Wisconsin Battles LSU in ReliaQuest Bowl

The ReliaQuest Bowl kicks off this upcoming January 1st. We’ve got the latest updates on lines, injuries, departures and weather right here:

After seeing plenty of line movement early on, the odds are a bit more settled in the ReliaQuest Bowl. LSU opened as 13.5-point favorites and the line moved to Tigers -10.5 in the first few days of betting. But there’s been little movement since then and the current number is LSU -10.

The moneyline opened at LSU -385 and is now Tigers -360. The opening price was a bit low for a 13.5-point favorite. The total has held at 56 for the past several weeks. The over/under opened at 55.5 and was bet up to 56 within the first few days.

There hasn’t been much in the way of player movement the past few weeks. Those who were going to skip the game made their intentions known several weeks ago.

LSU offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock will be moving back to Notre Dame. The Tigers will have quarterbacks coach Joe Sloan and wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton serve co-offensive coordinators.

The weather in Tampa is expected to be in the 60s at kick-off and will get a little warmer throughout the day, reaching a high of 71. There is a 25% chance of rain. Winds will be 6 mph, but gusts could reach 16-18 mph.

Now, check out the rest of the ReliaQuest Bowl preview, originally published on December 8.

Wisconsin will definitely be short-handed. LSU could very well be. But the full extent of players who will miss the ReliaQuest Bowl won’t be known for a few more days. Of course, the player everybody is watching is LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels, who is still undecided about playing in the game.

On paper, LSU looks to be the far superior team against Wisconsin, although that’s reflected in the ReliaQuest Bowl lines. The Tigers opened as 13-point favorites over Wisconsin, but the line quickly dropped to LSU -10. The line is currently LSU -10.5 (-115). The total has moved from 55.5 to 56. The Tigers are -400 on the moneyline.

ReliaQuest Bowl

Badgers Falter Down Stretch

Wisconsin looked to be well on its way to an 8-4 or 9-3 season, but it dropped three of its final five games. The loss to Ohio State is forgivable, especially since the Badgers covered the college football betting lines in that game. But losses to Indiana and Northwestern aren’t quite so forgivable and are games the Badgers should have won.

For the season, Wisconsin scored 22.8 points against defenses that allowed 24.1 points per game. The Badgers were able to move the ball, gaining 163.5 yards on the ground and 207.1 yards through the air. But Wisconsin couldn’t punch the ball in for touchdowns when it needed.

The Badgers were solid on defense, allowing 18.9 points to teams averaging 23.9 points on the season. Wisconsin allowed 3.9 yards per rush and 6.3 yards per pass. The Badgers were tough to score against, with the opposition needing to travel 17.5 yards for each point. That ties the Badgers for 12th-best in the nation.

The Badgers were just 5-6-1 against the point spread this season. But despite being just 7-5, Wisconsin was favored in 11 of its 12 games. The Badgers managed to cover the spread against Ohio State, losing 24-10 as 14.5-point underdogs.

Wisconsin was just 4-8 in totals, which was considered in the ReliaQuest Bowl lines. This is the third-lowest total in an LSU game this season.

Departures & Injuries

Leading rusher Braelon Allen has opted-out of this game. He led the Badgers with 984 yards and 12 touchdowns. Skyler Bell, who had 38 receptions, has entered the transfer portal.

Those are the two most significant losses for the Badgers so far.

Tigers Dodging Bullets So Far

LSU’s leading receiver Malik Nabers has said he will play in the bowl game. Of course, he can always change his mind. But Daniels and second-leading receiver Brian Thomas Jr. haven’t said anything one way or the other just yet.

Naturally, Daniels is the one player whose absence would hurt LSU the most. The possible Heisman Trophy winner threw for 40 touchdowns against four interceptions. He led the Tigers with 1,134 rushing yards for 10 more touchdowns.

LSU rushed for 213.5 yards per game and an impressive 6.3 yards per carry against teams who allowed 4.4 yards a rush. The passing game was even better, with LSU gaining 11 yards per pass attempt.

The Tigers lead the nation in yards per play, so the offense gets the job done. LSU is averaging 46.4 points per game and has scored at least 24 points in each game played this season.

LSU’s defense is pretty average, allowing 27.8 points against teams averaging 28 points per game. The Tigers allowed 4.7 yards per rush and opposing teams threw for 244.4 yards. If the defense was a little better, the Tigers would likely have finished higher in the NCAAF standings.

LSU was a solid 7-4-1 against the point spread and 7-3-1 as a favorite. But with its high-powered offense and so-so defense, the Tigers were 11-1 in totals. The only LSU game to land under the total was its 56-14 win over Georgia State when the total was 74.

Departures & Injuries

No news is good news for the LSU Tigers. And so far, just a couple of minor players have entered the transfer portal and there have been no major opt-outs. Whether that will change or not remains to be seen.

LSU Holds Nearly All the Advantages

The Tigers played the tougher college football schedule. And LSU has much better offensive numbers than the Badgers. But the Badgers have the better defense of the two. Still, this LSU offense will be the best the Badgers have faced all season. The Tigers don’t have weaknesses offensively.

The ReliaQuest Bowl lines are pretty well set right now. But they could move once again depending on opt-out news from the Tigers.

For NCAAF news, college football betting lines, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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