USC vs. LSU prediction, odds, spread, start time: 2024 college football picks, Week 1 bets by advanced model

USC will make its debut as a member of the Big Ten against one of the powerhouses of the SEC on Sunday evening. The Trojans will meet the LSU Tigers in the 2024 Modelo Vegas Kickoff Classic in what could be a preview of a College Football Playoff contest. Lincoln Riley led the Trojans to an 8-5 record last year in their final season in the Pac-12 and he enters his third year with the program. The same goes for Brian Kelly with LSU, and he's won 10 games in each of his first two years in Baton Rouge.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The Tigers are favored by 4.5 points in the latest USC vs. LSU odds via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points is 66.5. Before making any LSU vs. USC picks, be sure to check out the college football predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model .

The model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a profit of well over $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It is also coming off a profitable 13-9 season on top-rated spread picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen strong returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on USC Trojans vs. LSU Tigers and just locked in its picks and CFB predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model's picks . Here are the college football odds and betting lines for LSU vs. USC:

• USC vs. LSU spread: LSU -4.5
• USC vs. LSU over/under: 66.5 points
• USC vs. LSU money line: LSU -185, USC +153
• USC: The Trojans are 2-8 against the spread over their last 10 games
• LSU: The Over went 12-1 for the Tigers last season, with the best Over percentage (92.3%) in FBS
• USC vs. LSU picks: See picks at SportsLine

Why LSU can cover

While LSU has the No. 9 incoming class, perhaps the biggest addition for the Tigers comes from their coaching staff. Blake Baker has been hired as the new defensive coordinator after serving in the same role at Missouri for two years. Baker took a unit that ranked 113th in scoring defense the year before he got there and improved it to 56th in 2022. Mizzou then made another leap last year, ranking 26th in scoring defense. He's tasked with making similarly substantial improvements for LSU, and he has the benefit of having one of the best players in the nation to assist.

Linebacker Harold Perkins Jr . has wrecked offensive backfields for two years. In 2022, he led all Power Five freshmen in both sacks (7.5) and tackles for loss (13). Then last year, and facing constant double teams, Perkins again had 13 tackles for loss, including at least one in 10 straight games. With an inexperienced quarterback and an offensive line that lost three starters on the other side, Perkins should pose problems for USC both in the run and the pass games. See which team to pick here .

Why USC can cover

USC had a loaded 2023 freshmen class, and those players will now have more opportunities after the Trojans lost seven players to the NFL Draft. Zachariah Branch was the No. 1 receiver in the Class of 2023 and had a dynamic freshman season despite a limited role. Branch was used all over the field and scored two receiving touchdowns, one rushing TD, one kick return TD, and one punt return TD. He also happens to be a Vegas native, so playing in his hometown will only provide an extra incentive to have a huge game.

His running mate in WR Duce Robinson was also the No. 1 player in the Class of 2023 at his position -- albeit Robinson played tight end in high school. He's since converted to receiver, giving USC two wideouts who were the No. 1 overall recruits at their positions. At 6-foot-6, Robinson is a matchup nightmare with uncanny speed to take the top off a defense. While he ranked ninth on USC in catches (16) last year, he ranked third in receiving yards (351) due to his big-play ability and averaging over 20 yards per reception. See which team to pick here .

How to make LSU vs. USC picks

SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 69 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time. You can only get the model's pick at SportsLine .

So who wins USC vs. LSU, and which side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced computer simulation model that's up well over $2,000 on its college football picks since inception , and find out.