LSU hasn't lost in Columbia, South Carolina since 1930, even after falling behind 17-0 over the weekend. The Tigers were less than convincing in the 36-33 victory, but a win is a win in the SEC. The Bayou Bengals now welcome UCLA and South Alabama before returning to conference play in mid-October.
It's year three of the Brian Kelly era in Baton Rouge. The successful head coach has done well to turn around an LSU program that was left in ruins before he arrived on campus. The Tigers have won 10 games each of the last two seasons, but they have yet to get over the hump.
BET $5, GET $200 BONUS + 3 WEEK NFL SUNDAY TICKET TRIAL
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK
The LSU faithful are hoping this is the year that the Tigers' fortunes shift. The landscape of college football has changed as we know it and the new format benefits perennial contenders such as Penn State and LSU.
The SEC has done away with conferences, meaning one loss to an opponent like Alabama won't doom the Tigers' hopes of making their second SEC Championship Game in three years under Kelly. Further, an expanded 12-team College Football Playoff means teams can afford two or three regular season losses if they're convincing enough throughout the rest of the year.
Whether this will ultimately benefit LSU or not remains to be seen. The Tigers do have an easily navigatable schedule this year, but there are also a lot of question marks surrounding this young team.
Do oddsmakers feel any differently about LSU's chances after its latest result? Here are the Tigers' updated postseason odds via FanDuel Sportsbook:
LSU Tigers postseason odds
Odds to win the CFP National Championship: +4500
Odds to make the College Football Playoff: +300
Odds to win the SEC Championship: +3000
Despite LSU getting a positive result on the road against an in-form SEC team, sportsbooks still aren't convinced that Kelly has a team capable of competing. The Tigers moved from +5000 to +4500 to win the College Football Playoff National Championship. This is worse than their line post-USC (+3500).
LSU's title odds shortened, but its odds to make the 12-team CFP lengthened a bit (+250 to +300). The Tigers are on the outside looking in based on this line — which is the 15th-best in the country — after three weeks.
The same goes for their odds of winning their conference. Oddsmakers believe LSU is a middle-of-the-road SEC team. The Tigers' +3000 tally is the eighth-best in the 16-team field, behind programs like Texas A&M (+2700). This is likely due to the Aggies' favorable conference schedule, rather than a line based on relative team strength.
Here is LSU's entire 2024/25 schedule, complete with betting odds (via FanDuel Sportsbook), results and an updated record:
LSU Tigers 2024/25 schedule
| Date | Opponent | Favorite | Result | Record |
| Sept. 1 | vs. USC | LSU -4.5 | 20-27 | 0-1 |
| Sept. 7 | vs. Nicholls State | N/A | 44-21 | 1-1 |
| Sept. 14 | at South Carolina | LSU -7.5 | 36-33 | 2-1 |
| Sept. 21 | vs. UCLA | LSU -24.5 | TBD | - |
| Sept. 28 | vs. South Alabama | TBD | TBD | - |
| Oct. 5 | BYE | - | ||
| Oct. 12 | vs. Ole Miss | Ole Miss -3.5 | TBD | - |
| Oct. 19 | at Arkansas | TBD | TBD | - |
| Oct. 26 | at Texas A&M | TBD | TBD | - |
| Nov. 2 | BYE | - | ||
| Nov. 9 | vs. Alabama | Alabama -4.5 | TBD | - |
| Nov. 16 | at Florida | TBD | TBD | - |
| Nov. 23 | vs. Vanderbilt | TBD | TBD | - |
| Nov. 30 | vs. Oklahoma | TBD | TBD | - |
Odds are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook as of Tuesday, September 17, 2024.