LSU vs. West Virginia: ESPN College GameDay Betting Guide

The No. 2 LSU Tigers and No. 16 West Virginia Mountaineers square off for a second consecutive season, but this meeting will take place in Morgantown, WV, rather than the Bayou.

Saturday night's kickoff is scheduled for 8:12 p.m. ET and will be televised nationally on ABC. 

The broadcast booth will have Brent Musberger and Kirk Herbstreit, while sideline reporter Erin Andrews will be covering the action on the sidelines.

Last year's meeting resulted in a LSU 20-14 win as 9.5-point home favorites and the game stayed well below the posted total of 44.

Las Vegas bookmakers are stating that this prime-time contest is receiving the most action at the betting windows, as the Tigers have remained around six-point favorites the entire week.  The original total of 51 has been bet down to 48.

Let's take a look at some of the key factors in this game from a betting perspective.

West Virginia's Non-Conference Home Winning Streak

The West Virginia Mountaineers will put their 18-game non-conference home winning streak on the line Saturday night, as the last defeat for the program in this situation came on Oct. 1, 2005, dropping a 34-17 contest to Virginia Tech.

Bettors will find that the Mountaineers are 5-8 ATS over the last two-plus campaigns in non-conference tilts regardless of location.

LSU's Non-Conference Regular-Season Record

The LSU Tigers simply don't lose against non-SEC opponents during the regular season, posting a 35-0 record in their last 35 opportunities.

Ironically enough, Virginia Tech also put a stop to this streak, handing the Bayou Bengals a 26-8 loss in the 2002 season opener.

Bettors will find that the Tigers are 5-6 ATS in non-conference action the last two-plus campaigns.

The Mountaineers Need To Score 30

It's no secret that the Mountaineers offense is needing to score 30 or more points in this contest. 

Easier said than done against a LSU defense that is ranked No. 6 nationally in total defense, giving up just 207.7 yards per game.

West Virginia has tallied a 70-2 record since the 2000 season when reaching that magic number.

LSU allowed 27 points on a neutral field to Oregon earlier this year, while allowing 30-plus points in its final two regular-season games last year.

It's possible.

LSU's Dominance Under the Lights

LSU head coach Les Miles loves playing at night, especially in a prime-time atmosphere, posting a 47-4 record during his tenure on campus.  The Tigers are 10-1 on the road in those contests.

It's an incredibly dominating statistic when comparing it to his 18-13 record during day games.

Bettors may ditch playing the spread in this contest and play the Tigers on the moneyline.  A straight-up win is likely when the lights are turned on.

ESPN College GameDay

Without question, one of the biggest games in the history of Milan Puskar Stadium will be taking place Saturday night, but it also happens to be the first visit for ESPN College GameDay to Morgantown.

Fans were already planning to create a raucous atmosphere for this nationally televised event, but this news will cause pregame festivities to start even earlier on campus.

LSU will not shy away from the challenge, posting an 11-4 record in games that are chosen to host the popular college football show, including its 40-27 win over Oregon at Cowboys Stadium.

Maybe Tom Brady can get the party started.

Prediction

It's going to be quite a challenge for West Virginia first-year head coach Dana Holgorsen to pick up an outright win against such a formidable opponent.

He does have an advantage of not participating in last year's series, which will cause the Tigers to prepare for an entirely new offensive system.

The program also has a 5-2 ATS mark versus SEC opponents.

LSU is likely to come out ahead, but it will be closer than the experts think.

Somebody will be saying that phrase on Saturday morning.