Arkansas Georgia Betting – Urgency Runs High In Athens As Hogs And Dawgs Tangle
The week-in, week-out grind of the SEC schedule is about to set in for two divisional contenders, as East hopeful Georgia hosts West challenger Arkansas.
NCAA football betting: Arkansas Razorbacks @ Georgia Bulldogs
Online Betting Odds: Georgia -2.5
Why To Bet On Arkansas
The Hogs have almost a full deck on hand this season. Ten of 11 starters return on the offense including heralded quarterback Ryan Mallett, four of the top five rushers, and all four of the top receivers. Many preseason magazines have listed the Arkansas receiving triumvirate of Jarius Wright, Greg Childs, and Joe Adams as one of the top groups in the nation. With coach Bobby Petrino’s playcalling, Mallett’s lethal arm, the skill position weapons, and four of five offensive linemen returning, the Razorbacks will be a matchup nightmare for every opponent on the offensive side of the ball. The Hogs struggled last week against Sun Belt tomato can Louisiana-Monroe. Arkansas had a paltry 14-0 lead at halftime before coasting to a 31-7 win. Yet, one feels that Arkansas kept its playbook light and its game plan simple. This week, Petrino will start dialing up some serious ball plays on the road against a worthy SEC opponent. You haven’t seen Arkansas’ best stuff in 2010. The Hogs were just getting tuned up against weak opponents. Now, they’ll open up the playbook and attack opposing defenses with ruthless aggression. They have the weapons to do so.
Why To Bet On Georgia
The Bulldogs did lose at South Carolina this past weekend, and while that’s undeniably a setback for this team in the short run, it could pay off in the long run. Whereas Arkansas has played two pansies – Tennessee Tech and Louisiana-Monroe – Georgia’s game with South Carolina will have the Bulldogs ready to play another game against an SEC foe. Arkansas is probably going to be slow-footed and a little shellshocked in the first five minutes of this game, while Georgia will be used to the pace and the physicality of an SEC war. The South Carolina game will in many ways have UGA primed to compete against Arkansas.
The other thing working in Georgia’s favor is that Arkansas is a pass-first team. Georgia’s main defensive weakness – which was exposed by South Carolina – was and is its inability to stop the running game between the tackles. Carolina freshman sensation Marcus Lattimore obliterated Georgia’s front line for 182 yards. Arkansas doesn’t pound the ball, however. The Hogs like to move the ball through the air, and a Georgia secondary that shut down South Carolina’s passing attack should be able to win its share of battles against the Razorbacks’ receivers. Georgia’s pass rush is better than its run defense, so the nature of this matchup favors the Bulldogs a little more.
How The Game Will Play Out
Georgia will be a more desperate team after its damaging conference loss the week before. Arkansas’ really big game comes a week after this game, as the Hogs take on SEC West competitor Alabama. Georgia will be more focused for this game. The Bulldogs will contain Arkansas’ offense and get a terrific performance from quarterback Aaron Murray. Take Georgia “Between the Hedges” in Athens.
Arkansas Georgia Betting Pick: Georgia
