Auburn vs Arkansas NCAAF Preview, Odds, and Free Point Spread Prediction

After losing their CFP hopes in a loss to LSU, the 21st-ranked Auburn Tigers must recover on the road against another SEC rival, the Arkansas Razorbacks. Kickoff from Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas is set for 7:30 EST, with the game airing on the SEC Network.

Auburn Tigers vs Arkansas Razorbacks Game Preview and Vegas Odds

Once thought as a potential dark horse in the SEC, Auburn is now merely trying to right the ship. They will go into one of the few places in the SEC right now where they can pull out a lopsided win.

Kerryon Johnson is still one of the finest backs in the league, tacking on another 156 yards against LSU. The thunder to Johnson’s lightning, Kamryn Pettway, isn’t looking so hot. Though he’s been battling heel issues, his average has dropped to 3.3 YPC, and he only had four carries for seven yards last week.

Arkansas had yet another setback last Saturday, as they were steamrolled by Alabama. This came after a 26-point loss to South Carolina. Usually, Pig Sooie gets hot in late October-early November, but that doesn’t look to be the case this year.

Their starting QB, Austin Allen, isn’t expected to play against the Tigers. That will put the weight once more on the shoulders of freshman Cole Kelley, who was sacked five times and barely completed half his passes against Alabama. It doesn’t help the big QB that the Razorbacks leading rusher this season, freshman Chase Hayden, has 18 carries for only 38 yards over the last two weeks. In fact, Arkansas hasn’t had a single back gain more than 32 yards in either of those two losses.

This is part of the reason why Auburn will come in as 15 ½-point favorites.

Free SEC Point Spread Prediction: Auburn -15.5

It’s been said that to win in the SEC, you need to run the ball and stop the run. Arkansas used to have the running back and offensive line to at least do half of what it took. Now, they’ve had to further alter their identity, and it’s not working for them.

They have very little support on that line, which has also given up the 15th most sacks in the country. Auburn is in the top 25 in sacks, with Jeff Holland leading the way with six sacks and eight tackles-for-loss. That’s only where the Arkansas issues start.

Kerryon Johnson is a lot for the Razorbacks to deal with. Auburn still has a fair amount of balance offensively with Jarrett Stidham at quarterback, which will keep Arkansas from solely focusing on the ground game in crucial downs. Johnson will be running against only the 9th-best run defense (out of 14 teams) in the SEC. If the Razorbacks can be shredded by TCU’s Darius Anderson or Texas A&M’s Keith Ford, Johnson is a whole different beast.

Without Austin Allen, they’re handcuffed in the passing game, on top of losing all their mojo on the ground.

LSU had the defensive capabilities to draw close with Auburn, and Arkansas may very well score as much, if not more, than they did. But the Tigers will run all over the Hogs, and easily cover this spread.

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