The No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide pushed their record to 5-0 to begin the season and head out on the road for the second time when they take on the Arkansas Razorbacks in Week 6. The Crimson Tide have won 11 straight games vs the Razorbacks and open as a 35-point favorite in this week’s match. The total for this game has opened at 59 points.
- Alabama is 11-0 SU in its last 11 games vs Arkansas (avg. winning margin: 23.91).
- Arkansas is 2-7-1 ATS in its last 10 games at home.
- The total has gone OVER in five of Alabama’s last six games (avg. combined score: 64.17).
Alabama vs Arkansas Game Center
Alabama looks to continue its road dominance
Alabama has had no issues in recent memory hitting the road, winning 15 of its last 16 road games and covering the spread in nine of those contests. The Crimson Tide have played just one away match thus far in the season when they roughed up Ole Miss 62-7 in Week 3. Prior to that victory, Alabama lost its previous road game, falling 26-14 to Auburn in the 2017 Iron Bowl.
The Crimson Tide bring into this game the nation’s best offense, averaging 54.2 points per game while racking up 271 total points, 19 more than second-place Hawaii. That offense is led by Heisman Trophy favorite Tua Tagovailoa. The sophomore quarterback has thrown for 1,161 yards with 14 touchdowns and no interceptions through the first five weeks of the season, completing 75 percent of his attempts. Alabama is also very strong defensively (as usual), giving up just 13 points per game, tied for fifth-fewest in the NCAA.
Arkansas struggling offensively this season
Arkansas opened the season with a decisive 55-20 victory over FCS side Eastern Illinois. The Razorbacks have struggled since that win, though, losing their next four games while being outscored 136-64, and face an uphill battle against No. 1 Alabama. Since the start of last season, Arkansas is just 4-5 SU at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium and has lost its last four home games vs the SEC.
The Razorbacks find themselves ranked toward the bottom on both sides of the ball through five weeks of the season. Arkansas has scored 23.8 points per game, which ranks 103rd in the nation, and is led by junior quarterback Ty Storey. The Arkansas native has completed just 50.6 percent of his pass attempts for 631 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions. Storey didn’t play in Arkansas’ 44-17 loss to North Texas in Week 3. Defensively, the Razorbacks have allowed 31.2 points per game this season, which sits them 92nd in the NCAA.
Should you be on the OVER in this game?
The OVER has been trending between these two teams and Sportsbook has the total Sportsbook at 59 points. The total has gone OVER in seven of the last 12 meetings between Alabama and Arkansas with an average combined score of 52.33. Meanwhile, the Crimson Tide are averaging 54.2 points per game and have yet to shut out a team this season. Lastly, Arkansas has gone OVER in four of the last six games that there have been totals for, while Alabama has gone OVER in four of its five games this season. With the total Sportsbook at 59 points for this match, all signs are pointing to the OVER this weekend.
My take on Alabama vs Arkansas
I like Alabama to cover the 35-point spread. The Crimson Tide are 5-0 SU this season with an average winning margin of 41.2, winning by more than 35 points in every game except against then-No. 22 Texas A&M in Week 4 when they won by 22. Additionally, this game features the No. 1 offense in the nation in Alabama going up against the No. 92-ranked defense in the NCAA in Arkansas. The Crimson Tide have a terrific balance between a high-powered offense and aggressive defense that makes the spread very enticing in many games this season.
