LSU Football: AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl Prediction

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After a tumultuous 2015 season in Baton Rouge for Les Miles and his Tigers, the LSU football program faces off with Texas Tech in the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl.

Les Miles is gone.  He’s fired.  There’s no chance he is retained for the 2016 season.  A month ago, it seems like that is what we all kept hearing about the situation in Baton Rouge.  Instead, though, LSU defeated Texas A&M and likely saved Miles job.

Leonard Fournette is the best running back from the SEC since Herschel Walker.  He belongs in the conversation with him and Bo Jackson.  The kid is a beast.  There is no chance that he does not win the Heisman.  The kids is a monster.

Yeah.  About that.

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Yet again, what we were told (and I believed in this case) for over a month about the LSU football program turned out to not be true.  I’m not saying that Fournette is not a beast.  He is an absolute monster.  He just isn’t the other-worldly superhero many of thought him to be after he made Auburn look like a JV defense.   I totally bought in that Fournette was an alien at that point.  The kid looked like an absolute freak of nature.

I do believe some kid from Alabama won the Heisman, though.

LSU is good for 9 wins as long as Les Miles is the coach.  That is the final thing we have been told ad nauseam.  LSU sits at 8-3, though, and needs a win against Texas Tech to reach that mark.  To be fair, of course, the Tigers played one less game this season after their season opener was canceled.   With that in mind, how does the LSU football program reach their 9 win mark for this season?

Related:  SEC Football Fans Pick the Bowl Games

How LSU can win:

Force turnovers.  Texas Tech is going to move the ball up and down the field through the air.  Tech’s quarterback Patrick Mahomes has tossed 14 interceptions this year, though, good for 7th most in FBS.  The Tigers have only picked off 9 passes this year, however, good for 78th.  LSU must take advantage of turnover opportunities to win this game.

How LSU can lose:

The LSU football program is a proud one that expects to win this game.  They could absolutely lose this game, however.  If Brandon Harris does not show up and Tech can stack 8 or 9 defenders in the box all night, Leonard Fournette cannot be a superhero.  He’ll break a few big runs against a weak rush defense but the Tigers will have to settle for too many field goals while the Red Raiders are scoring touchdowns.

Predictions:

John:  It is tough for me to see the players coming out as hyped as they did for their season finale against Texas A&M.  I think there is a huge drop off in intensity after the roller coaster that was the 2015 LSU football season.  I think Tech opens up a wide margin early and is able to escape with a narrow victory.  Give me Texas Tech 31-26 (yeah that is a lot of field goals).

Andrew:  The Red Raiders have the potential to torch a Tigers defense prone to giving up big plays — but they won’t. LSU will stick to its ground and pound game behind Leonard Fournette and play keep away for much of this game. I like the Bayou Bengals to knock off Texas Tech in a game too close for Les Miles’ comfort. LSU wins 35-34.

Ben:  Give LSU the nod in support of their favorite ball coach.

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All stats taken from espn.com