EA Sports College Football 25 has been out for 48 hours and as one of the biggest video games in recent years, it’s at the forefront of every discussion. Bet.NOLA recently simulated an entire season using real-life rosters to produce our three best bets for the 2024/25 season. Let’s now look specifically at the LSU Tigers and discuss some of their favorable odds.

The aforementioned simulation was not kind to Brian Kelly’s squad. LSU finished the regular season a measly 6-6, which is far worse than experts and oddsmakers expect for the upcoming campaign. How will the latest simulation see the Tigers fare?

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Best bets for LSU in 2024/25 based on an EA Sports College Football 25 simulation

A disclaimer before we dive into the meat of this article: this is all a simulation. These are not predictions, nor are they expected to be 100% accurate outcomes. Now, some notable findings.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from simulating the same season a couple times, it’s that the EA Sports College Football 25 developers aren’t fans of LSU this season. The Bayou Bengals posted a 7-5 regular season record in the latest simulation and they disappointingly finished 8th in the SEC.

A loss to Kansas to end the season saw the Tigers drop to 7-6. This would be the first bowl loss of the Kelly era and only the third postseason defeat in the last decade. It’d also be the first time that LSU would fail to win 10+ games under the third-year head coach.

What went wrong?

The simulation had the Tigers finishing with the third-best offense in the SEC behind its incredible passing game. Garrett Nussmeier (4,253 yards, 38 touchdowns, nine interceptions), Zavion Thomas (1,180 yards, 11 TDs) and CJ Daniels (1,121 yards, 11 TDs) led the way through the air.

LSU struggled to run the ball as Josh Williams led all backs with 510 yards and four touchdowns. These frustrations on the ground saw the red-zone offense finish among the worst in the conference. The absolute killer was the defense. The simulation had Blake Baker’s unit finishing dead last in the SEC and giving up almost 380 yards per game.

I’m not going to be as harsh on the Tigers as the EA Sports College Football 25 developers in my analysis or predictions. Anyhow, based on these simulations, I’ve picked out a couple bets I believe have decent value:

LSU -6.5 vs. USC (-105 at FanDuel Sportsbook)

While the game pegs LSU as a loser of almost 50% of its schedule, it does like the Tigers’ odds in the season opener.

This will be the third time under Kelly that the program opens up a season against a power conference opponent on a neutral site. After losing to Florida State the previous two seasons, the legendary head coach will be desperate to see one go in this year.

The simulation lists LSU as a comfortable 37-27 winner over the Trojans. These programs are strikingly similar as they look to rebuild after losing Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks, replacing coordinators and more. Therefore, it’s no surprise that oddsmakers favor the more consistent of the two programs by nearly a touchdown in Week 1.

This game will be a shootout. At the end of the day, I’ll side with the more experienced squad in nearly every facet: LSU. This is a great price to get for the Tigers, who would only need to win by a touchdown to cover the spread at almost even money odds.

LSU under 9.5 wins (-160 at Caesars Sportsbook)

As stated earlier, the simulation had LSU finish with a 7-6 overall record for the upcoming campaign. This included back-to-back early season losses to South Carolina and UCLA, as well as SEC defeats to Alabama and Arkansas.

EA Sports College Football 25 developers view the Tigers as a 7-win team whereas oddsmakers put their win total at nine or 10 games, so what gives?

Kelly and Co. have one of the toughest schedules in the country, according to TeamRankings.com. The SEC gauntlet is complemented by two Big 10 non-conference games, which results in a lot of uncertainty given the wholesale changes throughout the roster.

LSU’s odds are heavily juiced (-160) at most sportsbooks to go under the 9.5-win mark, despite winning 10 games in back-to-back seasons. Therefore, when coupled with the simulation, it seems all signs point toward struggles this year.

If you’re feeling bold enough, you can also bank on the video game being correct and bet the Tigers to win exactly seven games at Caesars Sportsbook at 11/2 odds. I wouldn’t recommend it, but I’m higher on the Bayou Bengals than most heading into the 2024/25 campaign.

EA Sports College Football launches worldwide on July 19.