Florida State Enters Week As Slight Underdog To LSU In Highly-Anticipated Matchup

The second chapter between the Seminoles and Tigers is bubbling up to be an exciting contest.

Dustin Lewis | Aug 28, 2023

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Florida State Seminoles

There has been a lot of talk over the last year about the upcoming rematch against Florida State and LSU. Finally, there is less than a week remaining until the two teams take the field in Orlando and put all of the extra hoopla to rest. The No. 8 Seminoles and No, 5 Tigers will both be looking for a resume-building victory to kick off the 2023 season.

It won't be easy for either team with both sides returning plenty of talent and experience that was coupled with success in the transfer portal. There's a chance that this could come down to a quarterback duel between Jordan Travis and Jayden Daniels, who both had notable outings in this matchup a season ago. Travis had more passing yards (260) while Davis compiled more total yards (323) due to a couple of long runs.

On Sunday afternoon, opening odds were released for Week 1 games around college football. According to Sports Betting Dime, Florida State opens as a 2.5 point neutral site underdog against LSU. The Seminoles sit at +120 on the Money Line and the Tigers are at -142 while the Over/Under is set at 58.5 points.

Florida State outlasted LSU, 24-23, in 2022 behind a breakout performance from Jordan Travis and a strong showing on special teams. The Seminoles blocked a field goal in the first half and recovered two muffed punts prior to the game-winning blocked extra point with no time remaining on the clock.

It will be important for FSU to get standout running back Trey Benson going on the ground early in this contest. He was limited to six carries for 15 yards, averaging just 2.5 yards per attempt against the Tigers last year. It was Treshaun Ward who led the team with 49 rushing yards against LSU. Ward has since transferred to Kansas State to continue his college career.

On the flip-side, the Seminoles will need to contain Daniels after letting him get loose on a couple of drive-changing runs in 2022. The LSU quarterback rushed 16 times for 114 yards, breaking contain and proving to be tough to bring down in the open field.

Florida State and LSU will kick off at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 3. The game will be televised on national television on ABC with Kirk Herbstreit and Chris Fowler set to be on the call.

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Published Aug 28, 2023

DUSTIN LEWIS

Lewis joined NoleGameday in 2016 and is currently in the role of Editor-In-Chief. A graduate of Florida State, Lewis contributes to football, recruiting, and basketball coverage. Connect with Dustin on Twitter at @DustinLewisNG.