LSU Favored Over Auburn In Week 5 Primetime Matchup

• LSU hosts No.22 Auburn in Week 5’s primetime matchup as 3.5-point favorites with (-175) moneyline odds.
• Auburn looks to beat the trends after losing each of their last ten road trips to Baton Rouge outright.

BATON ROUGE, La. – Week 5 of the 2021 NCAA football season has arrived, and one of the top games for sports bettors is the primetime showdown between No.22 Auburn and the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge on Saturday night at 9:00 PM EST.

LSU are currently 3.5-point favorites over Auburn with a points total set at 55.5 by leading internet sportsbooks. LSU has (-175) moneyline odds while Auburn’s moneyline sits at (+150).

Both teams currently boast a 3-1 outright record and a 2-2 record against the spread.

While each team boasts an identical record, how they got there differs entirely. After losing their opening matchup against UCLA, LSU rattled off three straight wins against McNeese State, Central Michigan, and Mississippi State, covering the spread in each except the McNeese State game (won 34-7 as 39 point favorites). They especially impressed in their win last week against Mississippi State, covering the spread as 1.5-point favorites.

LSU has leaned on the passing game with great success in 2021. Quarterback Max Johnson has completed 64.4% of his passes, accruing 1,144 passing yards and throwing 15 touchdowns with 3 interceptions.

On the flip side, Auburn has dominated lesser competition, starting off the season with back-to-back games covering the spread as favorites of 37.5 points or more. Their toughest test to date, however, was their Week 3 road tilt against Penn State, in which they failed to cover the spread as 4-point underdogs, ultimately losing 28-20.

Auburn’s offense has been run-heavy, led by running back Tank Bigsby, who has racked up 403 rushing yards on 65 attempts, finding the end zone four times. Bigsby currently has (+10000) odds to win the 2021-2022 Heisman Trophy.

Auburn’s sixth-leading tackler, linebacker Owen Pappoe, is questionable for Saturday’s game due to a leg injury; however, LSU has their own injury concerns, as starting right tackle Austin Deculus is questionable with a shoulder injury.

The college football betting trends definitely lean towards LSU for this matchup. The Tigers have won each of their last 10 home matchups against Auburn, covered the spread in five of their last six games against SEC opponents, and have covered the spread in 12 of their last 18 games overall. The trends are also leaning towards the UNDER – the total has gone UNDER in each of Auburn’s last seven road games, as well as in four of the last five matchups between these two teams.

While many will be quick to bet on Auburn considering they are ranked while LSU is not, the Tigers have impressed thus far and have been hard to beat at home under Ed Orgeron, winning 12 of their last 14 home games outright.

If sports bettors are apprehensive about the 3.5-point spread, Sportsbooks like Bovada are currently offering an alternate spread of LSU (-2.5) at (-145) odds.

Pick: LSU -3.5

News tags: Auburn Tigers | Austin Deculus | Central Michigan Chippewas | College Football | Ed Orgeron | football | LSU Tigers | Max Johnson | McNeese State Cowboys | Mississippi State Bulldogs | Owen Pappoe | Penn State Nittany Lions | SEC | Tank Bigsby | UCLA Bruins