Free Week 1 NCAA Football Prediction: LA Tech Vs Miss State Odds
Looking for LA Tech Bulldogs Vs Mississippi State Bulldogs free picks? Week 1 betting sees one Bulldog taking on another Bulldog on September 4, 2021, at Davis Wade Stadium, in Starkville, MS. Cappers Picks provides complimentary handicapping picks all NCAA football season long so stay tuned for more FREE college football game Week 1 predictions like this LA Tech Mississippi State Week 1 free pick.
College Football Handicapping Analysis: Week 1
(0-0) LA Tech Bulldogs vs Miss State Bulldogs (0-0)
Date: September 4, 2021
Time: 4 pm EST
Venue: Davis Wade Stadium
NCAA Football ATS Spread Odds: LA Tech +23 / Miss State -23
NCAA Football Moneyline Odds: LA Tech +1400 / Miss State -2000
NCAA Betting Total Odds: O/U 52.5
Oh yeah, well my Bulldog is bigger and badder than your bulldog so let’s get ready for a dog fight! We have a heavily favored SEC Bulldogs team taking on the visiting Conference USA Bulldogs squad and the line setters have made it clear which will win the fight!
The LA Tech Bulldogs come into Starkville as 23-point underdogs on Saturday, which might not come as much of a surprise. LA Tech’s head coach Skip Holtz is 10 – 5 ATS vs Power-5 opponents, however, and he has West Virginia transfer QB Austin Kendall as his announced starter to open the 2021 campaign.
Miss State head coach Mike Leach begins year number 2 as an SEC whistle-blower but this year he might have the right QB to lead his program. Last year started off a bit of a mess as Stanford transfer QB KJ Costello was simply not fit to run this offense long term.
Costello got off to a record-breaking start in Starkville but Will Rogers ended up taking over as a freshman and now he has full reign in his sophomore season to run the Leach offense.
LA Tech Bulldogs
Skip Holtz has had to make one big decision to start the 2021 campaign. It was a choice between West Va transfer QB Austin Kendall as the signal-caller or a senior incumbent Luke Anthony to get the nod.
If you recall last season, Anthony got carted off the field in the TCU affair although he planned on returning to hopefully make his final season a big one.
Holtz has decided that Kendall has earned the job, but at least now he does indeed have 2 QBs that he can rely on should any injuries come again. Kendall didn’t do much to speak of in 2020 as he only completed a total of 11 passes and threw for 2 TDs overall.
The 2019 campaign was the only season that Kendall put up good numbers with West Virginia. He put up nearly 2,000 passing yards but his ratio of 12 TD/ 10 INT didn’t exactly set him apart from anyone.
Marcus Williams is coming in from Appalachian State at running back, and that certainly adds to the productivity out of the LA Tech backfield. Williams pulled in no less than 500 yards in any of his 4 years with the Mountaineers.
In all reality, he is going to have to carry the load all season because LA Tech has 3 freshmen behind him who have a lot to prove yet. Justin Henderson and Israel Tucker are both gone, so Harlon Dixon and Charvis Thornton will be expected to relieve Williams when he needs a break.
Defensive coordinator David Blackwell has 10 starters back from last year’s unit. As is the case with Miss State, LA Tech’s defensive backfield will be seen as the strength of the team. Keep in mind, that almost every piece of Holtz’s defense needed to be replaced last year, so getting just about everyone back has got to be seen as a positive.
Mississippi State
Mike Leach brought in Stanford transfer KJ Costello last season in hopes he would learn his offense and run the 2020 program to success.
Well, Costello set the all-time SEC passing record with 623 passing yards to open the season against defending champs LSU and all looked bright as heaven’s doors! Unfortunately, Costello really didn’t have the goods to keep his job and freshman QB Will Rogers started the final 6 games of the 2020 campaign.
Rogers went on to set an Egg Bowl team passing record with 440 yards albeit ending in a 31 – 24 loss to Ole Miss. Eventually, Rogers became the only true freshman starter that Mike Leach has ever put on the field in his coaching tenure, so coming into 2021 it was Rogers’ job to lose.
He has kept it and although coach Leach is leaving some mystery as to who his opening day starter will be, we all know it should be #2 taking the field on Saturday.
Keep in mind, Rogers was not the only freshman in Leach’s offense that produced last season.
Wideout Jaden Walley led the team with 718 yards in 8 starts, and RB Jo’quavious Marks totaled 580 all-purpose yards and has great hands to add to the passing game. The trio will be expected to build heavily on what they accomplished in 2020, and the future is certainly bright for the next 2-3 years for Leach should it all come together.
The Miss State team total is listed at 6 at most major sportsbooks carrying the prop. I will go on a limb and say that somehow, someway, with a miracle or even 3 LoL … that Miss State will, at least, find a way to come up with 6 wins in 2021.
It will be tight and yes, we will need those miracles to come, but Mike Leach has a reasonably sound defense, which is something we are not used to hearing. Leach has 8 starters returning on that side of the ball, and DC Zach Arnett has plenty of pieces to build on in his second season under Leach.
The defensive backfield features two seniors at Safety with the ‘Law Firm’ Morgan and Peters in charge. Some are considering the Miss State secondary among the best in not just the SEC, but the entirety of NCAA football.
NCAA Football Handicapping Trends
- LA Tech Bulldogs are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games in September.
- LA Tech Bulldogs are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 vs. SEC.
- Over is 6-1 in Miss State Bulldogs last 7 non-conference games.
- Over is 4-1 in Miss State Bulldogs last 5 games in September.
- Miss State Bulldogs are 11-5 ATS in their last 16 non-conference games.
Free Week 1 NCAA Football Pick:
We’re thinking points, but just enough to topple the number of 52.5. As you can see, I am predicting a 37 – 18 home win for Mississippi State, and had this total been much higher I would have had to consider another option. These two defenses are actually going to be pretty good over the course of the season, but this number is still low enough to expect the over to hit.
4* Free NCAA Betting Pick: Over 52.5
Week 1 Free Score Prediction: LA Tech 18 – 37 Miss State (Bet Now)
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