2 Best College Football Bets and Player Props for Florida at LSU

Following a disheartening loss to the No. 18 South Florida Bulls at home in Week 2, the Florida Gators will be tasked with trying to bounce back on the road against the No. 3 LSU Tigers in Week 3. It hasn't been flashy or exciting wins for LSU to begin the season, but the Tigers have come away unscathed in wins over the No. 12 Clemson Tigers and Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.

Will the Gators make things interesting in Baton Rouge, or will the Tigers improve to 3-0 and put Florida in a 1-2 hole to start the new campaign? Ahead of Saturday's Florida-LSU battle that kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET, let's take a look at which bets and player props are standing out.

All college football betting odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

Florida at LSU Betting Picks

Under 46.5 (-110)

Through the first two weeks of the season, LSU has shown their identity to be a team that wants to lean on their defense and save quarterback Garrett Nussmeier for when they need him. In their first two games, the Tigers have been involved in two low-scoring matchups, with both of the contests having 30 or fewer total points scored.

As for their defense, LSU looks like it has one of their vintage units, ranking 17th in expected points added per play allowed (-0.23), 11th in yards per play allowed (3.74), and 31st in defensive success rate (33.3%). On the other hand, Florida was just in a defensive battle against USF, and their defense has also been strong to start the year despite things potentially going sideways for them if they lose a second consecutive game.

There's a chance LSU's offense is aggressive and Nussmeier takes over, but Florida is also 28th in expected points added per play allowed (-0.20), 40th in yards per play allowed (4.54), and 23rd in defensive success rate (32.1%). Neither of these teams have been overly explosive -- at least not yet -- on offense, with the Gators sitting at 65th in yards per play (6.27) while the Tigers are 106th in yards per play (5.19), so I'm expecting methodical drives that waste the clock in this pivotal matchup.

Barion Brown Over 4.5 Receptions (+102)

Once again, I believe both offenses are going to have to dink and dunk to move the ball through the air, putting me on Barion Brown's receptions prop. Along with Brown hauling in five-plus catches in each of the first two games for LSU to begin the year, he's pacing the team in targets (18) while earning the second-most receptions (13), second-highest route rate (90.2%), and second-most yards per route run (2.59), via PFF.

Additionally, Brown's modest 9.3-yard average depth of target proves that Nussmeier loves to target him in the intermediate range, and he's hauled in two of his three contested catches this season. At the same time, Florida's defense is weaker against the pass than the run, ranking 70th in expected points added per pass allowed (-0.05), compared to 7th in expected points added per rush allowed (-0.33).

With Nussmeier's passing yards prop line set at 276.5, I don't hate taking Brown's receiving yards prop of 52.5. However, with Nussmeier throwing for fewer than 238 passing yards in each of his first two games this season and completing 26-plus passes in both contests, the receptions market seems like the ideal way to get exposure to Brown.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.