LSU @ BYU preview

LSU will begin its season with a change of scenery Saturday when its contest against BYU will take place in New Orleans instead of Houston. The site was switched after Hurricane Harvey inflicted major damage on the Houston area, creating a virtual home game for the 12th-ranked Tigers, who are based about an hour away from the Superdome.

The Tigers are coming off a season in which their four losses came by a total of 23 points, but perhaps a returning star at running back will be the difference this time around. “Everything that we do this year is going to be based around our best player — Derrius Guice,” coach Ed Orgeron said recently. “We feel we have one of the best running backs and one of the best offensive players in the country coming back." BYU opened its season last weekend with a 20-6 triumph against Portland State - an ugly win according to coach Kalani Sitake. “The guys obviously weren’t happy with the performance,” Sitake said. “That’s what I expect from those guys, but I also want them to respect the game and know that wins are hard to come by. We will build on this. It’s easier to build off a win than if we had lost.”

TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: LSU -16

ABOUT LSU (2016: 8-4, 5-3 SEC): Les Miles was fired after a 2-2 start before Orgeron posted a strong finish to the 2016 season, capped by a 20-point win in the Citrus Bowl. Guice paced all SEC players in rushing (1,387 yards) and scored 15 touchdowns on the ground, while quarterback Danny Etling is back after a solid but relatively quiet junior season. Among the players that LSU must replace are star tailback Leonard Fournette and standout safety Jamal Adams, both of whom were top-six picks in the NFL draft, and fellow first-round pick, cornerback Tre'Davious White.

ABOUT BYU (1-0): Squally Canada ran for a career-high 98 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries in the season opener and Tanner Mangum threw for 194 yards and a score, but it was generally an uninspiring win for BYU. “This was definitely not our best performance. It was a little too sloppy," Mangum said. "We had way too many penalties, shooting ourselves in the foot — especially on big plays. That’s something that we don’t want to have happen. We have to get better than that.” Linebacker Fred Warner, one of the senior captains, had 10 tackles to pace a solid defensive effort.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Over Guice's final four games in 2016, he averaged 189.5 yards and scored eight touchdowns, including four TDs and a school-record 285 rushing yards against Texas A&M in the regular-season finale.

2. LSU was undefeated last season (8-0) when scoring at least 14 points.

3. The Cougars allowed the Vikings to cross midfield only twice all game in their season opener.

PREDICTION: LSU 33, BYU 24