7-4 while LSU did not reward bettors very often.   They were 5-7-1 against the spread.

Trends may point to the underdog on Monday.   The last time the Buckeyes were an underdog in the title game was in 2002 when they beat Miami as a 12 point underdog.  LSU won their National Title in 2004 when they beat Oklahoma as a 6.5 point underdog.

Here are the college football betting stats for Monday’s game.   The Buckeyes are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games on turf. The Buckeyes are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Bowl games.  The Buckeyes are 6-2 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.  The Buckeyes are 23-8 ATS in their last 31 games overall. The Buckeyes are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games as an underdog.  The Buckeyes are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 vs. the SEC.

The Tigers are 8-2-1 ATS in their last 11 games on turf. The Tigers are 19-7 ATS in their last 26 non-conference games.  The Tigers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 Bowl games. The Tigers are 2-7-1 ATS in their last 10 games as a favorite.  The Tigers are 1-5-1 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.

The Over is 4-1 in the Buckeyes last 5 games in January.  The Under is 7-3 in the Buckeyes last 10 non-conference games.  The Over is 7-1 in the Tigers last 8 games as a favorite. The Over is 5-1 in the Tigers last 6 vs. a team with a winning record.  The Over is 10-4 in the Tigers last 14 non-conference games.

Receive up to 95% in Total Bonuses from SBG Global!
Up to 30% Initial Deposit Bonus
up to 30% Reload Bonus
20% Buddy Referral
$250,000 NBA Match up Contest