No. 4 Tennessee (4-0) will look to continue its dominant stretch to begin the season when it takes on Arkansas (3-2) this Saturday, Oct. 5, at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The Volunteers have flattened each of their opponents thus far and enter Week 6 of the college football season with the nation’s No. 1 offense and No. 2 defense. On the other hand, the Razorbacks will be looking for their first win against a ranked opponent after falling to Texas A&M 21-17 last weekend.
How will this SEC showdown turn out? Here are the latest Tennessee vs Arkansas odds, plus my best bets and prediction.
Tennessee vs Arkansas Odds
College football odds are current as of Monday, Sept. 30, and courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
- Moneyline: Tennessee (-600) vs Arkansas (+440)
- Spread: Tennessee -13.5 (-112) vs Arkansas +13.5 (-108)
- Over/Under: Over 60 (-110) / Under 60 (-110)
Tennessee vs Arkansas Prediction
Tennessee 38, Arkansas 17
Oddsmakers aren’t giving the Razorbacks much of a chance this weekend, and neither am I. Few teams, if any, have looked as strong as Tennessee has to begin the year, and Arkansas isn’t likely to be the team that pulls off the upset.
Part of what makes the Volunteers so dangerous is their ability to completely control the run game. Tennessee is averaging 290 rushing yards per game behind RBs Dylan Sampson and DeSean Bishop, while its defense is limiting opponents to just 50.8 yards on the ground.
- Check out where Tennessee lands in our Top 50 College Football Power Rankings.
Arkansas RB Ja’Quinden Jackson could have a difficult time getting going here, and if the Razorbacks have to rely on turnover-prone QB Taylen Green, things could get dicey early on. If the Vols’ run game gets slowed down, they still have QB Nico Iamaleava to lean on, and he’s been stellar.
It won’t be a welcome environment by any means, but it shouldn’t take long for Tennessee to quiet the crowd. I’m expecting this team to win on both sides of the ball and come away with a comfortable victory.
Sportsbook Play of the Day
Tennessee vs Arkansas Best Bets
Tennessee -13.5 (-112) @ Arkansas
Tennessee hasn’t beaten Arkansas on the road since 2001, but that streak ends here. The Razorbacks are in the middle of a brutal stretch that features matchups with Texas A&M, Tennessee, and LSU, and they failed their first test against the Aggies this past weekend.
The Volunteers remain a perfect 4-0 against the spread — one of only 10 teams in the nation to do so — and their average margin of victory of 47 points per game is an FBS-best mark.
I don’t believe we’ll truly see Tennessee get tested until it hosts No. 1 Alabama in Week 8. Until then, I’m happy to back the Vols against the spread with my college football bet of the day.
Under 60 Points (-110)
Overs have been prevalent for the Volunteers, who, not including their opponents’ scores, have surpassed this 60-point total twice already this season. However, we saw Tennessee lean more heavily on its defense in Week 4’s 25-15 win over Oklahoma, limiting the Sooners to three points through the third quarter.
This matchup with Arkansas figures to be one of the Vols’ more challenging games thus far, so I would be surprised to see them put up another monstrous scoring total. Instead, I’m looking for the Razorbacks to come up short of 20 points, while Tennessee leans on its defense and the ground game.
