Both the New Orleans Saints and the LSU Tigers are underdogs heading into their games this weekend because both teams are playing explosive offenses.
The LSU Tigers will take on an Ole Miss squad that scored 45 points on Tulane last week, and that's averaging 45 points per game so far this season.
WWL LSU columnist Jeff Palermo says that's why Lane Kiffin's squad is a 1.5-point favorite.
"What oddsmakers are looking at is that Ole Miss has looked really good on the offensive side of the football," Palermo said to WWL's Tommy Tucker. "They continue to put up big points."
Palermo says another reason Vegas is hedging its bets on LSU is because their Week 1 opponent, the now 1-3 Clemson Tigers, are not as strong as their preseason ranking of #4 indicated.
"A lot of people want to see just how good LSU is, and I think a lot of people nationally are just looking back at that Clemson win and saying, 'Yeah. Clemson's not that good,'" Palermo said. "LSU's not getting a lot of credit for beating the Tigers in the season opener."
Meanwhile, the Saints are a 15.5-point underdog against a Buffalo Bills team that's averaging 34 points per game. NFL analyst Mike Detiller says the Saints' defense has to stop the run to neutralize the high-powered Bills offense.
"If they can run the football, that's right up their alley," NFL analyst Mike Detillier said to Tucker. "That's what (offensive coordinator) Joe Brady wants to do. He wants to control the tempo of a game."
Detillier added that the Saints are major underdogs partly because of the multiple penalties and other unforced errors they've committed over the previous three games. He says the Saints have to clean up those mistakes to have any chance to upset Buffalo.
"Your margin of error is tight in every game, but it's really tight against Buffalo," Detillier said.
However, Detillier says the Bills have one weakness the Saints can exploit to cover the spread and, possibly, to pull off an upset: the Bills' rushing defense.
"Against Miami, a team not noted for running the ball, the Dolphins ran for over 130 yards and averaged more than five yards a rush," Detillier said. "I'd be concerned about that if I were Buffalo."