LSU vs. Southern odds, spread, lines: Week 2 college football picks, predictions by computer model

LSU vs. Southern picks, predictions by College Football Power Index

LSU returns home to Death Valley to welcome Brian Kelly in his first game on campus hoping to recover from last weekend's shocking loss to Florida State.

LSU suffered through two costly special teams gaffes and a sluggish offense in the opener, but mounted an improbable comeback, only to have the game-tying PAT blocked with no time left.

Now the SEC West hopefuls come into a more winnable situation, hoping to get some positive momentum their way before opening the conference slate.

What do the experts say about the matchup? Let's see how the College Football Power Index computer prediction model projects the game.

LSU vs. Southern odds, spread, lines, predictions

Week 2 college football schedule: LSU vs. Southern

Football Power Index is siding with LSU, which has a 98.7 percent chance to defeat Southern in the home opener.

Southern has a mere 1.3 percent shot to upset the Tigers.

Most oddsmakers have declined to offer a point spread for the game, but Caesars Sportsbook offered a hypothetical line of 38.5 points in favor of LSU.

FPI surprised analysts by rating LSU as the No. 12 team in its latest college football rankings, despite being the SEC's only winless team coming in.

The index projects LSU will win 6.7 games this season and estimates the Tigers will be 13.9 points better than the teams on its schedule.

AP top 25 voters kept LSU out of the Week 2 polls as the team didn't receive any votes.

College Football Power Index

ESPN Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings and computer prediction model are a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s future performance. 

Rankings and scores predictions are based on 20,000 simulations of a team’s season, using a combination of analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, and a team’s schedule.

College football rankings

According to AP top 25 poll

1. Alabama
2. Georgia
3. Ohio State
4. Michigan
5. Clemson
6. Texas A&M
7. Oklahoma
8. Notre Dame
9. Baylor
10. USC
11. Oklahoma State
12. Florida
13. Utah
14. Michigan State
15. Miami
16. Arkansas
17. Pittsburgh
18. NC State
19. Wisconsin
20. Kentucky
21. BYU
22. Ole Miss
23. Wake Forest
24. Tennessee
25. Houston

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