NCAA Football Betting – Arkansas Razorbacks at Kentucky Wildcats
The Arkansas Razorbacks (3-3 SU, 1-4 ATS) are coming off a big upset win, and on Saturday they are set to tangle with the defensively-stout Kentucky Wildcats (4-2 SU, 3-2 ATS) in NCAA college football action in the Southeastern Conference that is set to kick off at 7 PM ET at Commonwealth Stadium (natural turf) in Lexington, KY.
Saturday, October 18
BetUS NCAA Football Betting Odds: KENTUCKY -7.5, Total 44.5
Here are some of the NCAA college football betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* ARK has covered one of its last five games
* ARK has played four of its last five games OVER the total
* KY has won five of its last seven games SU
* KY has won four of its last five home games SU
It is easy enough to explain why the Auburn offense couldn’t get too far against Arkansas last weekend; after all, the Tigers’ spread offense, which was ineffective while offensive coordinator Tony Franklin was present, wasn’t about to show more potency after he was fired. Indeed, quarterbacks Chris Todd and Kodi Burns combined for only ten completions in 28 attempts, and somehow running backs Brad Lester and Ben Tate (39 combined yards) decided to take the afternoon off.
What’s more difficult to fathom is how the Hogs were able to make so much headway against a very good Auburn defense. Yet they did. Michael Smith rambled for 176 net yards, and Casey Dick produced 222 yards through the air. Dick (5 TD’s, 7 INT’s, 58%) still isn’t by any means a consistent passer, however. He threw two picks against the War Eagle and is going to be lost unless Smith, who is ninth in the nation in rushing after a two-game, 309-yard stretch, produces big.
Kentucky has been putting up some solid defensive numbers this year (10.5 ppg against), but they were “exposed” somewhat against South Carolina, permitting the Gamecock quarterbacking duo of Stephen Garcia and Chris Smelley to gain 274 yards through the air.
Mike Hartline, the error-prone Kentucky QB (2 INT’s last week) is hardly the guy you want to go down the field with. His 152 yards passing on 43 attempts last week represents a paltry 3.5 yards a throw, and his season average is less than five yards. And now he has lost his only dependable receiver, Dicky Lyons, for the season, as Lyons tore up his knee.
Arkansas seems to have found a running game with Smith, while Kentucky doesn’t have the type of offense that is going to pull away from anybody. That means we take the points with the Hogs, the 7.5-point underdog in the BetUS NCAA college football betting odds.
