Louisiana-Lafayette (0-0) vs Grambling State (0-0)
Game Info: Saturday, August 31, 2024 at 8:00 pm (Cajun Field)
The Line: Betting Odds: Louisiana -32.5 / Grambling State +32.5 — Over/Under: 58.5
The Grambling State Tigers and the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns meet Saturday in college football action from Cajun Field. Here’s a Grambling vs Louisiana prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Grambling vs Louisiana pick. We will examine:
The Grambling State Tigers recent form and player performance
The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns recent form and player performance
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Grambling State Tigers
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns
Recent betting trends in games played between Grambling and Louisiana
A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Grambling vs Louisiana game
Grambling State Tigers Betting Preview
Last year Grambling put up a pretty tepid overall record. The Tigers missed out on a bowl berth with a 5-6 run, going 4-4 in Southwestern Athletic Conference matchups. Grambling finished ahead of only Texas Southern and AR-Pine Bluff in the West Division of the SWAC standings.
Mickey Joseph will take over as head coach for Grambling this season, and he’s installed a new defensive coordinator in Jason Rollins. There’s quite a bit of turnover in the backfield, however QB Myles Crawley will return after 2,312 pass yards in 2023.
Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Betting Preview
Over on the Louisiana side, they managed a reasonable 6-7 run last year but went just 3-5 in Sun Belt games. The Cajuns finished ahead of only Southern Miss and LA-Monroe in the West Division but still made the New Orleans Bowl (losing in OT 34-31) versus Jacksonville State.
Third-year Louisiana head coach Michael Desormeaux will get a new defensive coordinator this year as well in Jim Salgado. The Cajuns were picked to finish in third place (behind Texas State and Troy) in the West Division by the preseason coaches’ poll.
Why the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns will win
- Louisiana has won 13 of its last 15 games against non-conference opponents at Cajun Field.
- Louisiana has covered the spread in each of its last three games against non-AP-ranked teams.
Why the Grambling State Tigers will win
- Louisiana has lost four of its last five games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Louisiana has failed to cover the spread in three of its last four home openers.
Total Points Facts
- Each of Louisiana’s last four games against non-conference opponents have gone OVER the total points line.
Matchup/League Facts
- Louisiana ranked T27th among FBS teams for Q2 points per game last season (10.2).
- Louisiana ranked 31st among FBS teams for points per game last season (32.2).
Grambling vs Louisiana Prediction
I’ll just stay with Louisiana even though the line is probably too thick to mess with. This should be an interesting matchup, though. The Cajuns have another pretty tricky schedule this year, however the extra experience on the roster (and the coaching staff) should help serve them well. The offensive line should be good this year, anchored by talented guard AJ Gillie.
Defensively Louisiana didn’t have the greatest season in 2023, however the pass rush was excellent. Cameron Whitfield is back in the mix after his eight sacks last year and the line should be pretty effective as well. All things considered, if the Cajuns can keep the ball moving in this opener the defense should take care of the rest.