Alabama jumped right back into the postseason conversation with a huge win at Georgia last week. Saturday’s SEC West game against Arkansas sets up as a perfect trap for the Tide though, who visit No. 9 Texas AM next week. The Razorbacks ended a three-game slide with a win at Tennessee last Saturday and finish up their third straight week away from home trying to avoid their ninth straight loss to Alabama.
ODDS
Following their whooping of then-No. 8 Georgia, Alabama opened as a 16.5-point favorite with the total at 48. The line was wagered down a half point to -16 while the total spiked to 50.5. Giving the points could be enticing with Arkansas just 2-5 ATS in its last seven when playing the Tide.
KEY MISMATCH
Overlooked for most of the season by running backs Leonard Fournette of LSU and Georgia’s Nick Chubb, Alabama’s Derrick Henry stood tall last week. He’s been the Tide’s most consistent offensive playmaker and one of the SEC’s top runners. He’s coming off perhaps his best game against No. 19 Georgia, momentarily grabbing some of the spotlight from the other top backs in the conference. Henry had career-highs of 26 carries and 148 yards against the Bulldogs including a 30-yard touchdown where he effortlessly ran away from Georgia defenders. He’s been producing touchdowns with regularity, trailing only Fournette in rushing scores with nine and placing fourth in the SEC with 570 yards. A big man himself at 6-2, 238 pounds, Henry works behind a mammoth offensive line that weighs 1,600 pounds and is supposedly bigger than any line in college or pro football.
KEY STAT
10 – Alabama turnovers to rank 95th in the nation. The Tide had five turnovers in their loss to Ole Miss, which was probably the difference in the game. Good news for Alabama fans is that Arkansas has just six takeaways this season.
BETTING ANGLE
Arkansas was able to stop its season from spinning out of control with last week’s 24-20 victory at Tennessee, and the Razorbacks always seem to gear up for the Crimson Tide, but this is their third straight Saturday on the road. Alabama could be due for a bit of a letdown following the impressive victory at Georgia last week and a visit to No. 9 Texas AM next week. Coach Nick Saban is well aware that this game sets up as a trap and is doing everything he can think of to make sure his team is well prepared. Arkansas has yet to beat Alabama during Saban’s tenure and kept the game close last season, losing 14-13 in Fayetteville. The Tide may be 16-5 SU in their past 21 games, but they’ve been bad covering the spread with just a 6-14-1 ATS record since 2013.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
The Tide stepped up big last week after many of the pundits wrote them off following a home loss to Ole Miss. Going into Athens as an underdog for the first time since 2009, Alabama thoroughly destroyed Georgia and jumped right back into the playoff picture. But the Tide has proven to be vulnerable and Arkansas really has nothing to lose in this game. The Razorbacks’ defense has limited four of its five opponents to their lowest scoring outputs all season, but the key to Ole Miss’ victory at Bryant-Denny Stadium was jumping out to an early lead that it wouldn’t relinquish. With the variety of ways Alabama can attack and a stifling defense, the Tide are not an opponent that most teams will be able to come back against. Arkansas has played well the last two weeks and will keep this one closer than the spread, but will fall in the end.
Alabama 30, Arkansas 20
The college football lines for this contest were first released by BookMaker and the Crimson Tide were positioned as 16.5-point favorites with a total of 48. Gamble on the game between every commercial break with BookMaker’s live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen on the next play or how many points will be scored in the next quarter. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
Access live betting lines from your mobile device or tablet at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The Arkansas Razorbacks and Alabama Crimson Tide square off on Saturday, October 10, 2015, at 7 p.m. ET at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN.
