College Football Odds: SEC Week 8 picks against the spread

Oct 17, 2015; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers running back Leonard Fournette (7) carries the ball against the Florida Gators during the second quarter at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports

• Date: Saturday October 24, 2015
• Time: 7PM Eastern
• Location: Baton Rouge, LA
• TV Channel: ESPNU
• Spread: LSU -17
• Over/Under Total: 67

LSU has been the best team in the SEC through the first half of the season, with last week’s 35-28 victory over Florida pushing the Tigers to 6-0 as the only undefeated team in the conference.

Everyone knows about Leonard Fournette, who leads the nation with 1,202 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns, and improving quarterback Brandon Harris, who threw for 271 yards last week against the Gators and has yet to throw an interception this season, but the defense will decide whether the Tigers cover in this week’s Homecoming matchup with WKU.

Overshadowed by players like Texas A&M’s Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall, as well as Ole Miss and Alabama’s usual cast of characters, LSU defensive end Lewis Neal is quietly having a terrific season as a pass rusher. With seven sacks in six games – including three last week against the Gators – Neal is second on the SEC leaderboard behind Garrett and on pace to break the school record of 12 sacks in a season.

Neal and the rest of the Tigers’ defense will have plenty of opportunities to pin their ears back this week and chase WKU quarterback Brandon Doughty, who has 2,709 passing yards and 24 touchdowns (which ranks third nationally) with four interceptions on 266 pass attempts this season. The sixth-year senior has the nation’s best completion percentage (74.1 percent), and the Hilltoppers are explosive on offense, but struggled mightily in an early season meeting with another SEC defense.

Doughty threw for only 209 yards in the season-opening 14-12 victory over Vanderbilt, which was his lowest production of the season by a wide margin (the second lowest coming last week in a blowout win over North Texas, where he threw for 350 yards). The Commodores also held WKU in check on the ground, and the Hilltoppers managed only 246 total yards. It would be unwise to expect LSU to limit WKU’s offensive production that much, but the Tigers are far more talented than Vandy, so it’s possible.

Next: Texas A&M at Ole Miss