2008 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Football Betting Preview

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College Football Betting Preview – Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

Louisiana Tech is looking to climb the college football betting ladder for sports wagering enthusiasts in the WAC and with Hawaii falling, there will be opportunity. There’s some excitement surrounding the team since head coach Derek Dooley also took over the Athletic Director position.



There’s a lot of optimism in Ruston as Dooley reached five wins in his first year on the job. They had only three wins the previous year and looked fairly downtrodden. Now everything is on the up and up for the Bulldogs and if they aren’t competing this year, you can expect them to be in the mix in 2009.

Offense

It looked like the Bulldogs offense might be in some disarray this year after Zac Champion graduated and no legitimate replacement was around.

But Dooley worked some magic to nab Georgia Tech’s Taylor Bennett, who wasn’t going to be a fit for Paul Johnson’s new offense there. And the best part is Bennett doesn’t have to sit out a season.

The offense should be able to move the ball but isn’t as potent as Boise State or Nevada, but with a veteran line, they should be effective. Three starting offensive linemen return. There are some high expectations for Bennett but he’s a late add and might need some time to get acclimated to the new offense.

The top three rushers return from last year so the running game should be fluid. There are actually four backs in the mix: Patrick Jackson, Daniel Porter, William Griffin and Myke Compton.

Outside of Bennett, the offense has some good chemistry. They were humming by the end of last season.

Defense

The defense has some work to do. It improved under Dooley last year but there are a number of holes to fill because of graduations.

The linebacking corps looks solid with Quin Harris returning. He’ll be among the best linebackers in the WAC this season. Brannon Jackson, Brian White and Jay Dudley round out the backers.

The secondary is also decent. Antonio Baker is a real playmaker from the free safety position.

The concern is up front on the defensive line where there are no real sack artists. Whether the defensive line can get pressure might be a pressing question all season long, which will likely expose even a good secondary. Part of the problem is that three of the six starters that need to be replaced are along the defensive line. Ends Randy Grigsby and Eric Harper have to fill that void or this could be a lingering problem.

Outlook

The Bulldogs have hopes of competing for a WAC title but a bowl game might be more realistic.

Fresno State and Boise State are still the crème of the crop and the Bulldogs are clearly on the rise, but will likely battle it out with Nevada for the second tier in the WAC.

The schedule is fairly light, though. They’ll face their first ever SEC opponent at home when Mississippi State visits in the opener but outside of a trip to Kansas, there isn’t anything too strenuous.

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