Texas Bowl Preview: Baylor Bears vs. LSU Tigers
The Baylor Bears (8-4) and LSU Tigers (8-4) will put on an electric showdown in the Kinder’s Texas Bowl on Tuesday, December 31 at 3:30 PM ET. The action will take place at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, where the Bears are favored with a point spread at -3.5 (-110) at BetDSI.
Baylor Bears Betting Preview
The Bears have found success in their previous six games. Recent victories have been by at least 10 points or more, with their latest one being a 45-17 blowout over the Kansas Jayhawks.
A convincing 21-10 lead at the half was enough to give the Bears confidence in the second half, especially finishing off the third quarter with a 21-7 run. Sawyer Robertson completed 23 of 31 passes for 310 yards and three touchdowns.
While they allowed the Jayhawks to get 491 yards and 18 first downs, the Bears put up 603 yards and 32 first downs. They also had possession of the ball for about 36 minutes and forced three turnovers.
The Bears are 20th in the nation for acquiring 34.7 points a game. Defensively they have allowed 25.2 points from opponents, which ranks 68th. This spread is solid, but they must be strong on both sides of the ball to make a difference here.
LSU Tigers Betting Preview
The Tigers have won their last two games and have held opponents to 17 points in each of these victories. Their latest win was a 37-17 performance over the Oklahoma Sooners.
This game quickly got out of hand by the third quarter, where the Tigers took a decent lead with a 31-17 score about halfway through. Garrett Nussmeier completed 22 of 31 passes for 277 yards and three touchdowns. Chris Hilton Jr. had a great game as well, posting two receptions totaling 85 yards and two touchdowns.
Surprisingly, both teams looked similar on paper in various categories offensively. The Tigers put up 395 yards and allowed the Sooners to get 277, with this being the one of the few stats offensively that was not as close.
The Tigers have accumulated 29.3 points a game and rank 54th. On defense they are 56th in allowing 23.8 points a game. They also boast the fifth-toughest strength of schedule, as the SEC was a powerhouse once again.
Odds, Series Trends, and Free Pick
BetDSI has you set for the Kinder’s Texas Bowl betting odds, showing the Bears as 3.5-point favorites. Market predictions estimate that the Tigers have an edge, with a 59.8 percent chance of winning.
The Tigers lost a lot of offensive talent on the line and in their main receiver to the draft, leaving a lot of players filling in the gap from backups. However, the Bears had a solid season but were not as strong defensively.
Final Pick: LSU Tigers -3.5 (-110)
