Arkansas and LSU will meet in the Battle for the Golden Boot this Saturday night. The teams have met 64 times in a series that dates all the way back to 1901. The Tigers have won 40 meetings, with Arkansas winning 22 and two ending in ties. LSU has won the last three, including a 24-17 victory in Fayetteville last year. The Tigers come in ranked #1 in the nation, although they did get a scare in their shootout with Ole Miss last week. Arkansas comes in at 2-8, having fired Chad Morris after yet another humiliating loss at home, this time in 45-19 fashion to Western Kentucky. Can the Razorbacks pull off an unthinkable upset — or at least cover a gargantuan spread? Or will LSU roll up a huge victory over the sputtering Hogs? Don’t miss our sports betting preview of this SEC West matchup.
Arkansas vs LSU 2019 College Football Week 14 Lines & Preview
Breakaway speed 😤 pic.twitter.com/4rIM0IJ7el
— Arkansas Razorback Football (@RazorbackFB) November 18, 2019
- When: Saturday, November 23, 2019, 7:00 pm ET
- Where: Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, LA
- TV: ESPN
- Radio: Razorback Sports Network / LSU Sports Radio Network
- Live Stream: WatchESPN
- College Football Week 13 Odds: LSU -43.5 / O/U 71.5
Why should you bet on the Razorbacks?
Arkansas comes out of a bye week having had two weeks for interim coach Barry Lunney to consolidate his plans in the aftermath of the Chad Morris firing. The silver lining for the Hogs includes an offensive line that has opened holes for the running game, as Arkansas picked up 253 yards on the ground against Western Kentucky, averaging almost ten yards per carry. The week before, they averaged more than seven yards a carry against Mississippi State. Morris’ insistence on a pass-first offense was one of the major problems facing Arkansas. Tailback Rakeem Boyd has four 100-yard games this year, and the LSU D-line just got pummeled by Ole Miss last week.
The Arkansas secondary is also fairly decent — it’s the front seven that can be a little generous. But again, defense has never been much of a priority for Chad Morris-coached teams, and it will be interesting to see if Lunney can reverse that trend through coaching. There are also several intangibles — will LSU take Arkansas seriously? Will the Razorbacks show that typical burst that teams have when an interim coach comes in mid-season? These questions could point you to bet on an Arkansas cover.
Why should you put your money on the Tigers?
Western Kentucky showed that you can use short-range and medium-range passes to beat the Arkansas defense, but other teams have used the deep ball to torch the Razorbacks as well. Arkansas has not snatched an interception in five games. That means that there should be plenty of opportunities for LSU to throw the ball, with Joe Burrow looking to add another set of gaudy statistics to his Heisman Trophy resume. When LSU isn’t passing the ball, they can hand it off to Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who has three consecutive 100-yard games, averaging more than six yards per carry. Arkansas has allowed at least 265 yards on the ground in four of its last five games, including a 460-yard night for Mississippi State.
If you like the Tigers, you see them viewing this game as a chance to reestablish their defensive reputation, taking out their frustrations from the Ole Miss game on an Arkansas team that is in a shambles, just looking to play out the string. The offense should be able to salt this game away by halftime — but will playing reserves in the second half help the Razorbacks cover?
Final Score Prediction
I have to admit that I did not see LSU passing that immense test that Alabama presented, but the Tigers rolled out to a big lead and held on late to get that monkey off their backs. Ole Miss was able to take advantage of some lackadaisical defense by the Tigers, and I see them getting back on track against the Razorbacks. But 43 ½ points? I’m not sure I see them covering that if they play backups in the second half. I predict a final score of LSU 48, Arkansas 17.
