CFN prediction and analysis

from collegefootballnews.com

Vanderbilt (1-0) at LSU (1-0), 7:00 EST, Saturday, September 12, ESPN GamePlan

Why to watch: 2005 was the last time Vandy and LSU has faced each other, and the two have only faced each other five times since 1990, the last Commordore win over the Tigers. While Vandy is far better than it has been over the last several years, it’s still in for a tall task to not only win in Death Valley, but to buck history. The Commodores haven’t won in Baton Rouge since 1951, but they were razor-sharp last week in a 45-0 blasting of Western Carolina while LSU is coming back from a dogfight in Seattle. The Tigers have the longest road trip in school history facing a game Washington squad, but there’s no time to let down in what should be the light and breezy part of the slate. If they can get through the SEC opener, they should get to Louisiana-Lafayette and Mississippi State to follow before going to Georgia. Vandy gets Mississippi State at home next week.
Why Vanderbilt might win: Larry Smith. While he might not be the talent that Washington’s Jake Locker is, the Vanderbilt starting quarterback has the potential to give the LSU defense a few fits. A nice passer, who completed 10-of-18 passes last week for 153 yards and a touchdown, and with 66 rushing yards, he’s a dual-threat playmaker who could move the ball in a variety of ways. The LSU defense that’s getting by on reputation at the moment gave up 321 passing yards and 51 on the ground to Locker.
Why LSU might win: The Tigers didn’t necessarily go through the motions against Washington, but Charles Scott and the ground game were held in check and Jordan Jefferson had to be the one who carried the offense. That’s not a bad thing. Vandy’s defense should have a decent pass rush, but it’s not going to make as many big plays as it came up with last year and it’s not likely to make Jefferson screw up. To beat the Tigers, Vandy has to win the turnover battle by a large margin, and even though the Huskies tried to rattle Jefferson last week, the big mistakes didn’t come. Locker was fantastic and the UW offense put up big numbers, and it was still an LSU win in a pumped up environment. Now the Tigers are back home.
Who to watch: The NFL types are ready to hand millions of dollars to LSU WR Brandon LaFell, but it was junior Terrance Toliver who turned into the star on Opening Day. He came up with just four catches, but they went for 117 yards and two touchdowns as he became the type of playmaker who’ll force defensive coordinators to roll a safety over his way. Any attention taken off of LaFell could create a problem for the Commodore secondary. For Vandy, with top running back Jared Hawkins out for another week as he’s recovering from a foot problem, that means the ball will go to freshman Zac Stacy again. He came up with a big first week rushing 20 times for 133 yards and a score, and he needs to have another strong performance to take the pressure off of Smith.
What will happen: LSU isn’t going to be sharp and its offense will be in for a bit of a struggle, but a few early scores will force Vandy to scramble. The Tigers should stay comfortably ahead all game long, but they won’t be able to coast. However, the Commodores don’t have the firepower to pull off the upset.
CFN Prediction: LSU 27 … Vanderbilt 13 ... Line: LSU -15