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Teams: Arkansas (2-2, 0-1) vs. South Carolina (3-2, 1-2)
Time: 4 p.m. ET/3 p.m. CT
TV: SEC Network
Watch Online: WatchESPN
Series History: Arkansas leads the series 13-9-0. South Carolina has won the last two. The two teams, however, have not met since 2013. Prior to then, they had met every year since 1992.
Spread: The Gamecocks opened as 1.5-point favorites. The line increased in their favor to 2.5/3.
O/U: The total opened at 50. It dropped to 45/46 around other locales.
Records ATS: Arkansas 0-4 | South Carolina 3-2
Through five weeks, it’s hard to make heads or tails of both the Arkansas Razorbacks and South Carolina Gamecocks. The Gamecocks sprinted out to an early 3-0 start, but lost their best playmaker in Deebo Samuel. They promptly lost a game to Kentucky, barely edged out Louisiana Tech and were defeated by Texas A&M. A promising start has now turned ugly in a hurry.
Arkansas, meanwhile, has been relatively inconsistent. After opening with a win over Florida A&M, the Hogs lost their next two against TCU and Texas A&M as well. They bounced back with a win over New Mexico State the last time we saw them, but to this point they’ve only beaten teams from the MEAC and WAC. Which isn’t quite the best thing to say the least.
So it’s hard to decipher what will happen when Arkansas and South Carolina meet for the first time since 2013 on Saturday afternoon. South Carolina clearly isn’t the same team without Samuel. But Arkansas hasn’t beaten a team from a Power 5 conference. They’re capable of doing so, but it hasn’t happened quite yet as we’ve hit mid-October. That’s not the greatest of looks.
Arkansas hasn’t won a single game ATS this season. South Carolina on the other hand has won three. The point spread being where it is probably accurately describes this showdown: A game that’s too close to call. Given that Arkansas’ offense has been definitively better than South Carolina’s this season by most metrics, choosing the Hogs may be the best course of action. Especially since the Gamecocks are still without Deebo.
Prediction: Arkansas 24, South Carolina 23