LSU vs BYU: Preview, predictions, TV channel and more

Hurricane Harvey’s wrath has moved the late-night LSU vs BYU tilt to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Brigham Young, welcome to the Bayou.

From Houston to New Orleans, the location may be different but what could possibly go down between BYU and LSU remains the same. It has been an interesting week and a half as both teams have prepared throughout the offseason to get to game week and even then they’ve got to adjust to things they didn’t see coming.

Due to Hurricane Harvey, the game was moved to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome which tips the home field advantage to LSU even more. BYU still has a leg up on the Tigers when it comes to game experience in the 2017 season.

Last Saturday, the Cougars defeated Portland State 20-6 and now hit the road for a “neutral site game”. With it being a late kick and all of the off-field backdrop of Hurricane Harvey and location of the game, there will be a ton of eyes on the game.

Here’s how to watch Saturday’s LSU vs BYU game:

Date: Saturday, Sept. 2
Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
Location: New Orleans, La.
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Superdome
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN

Most important person: LSU OC Matt Canada

The LSU Tigers’ biggest downfall ever since they won the 2007 BCS title has been its offense. For the first time in the post-Les Miles era, we will see much different (on paper) LSU offense with new offensive coordinator Matt Canada.

Over the past decade, Canada has been apart of building some of the nation’s most potent offenses and is a rising start around various college football circles. When you pair Canada’s offensive prowess with the LSU athletes at the skill positions, the potential for just how good LSU can be has grown exponentially.

One negative for Canada will be that the best offensive weapon in the game, running back Derrius Guice will be playing but won’t be 100 percent. It could put the offensive coordinator in an interesting situation as he makes his debut.

Matchup to watch: Tanner Mangum vs. LSU linebackers

One of the most dynamic players in college football that gets left out of conversations when it comes to top quarterbacks is BYU’s Tanner Mangum. The junior signal-caller went missing in 2016 as former Cougars’ QB Taysom Hill assumed the starting role.

As a freshman, Mangum set freshman QB records with 3,377 in the air and 23 touchdowns. LSU’s defense lost its top six tacklers from a year ago and you can still make the case that it’s are one of the nation’s top defenses. With Donnie Alexander and Arden Key manning the linebacker spots, Mangum’s ability to run Ty Detmer’s spread offense is going to be the key factor in how the game is decided.

Next: College Football: Top 50 breakout candidates for 2017

Prediction

Depending on how much someone values home-field advantage, most “experts” will say that the difference is about two to six points in favor of the home team. When LSU makes the rare but celebrated visit to the Superdome, you can almost put a two TD advantage in the Tigers’ favor. BYU’s ability to put up points will be a must here. The Cougars had a balanced attack against Portland State last week but only put up 20 points. They will need a much better effort if they want to win this game.

Final Score: LSU 38, BYU 17

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