South Carolina at Arkansas Spread

Written by Jack Jones

In a rare Top 10 showdown, the tenth-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks travel to face the eighth-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks Saturday at 7:15 EST. The Razorbacks are fighting to stay alive in the SEC West, while the Gamecocks need a win to remain atop the SEC East standings. Arkansas has won the last two meetings and four of the last five in this series, including a 41-20 road victory last season.

Taking a look at the college football odds for Week 10, I find a line of Arkansas -5 over South Carolina and a total set of 52 points.

Arkansas

The Razorbacks have been playing in some thrilling games recently and they keep coming up with big plays late in games to escape defeat. Arkansas (7-1, 3-1 SEC) suffered their only loss of the season at then-No. 3 Alabama by a final of 38-14. Three of their last four wins have all come by five points or less, including back-to-back road wins at Ole Miss (29-24) and Vanderbilt (31-28).

In their win over the Commodores last Saturday, Arkansas trailed by 14 points and they were outgained 462-388. Yet once again, the Razorbacks came back from double-digits down for a third time this season to win. They also trailed Texas A&M by 18 and Mississippi by 17 on the other two occasions. Vanderbilt had the ball on the Arkansas 5 in the fourth quarter while leading 28-20, but Zac Stacy fumbled and Jerry Franklin scooped it up and scampered 94 yards for a touchdown. Arkansas got the 2-point conversion, and they eventually took the lead for good on a 42-yard field goal with 6:53 remaining. Vanderbilt missed a 27-yard field goal with 8 seconds left that would have forced overtime.

Arkansas ranks 23rd in the country in total offense (452.9 yards/game) and 9th in passing offense (321.1 yards/game). They are also 19th in scoring offense (36.9 points/game). While the Razorbacks are only 71st in total defense (396.1 yards/game), they are an impressive 33rd in scoring defense (22.5 points/game). This shows that their stop unit has been excellent in the red zone. Tyler Wilson has been solid in his first season as a starter, completing 62.7 percent of his passes for 2,327 yards with 13 touchdowns and three interceptions. Jarius Wright had 10 catches for 135 yards and a score against Vanderbilt, adding to his team-highs in receptions (44), receiving yards (709) and touchdowns (7).

South Carolina

The Gamecocks are another team that just keeps finding ways to win. South Carolina (7-1, 5-1 SEC) sits atop the SEC East standings after a 14-3 victory over Tennessee last Saturday. Their defense has come up huge all season. This is a team that has had to overcome the dismissal of starting quarterback Stephen Garcia, and a season-ending knee injury to star running back Marcus Lattimore.

In their win over the Volunteers, South Carolina outgained Tennessee 318-186, and held them scoreless over the final three quarters. They rushed for 231 yards as a team, including a game-high 137 from Brandon Wilds. Quarterback Connor Shaw only went 10 of 18 passing for 87 yards with one touchdown and one interception, but he rushed for 64 yards and a score.

South Carolina ranks 6th in the country in total defense (266.2 yards/game) and 14th in scoring defense (17.1 points/game). They are 63rd in total offense (388.3 yards/game) and 49th in scoring offense (30.1 points/game) as well. This will be their first game of the season against a ranked opponent, though. Shaw is completing 62.5 percent of his passes for 582 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions. He has also rushed for 174 yards and a score. Aside from Lattimore, Wilds is their leading rusher with 212 yards on the season. Alshon Jeffery leads all receivers with 33 grabs for 468 yards and five touchdowns.

Betting Trends

Arkansas is 8-2 ATS in their last 10 meetings with South Carolina, including 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home meetings.

The Gamecocks are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games, but 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games following an ATS win, and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 vs. a team with a winning record.

The Razorbacks are a perfect 7-0 ATS in their last 7 home games vs. a team with a winning road record, and 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games as a home favorite of 10 points or less. However, Arkansas is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a S.U. win.

Be sure to see what expert handicapper Jack Jones has in store with his college football picks for Week 10.

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