The LSU Tigers and the Oklahoma Sooners have had some time off and are no doubt ready to hit the field. LSU and Oklahoma will compete for holiday cheer in the Peach Bowl on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium at 4 p.m. ET test. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a win streak alive as the Tigers skips in on 13 wins and Oklahoma on five.
When you finish with 201 more yards than your opponent like LSU did three weeks ago, a favorable outcome is almost sure to follow. They blew past the Georgia Bulldogs 37-10. LSU’s QB Joe Burrow was on fire, passing for four TDs and 349 passing yards on 38 attempts in addition to picking up 41 yards on the ground.
Meanwhile, it may have taken overtime to finish the job, but Oklahoma ultimately got the result they were hoping for three weeks ago. They won 30-23 over the Baylor Bears. The Sooners’ WR CeeDee Lamb filled up the stat sheet, catching eight passes for 173 yards.
Their wins bumped the Tigers to 13-0 and the Sooners to 12-1. A pair of offensive stats to keep an eye on: The Tigers come into the contest boasting the most passing touchdowns in the nation at 49. The Sooners have displayed some offensive firepower of their own as they rank second in the nation when it comes to yards per game, with 554.2 on average. We’ll find out if either of these strengths ends up making the difference in the game.
No. 1 LSU and No. 4 Oklahoma will square off in the Peach Bowl on Saturday afternoon, and while the game is surely important, many are overlooking the first College Football Playoff semifinal due to what is expected to be a barn-burner in the Fiesta Bowl. Nevertheless, the Tigers have gone through an offensive renaissance en route to an undefeated record and their first SEC title since 2011. The Sooners suffered a midseason loss to Kansas State but rebounded to beat Baylor twice in the final month of the season — including in the Big 12 Championship Game — to punch their ticket to the College Football Playoff for the third straight season.
LSU will stroll into Mercedes-Benz Stadium as hefty favorites, which is fair considering it hasn’t been fazed on any stage all season. But the CFP is a different animal. Will the Tigers continue to roll, or will the Sooners win their first CFP game after failing in their prior semifinals appearances? Let’s break down the matchup and make picks straight up and against the spread.
Storylines
LSU: Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Joe Burrow established himself as the most outstanding player in college football this year with a nation’s best 48 passing touchdowns and an eye-popping 77.9 percent completion percentage. It isn’t just him, though. Biletnikoff Award winner Ja’Marr Chase and junior receiver Justin Jefferson have both gone over the 1,000-yard mark this season, and tight end Thaddeus Moss has become one of the best tight ends in the country. If there’s a concern for the Tigers, though, it’s the health of star running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire. The junior, who has rushed for 1,290 yards and 16 touchdowns with 50 catches out of the backfield, is questionable with a hamstring injury suffered in practice last week. If he can’t go, the onus will fall on freshmen Tyrion Davis-Price and John Emery to shoulder the load behind an offensive line that won the Joe Moore Award given to the nation’s top offensive line.
Defensively, the Tigers are a wild card. They struggled preventing the big play for the majority of the season and seemed to have problems adjusting to the increased time they spend on the field thanks to the new, uptempo offense. But they’ve given up 304 yards or less in their last three games — including 286 yards and 4.21 yards per play against Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. If Oklahoma tries to test the Tigers, it will have to succeed against Jim Thorpe Award winner Grant Delpit and the talented cornerback duo of Derek Stingley Jr. and Kristian Fulton.
How To Watch
When: Saturday at 4 p.m. ET
Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium — Atlanta, Georgia
TV: ESPN
Follow: CBS Sports App
Ticket Cost: $419.15