Pinnacle    -105   BET365    -105  Sportsinteraction   -105 888port   -105

Posted at 9:00 AM ET. Odds are subject to change

LSU -105 over Houston

NRG Stadium – Houston, TX

Texas Bowl

9:15 PM ER. Houston enters ranked, 9–3, playing a de facto home game, laying a short number against an LSU team that has been one of the biggest disappointments in college football this season. The Tigers were once a top-five outfit with playoff aspirations, only to watch everything unravel over the final two months. Losses piled up, confidence evaporated, and the Brian Kelly era came to an abrupt and messy end. From a market perspective, this feels like an automatic fade. That’s exactly why it isn’t.

Houston’s profile is built almost entirely on perception. The Cougars have been consistent, they’ve taken care of business, and they sit comfortably in the rankings. But now they’re being asked to lay points against a program with vastly superior talent, depth, and upside—simply because LSU’s season went sideways. That’s dangerous territory.

What’s being overlooked is how LSU closed the year. In Norman, as a 12-point underdog, the Tigers went toe-to-toe with Oklahoma and nearly ended the Sooners’ playoff hopes outright. They lost 17–13, but that game looked nothing like the disjointed LSU we saw during the middle of the season. The Tigers played fast, physical, and with urgency. They flew to the ball. They looked engaged. That matters.

This bowl game represents a pivot. With Brian Kelly gone and Lane Kiffin stepping in, LSU is playing for the future—not the past. These are audition reps for players who want roles next season. Motivation is no longer a question. For LSU, beating a ranked Houston team is a chance to flip the narrative and carry momentum into the offseason.

Houston, meanwhile, is priced as if LSU is still broken. If this were September—before the coaching chaos, before the confidence crater—LSU would be favored against this same Cougars team on a neutral field. Instead, rankings and recency bias have created a discount. This is strictly about recognizing that the line reflects perception, not true separation. If LSU brings the same edge it showed against Oklahoma, this is a game they can win easily. Bayou Bengals straight up.

Take advantage of BET365's early MLB payout offer! 

For straight bets, if the team you back to win goes 5 runs ahead at any stage during the game, BET365 will pay out your bet in full regardless of whether the opposition comes back to win the game.

For parlays and Same Game Parlays, if a team you have backed goes 5 runs ahead, this selection will be marked as won within My Bets, with the remaining selections left to run.

Here is a wager we were paid out early on that would eventually lose.