The 2016 Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl matchup between LSU and Louisville is the first of a four-game New Years Eve college football slate. The 11 a.m. ET kickoff on ABC acts as a fantastic opener for the the two College Football Playoff Semifinal games later that day.
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It's the first time we'll get to see Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson since he became the youngest Heisman Trophy winner in the history of the award, announced earlier this month. The true sophomore was favored to win college football's highest individual honor pretty much since Week 1, when he accounted for an unbelievable EIGHT touchdowns in the first half of the Cardinals' blowout win over Charlotte.
The stats only got crazier throughout the month of September. At one point in early October, Jackson had produced more passing yards, passing touchdowns, and rushing touchdowns than Lamar University and Jackson State combined.
It was around that same time that things got out of hand for the Cardinals' Citrus Bowl opponent: LSU. After two losses in the month of September, the school promptly fired long-time head coach Les Miles and his offensive coordinator Cam Cameron. Defensive coordinator Ed Orgeron took over and led the Tigers to a 5-2 record the rest of the way.
Another huge sub-plot in this one is the absence of superstar LSU running back Leonard Fournette. He announced he would sit out of the Citrus Bowl to recover from a few nagging injuries and prepare for the NFL Draft. There's a TON of debate over whether or not this is an okay thing for him to do, but either way, it's a huge distraction for the team.
With so much turmoil in Baton Rouge and a generational quarterback leading the Cardinals, one might expect Louisville to roll in this one. Not so fast my friend! Louisville has taken their share of lumps as well.
The Cardinals' fast start made them the trendy pick to represent the ACC in the College Football Playoffs. Even a hard-fought, 42-38 loss at Clemson didn't derail their championship aspirations. But then, Louisville's final two games were nearly as disappointing as their first four games were exciting.
In Week 11 the Cardinals went to Houston and got blown out 36-10. Then, they closed out the season with a 41-38 home-loss to lowly Kentucky. That was a cross-state rivalry, so the loss is a bit more understandable, but still — it leaves them in a must-win situation. A loss in the Citrus Bowl would mean a three-game skid to end the season for Louisville.
The Vegas odds-makers have LSU favored by three points. Whatever happens, the Citrus Bowl will be must-see TV when it kicks off Saturday, December 31 at 11 a.m. Eastern on ABC.[divider]
Louisville Cardinals vs. LSU Tigers
Venue: Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
Date/Time: Saturday, December 31, 2016, 11 a.m. ET
TV Channel: ABC
Live Stream: Watch ESPN
