LSU vs. Central Florida odds, line: 2019 Fiesta Bowl picks, top predictions from expert who's 3-0 on Tigers games

Barrett Sallee has his finger on the pulse of LSU football. See who he's picking for the Fiesta Bowl.

The Central Florida Knights have won 25 consecutive games, but they might have their biggest test yet when they take on a loaded LSU Tigers squad in the 2019 PlayStation Fiesta Bowl at 1 p.m. ET on New Year's Day. The No. 8 Knights (12-0), who overcame the injury to quarterback McKenzie Milton to win the American Athletic Conference title over Memphis, are 7-point underdogs in the latest LSU vs. Central Florida odds. The over-under for total points is set at 58. The Knights stunned college football last year by knocking off Auburn in a New Year's Six Bowl, but that doesn't guarantee anything against No. 11 LSU (9-3) this season. Before locking in any LSU vs. Central Florida picks of your own, be sure to check out the 2019 Fiesta Bowl picks and predictions from college football expert Barrett Sallee. 

Sallee is a CBS Sports college football analyst, CBS Sports HQ personality, SiriusXM host, Heisman voter and one of the top college football experts in the country. Sallee has been profitable against the spread in his Best Bets column for SportsLine the last two years and is on a tear betting games involving LSU, hitting his last three picks involving the Tigers, including nailing Alabama to cover as 14.5-point favorites at LSU back in October. Anyone who has followed Sallee and his LSU picks is way up.

Now, Sallee is honed in on Central Florida vs. LSU and locked in a strong pick. You can only see it at SportsLine.

Even without star cornerback Greedy Williams, who is sitting out to focus on the NFL Draft, LSU's defense has NFL-caliber players on every level. An insane 74-72 seven-OT loss to Texas A&M skewed some of LSU's season-long numbers, but the Tigers proved they were more than capable of being an elite defense throughout the year.

They held teams such as Georgia, Auburn, Miami, Mississippi State and Ole Miss to 21 points or less. And a similar effort against UCF very well could be enough to get LSU the win and the cover as the Tigers look to cap off their impressive 2018-19 campaign. 

But just because LSU has a strong defense doesn't mean it'll cover the Fiesta Bowl spread.

Even without quarterback McKenzie Milton (leg), the Knights have a powerful rushing attack. The have a trio of extremely capable backs (though Adrian Killins is questionable) headlined by speedster Greg McRae.

The sophomore has averaged an astonishing 9.0 yards per carry, and backup quarterback Darriel Mack Jr. only enhances the running game with his speed. Mack ran for four touchdowns in the AAC Championship Game against Memphis.

We can tell you that Sallee is leaning towards taking the under, but his much stronger play is on the side. He has evaluated the latest 2019 Fiesta Bowl odds and identified a crucial X-factor that makes one side of the spread a must-back. He's only sharing what it is, and who to back, at SportsLine.

Who wins LSU vs. Central Florida? And which crucial X-factor causes one side of the spread to hit hard? Visit SportsLine now to see which side you should jump at the 2019 Fiesta Bowl, all from a seasoned expert who is 3-0 on his last three picks involving LSU, and find out.