Baylor at LSU Week 1 College Football Matchup Baylor at LSU Matchup - Week 1
Tue, Dec 31 2024 · Postseason · Neutral Site · 🏟 NRG Stadium Houston, TX · Turf · 72,220 cap
Baylor✈ 164 miSame TZ LSU✈ 257 miSame TZ
Away (Neutral)
31 44
Final
LSU
Home (Neutral)
📊 Punt & Rally Projection
Baylor
28
LSU +3
LSU
33
P&R Line LSU -5
P&R Total O/U 60
Confidence 86 High
Vegas Baylor -3 · O/U 62.5
Matchup Prediction
Toss-up — no clear edge
Neither metric shows a meaningful pre-game edge in this matchup.
Momentum Control
58.4%
Lean
Game Control
58.3%
Baylor wins
Lean
Vegas Spread
Baylor -3
O/U 62.5
DraftKings
Advanced Stats
PPA + Success Rate agree → Baylor · 73.9% ATS historically
↓ See full breakdown
🏠 LSU 3rd straight Home Game
Baylor 2024 Schedule
Baylor's 2024 Schedule
DateMatchupSpreadTotalResultO/UCover
Sat 8/31Baylor vs Tarleton State-33.5W45–353.5W45–3UY
Sat 9/7Baylor at Utah+14.5L12–2352.5L12–23UY
Sat 9/14Baylor vs Air Force-17.5W31–340.5W31–3UY
Sat 9/21Baylor at Colorado+2.5L31–3852.5L31–38ON
Sat 9/28Baylor vs BYU-3.0L28–3447.0L28–34ON
Sat 10/5Baylor at Iowa State+13.0L21–4345.0L21–43ON
— Bye Week —
Sat 10/19Baylor at Texas Tech+4.5W59–3556.0W59–35OY
Sat 10/26Baylor vs Oklahoma State-7.0W38–2864.5W38–28OY
Sat 11/2Baylor vs TCU-2.5W37–3464.0W37–34OY
— Bye Week —
Sat 11/16Baylor at West Virginia-2.0W49–3560.0W49–35OY
Sat 11/23Baylor at Houston-7.0W20–1051.0W20–10UY
Sat 11/30Baylor vs Kansas+2.5W45–1762.5W45–17UY
Tue 12/31Baylor vs LSU-3.0L31–4462.5L31–44ON
LSU 2024 Schedule
LSU's 2024 Schedule
DateMatchupSpreadTotalResultO/UCover
Sun 9/1LSU vs USC-4.0L20–2766.5L20–27UN
Sat 9/7LSU vs Nicholls-50.5W44–2162.0W44–21ON
Sat 9/14LSU at South Carolina-7.0W36–3350.0W36–33ON
Sat 9/21LSU vs UCLA-21.5W34–1756.5W34–17UN
Sat 9/28LSU vs South Alabama-21.0W42–1064.5W42–10UY
— Bye Week —
Sat 10/12LSU vs Ole Miss+3.5W29–2664.5W29–26UY
Sat 10/19LSU at Arkansas-3.0W34–1057.0W34–10UY
Sat 10/26LSU at Texas A&M+2.0L23–3854.5L23–38ON
— Bye Week —
Sat 11/9LSU vs Alabama+2.5L13–4257.5L13–42UN
Sat 11/16LSU at Florida-3.0L16–2757.0L16–27UN
Sat 11/23LSU vs Vanderbilt-10.0W24–1753.0W24–17UN
Sat 11/30LSU vs Oklahoma-4.5W37–1747.5W37–17OY
Tue 12/31LSU vs Baylor+3.0W44–3162.5W44–31OY
Advanced Stats
Advanced Analytics Matchup
Matchup-adjusted (offense vs opponent defense) · 2024 season
Baylor PPA Edge
Agreement Signals — When All Metrics Agree
Elite · 83.1% ATS
PPA + PPO + SR + Havoc
Split
Metrics disagree
Elite · 82.4% ATS
PPA + PPO + Havoc
Split
Metrics disagree
Elite · 73.9% ATS
PPA + Success Rate
Both Agree
→ Baylor
Individual Factors — Ranked by Predictive Strength
PPA Overall
Points added per play · Elite predictor
Baylor #29
+0.459
LSU #30
+0.425
Baylor Edge
PPA Passing
Pass efficiency edge · Strong predictor
Baylor #21
+0.618
LSU #37
+0.589
Baylor Edge
Havoc Total
Def. disruption rate · Strong predictor
Baylor #83
0.151
LSU #30
0.184
TFLs, sacks, PBUs, forced fumbles — higher is better
LSU Edge
Points Per Opp
Drive-finishing edge · Strong predictor
Baylor #30
+7.720
LSU #60
+7.840
LSU Edge
Success Rate
Play consistency edge · Solid predictor
Baylor #23
+0.879
LSU #38
+0.843
Baylor Edge
Field Position
Avg start (lower=better) · Solid predictor
Baylor #17
68.5
LSU #94
72.1
Avg yards from own endzone to average start — lower is better · longer bar = better field position
Baylor Edge
Advanced stats sourced from CFBD · 2024 season · Edges are matchup-adjusted (offense vs opponent defense)
Power Ratings
Team Power Ratings
Overall · Offense · Defense ratings · Updated as season progresses
LSU Rated Higher
Overall Power Rating
Baylor
3.5
LSU
16.9
Offense Rating
Baylor
16.6
LSU
24.9
Defense Rating (lower = better defense)
Baylor
13.1
LSU
8.0
Power ratings updated throughout the season as results accumulate
Momentum Control (CSS)
Consecutive Scoring Sequences Who builds scoring momentum?
Avg sequences created per game
Baylor #45
1.36
LSU #13
1.36
Avg sequences allowed per game (lower is better)
Baylor #61
0.82
LSU #24
0.73
Baylor +0.00
CSS Edge (season-to-date)
Teams with this edge win 58.4% of games historically
Based on 11 games this season
Game Control (GC)
Win Probability Dominance Who controls games start to finish? Baylor Edge
Avg GC score per game (offense)
Baylor #1
52.9
LSU #1
47.3
Avg GC score allowed per game (lower is better)
Baylor #48
28.8
LSU #30
32.2
Baylor +5.5
GC Edge (season-to-date)
Teams with this edge win 58.3% of games historically
Based on 12 games this season
Actual Result
CSS Battle
LSU
2 — 0 sequences
GC Battle
LSU
89.7 — 5.3 GC score
✗ Predicted incorrectly
Game Result
LSU won by 13
Spread Context
ATS Historical Context
Based on 2021–2025 backtest · FBS vs FBS · Regular season

CSS and GC disagree on this matchup. When the metrics split, historical cover rates are essentially random — treat this as a coin flip against the spread.

ATS data is informational only. Past cover rates do not guarantee future results.

Coaching Matchup
Baylor
Dave Aranda #1
23–25 (48%) · Yr 5 at school
OC Jake Spavital Yr 1 #1
DC Matt Powledge Yr 2 #1
Staff Rating
0.00 #1
LSU
Brian Kelly #1
20–7 (74%) · Yr 3 at school
OC Joe Sloan Yr 1 #1
DC Blake Baker Yr 1 #1
Staff Rating
0.00 #1
About these metrics
Advanced Stats shows matchup-adjusted factor edges (offense vs opponent defense). Combination signals — when PPA, PPO, Success Rate, and Havoc all point the same direction — have historically predicted the SU winner in 95–97% of games and the ATS winner in 82–83% of games (2021–2025, FBS vs FBS, regular season).
Impact: Advanced Stats are the best performance based metric used to predict the outcome of games.

Momentum Control (CSS) measures consecutive scoring sequences — when a team scores, holds the opponent scoreless, then scores again. Teams entering a game with a CSS edge of +1.0 or more have won 71–78% of games historically (2021–2025, FBS vs FBS).
Impact: Momentum Control is a great measure for predicting game outcome but NOT an ATS advantage, data shows this is already considered when lines are set.

Game Control (GC) measures win probability dominance — how thoroughly a team controlled the game from start to finish. Teams with a GC edge of +12 or more have won 67–76% of games historically. When both metrics agree, combined confidence is higher. When they split, treat as a lean at best.
Impact: Game Control is another great measure for predicting game outcome but NOT an ATS advantage, data shows this is already considered when lines are set.

Power Ratings are a custom-built composite of a Teams Talent, Experience & Production, Coaching & Performance Metrics. These are updated constantly with roster changes, performance once the games start for the 2026 season, injuries the team is dealing with and scheduling situations.
Impact: There are a wide range of power ratings available, we think ours is the best, you can decide for yourself