Arkansas Florida Odds
Posted by Jack Jones - Google+
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Both Arkansas and Florida are coming off big wins last weekend. Arkansas upended previously unbeaten Auburn and Florida went to Baton Rouge and defeated LSU in a defensive slugfest. Things are on their way up in Fayetteville, but they have a long ways to go to be near the same level as the Florida Gators and Urban Meyer’s football program.
Why Arkansas Covers
Arkansas and Coach Bobby Petrino have made great strides this season, largely in part to the strong right arm of Ryan Mallett. Mallett transferred to Arkansas from Michigan and has quickly become a very impressive starting quarterback for the Hogs. Mallett has a 13/3 touchdown to interception ratio and has thrown for more than 1,400 yards already this season. The offense is averaging more than 37 points per game and 318 yards per game passing. Clearly moving the football hasn’t been a problem for Arkansas. On the defensive side of the ball, the Razorbacks aren’t as strong. The defense is allowing 399 yards per game and a very concerning 28 points per game. The defense has been prone to giving up the big play on numerous occasions this year, but they have improved somewhat in the last couple of weeks.
Why Florida Covers
The Florida Gators are sitting right where everyone expected them to be, at number one in the country. Last weekend’s tough test at LSU turned out to be a defensive battle, but the Gators were in control throughout the game. Tim Tebow and the Florida offense are great and very talented, but the truth is it appears the Gators defense is the stronger of the two units. Brandon Spikes is the defensive leader and the defense has shown that it may well be the fastest defense in the entire country. So far this season the defense is only giving up a minuscule 6 points per game. Tim Tebow has been very efficient passing the ball, completing 65.5% of his passes and throwing only two interceptions. Jeffrey Demps is a real playmaker that can take it the distance any time he touches the football. The offense is fairly young outside of Tebow, but they are extremely loaded with talent.
A quick look at the odds shows the Gators as 24 point home favorites in this SEC conference matchup. The posted total has been set at 55 points. The Gators are on a tremendous against the spread streak in the last few years. Florida is now 24-7 against the spread in their last 31 games. Arkansas is 0-7 against the spread in their last 7 games against Florida.
The Florida Gators are starting to look even more dominant as the year goes on, and as long as Tim Tebow stays healthy it is hard to imagine them losing a regular season game. Arkansas has a great offense, but they haven’t faced a defense even close to as tough as the Florida defense. The 24 points is quite a few points to lay, but with Florida and its winning ATS streak alive, I’d hate to be on the other side of that wager.
