Alabama vs Arkansas: Prediction, Selection, Spread, Football Match Odds, Live Stream, Watch Online, TV Channel

Alabama’s No. 2 hits the road this weekend to take on Arkansas’ No. 20 in a matchup with SEC West. The Crimson Tide come in with a 4-0 record and are coming off two easy wins; the Tide beat Vanderbilt 55-3 last week after beating ULM 63-7 the previous week. These results looked very different than in Week 2 when Alabama narrowly avoided an upset in a road game against Texas.

Arkansas wasn’t so lucky last week. The Razorbacks spent all week trying to shake off the image of Cam Little’s 42-yard field goal attempt bouncing off the top of the post instead of passing with 90 seconds left in the game. Those three dropped points figured prominently in a 23-21 loss to rival Texas A&M. Now the Razorbacks must find a way to bounce back against one of the best teams in the country.

This loss makes it a must win for Arkansas. A loss would drop it to 1-2 in the conference, and it’s hard to imagine a team with two losses — including one in Alabama — winning the division.

Alabama vs. Arkansas: Need to Know

Alabama dominated this series: Arkansas is not an original member of the SEC, which is why it has only played Alabama 30 times in its history. As you’d expect in anything Alabama, the Tide dominated, winning 22 of those 30 meetings. This includes each of the last 14. To put that into context, the last time Arkansas beat Alabama was in 2006 (24-23). Houston Nutt was coaching Arkansas, Mike Shula was coaching Alabama, and George W. Bush was in the Oval Office. We’ve had three different presidents since that game. Heck, Arkansas had five different coaches! What I’m saying is it’s been a while.

Alabama struggled on the road: Leaving the friendly confines of home hasn’t worked out well for the Tide lately. Alabama has been favored by an average of 18.5 points in its last six road games, but it hasn’t lived up to expectations. Alabama was a 21.5-point favorite in its game against Texas this season and scratched and clawed for a one-point victory. Since last season, Alabama has gone 4-1 in real road games, but only one of those wins was comfortable (49-9 at Mississippi State). He lost to Texas A&M 41-38, and none of his wins over Florida, Auburn, or Texas were more than a field goal.

It’s a revenge game for Arkansas LB Drew Sanders: OK, so maybe he’s not out for revenge, but Drew Sanders was a five-star high school freshman who originally signed up to Alabama. After not seeing much action in two seasons with the Tide – he played 24 games on special teams and as a reserve – he transferred to Arkansas this season and played a major role in defense of the Hogs. Sanders has been everywhere, collecting 31 tackles in four games. That includes 6.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and two passes defended. The Razorbacks will need Sanders to maintain that level of performance and help slow down Alabama’s offense.

How to watch Alabama vs Arkansas live

Date: Saturday October 1st | Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Razorback Stadium — Fayetteville, Arkansas
TV: SCS | Direct: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports app (free)

Alabama vs Arkansas prediction, picks

Part of the reason Alabama hasn’t been good on the road is that its offensive line hasn’t lived up to the typical standard. Alabama’s offense this year hasn’t been as explosive in the passing game as we’ve seen in recent years. There is no true alpha receiver – at least not one who has taken the reins from the outstanding receivers Alabama has had in recent years. All of that combined with Arkansas dropping into coverage and forcing teams to set up long drives to beat him suggests this will be a weaker, closer affair than expected. I don’t have a high level of confidence, but if I’m betting anything here, I’d rather be on the Razorbacks. Prediction: Arkansas +17

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