Arkansas at Alabama Spread

This Saturday Alabama hosts Arkansas in one of the most anticipated SEC showdowns of the year.  Both teams enter ranked (No. 3 Alabama, No. 14 Arkansas) and undefeated (both are 3-0).  Odds for the game have already been posted and they show the Crimson Tide favored by 11.5 points over the Razorbacks and a total of 50.5 points.  Alabama edged out a 24-20 win last season, moving the all-time series record to 11-8 in favor of the Tide.

Arkansas has had a fairly easy road to their 3-0 record, winning their first two games by a combined score of 103-10, but last week’s modest 38-28 win over what was thought to be a inferior Troy team has some Arkansas faithful worried about this matchup with one of the top teams in the nation.

With former quarterback Ryan Mallett gone for the NFL, new starter Tyler Wilson has been given the lofty task of heading this offense, but so far he has been up to the task.  He has thrown for 822 yards and five touchdowns to two interceptions, completing 68.6 percent of his passes.  While those numbers are very good, it’s important to remember that he’s only faced limited competition so far and will be facing one of the top defenses in the nation this Saturday.

Defensively the Razorbacks also played exceptionally well in their first two games, but faltered against Troy last week.  They ended up allowing 457 total yards, 373 coming through the air.  Alabama is a run-first team, but Arkansas definitely needs to make some adjustments in their secondary if they want to avoid getting torched again this week against a savvy ‘Bama offense.

The Crimson Tide have been impressive on both sides of the ball this season.  They are averaging 38.7 points and 475.7 yards per game offensively.  Running back Trent Richardson is the starting point for the offense and he’s already racked up eight touchdowns and is averaging better than six yards per carry.

On the other side of the ball, Alabama’s numbers stack up against the best defenses in the nation.  They’ve allowed just six points and a mere 170 total yards per game through their first three games.  Opponents are averaging just two yards per carry against the Tide and have completed just 38 percent of their passes against them.

Predictions

Even without a poor performance last week, the Razorbacks were destined to have their hands full in this game.  Their best hope is that Alabama is already looking forward to next week’s showdown with Florida, but as well-coached as the Tide are that seems unlikely.  Arkansas certainly has a lot of offensive options and can put points on the board, but I believe this game will be won with defense and there is a clear edge on that side of the ball for Alabama.

Final Score Prediction: Alabama 31, Arkansas 17