The rebuilding Arkansas Razorbacks face another litmus test Saturday when they travel to face the powerful No. 6-ranked Florida Gators in a key SEC contest that features a contrast in strengths. Florida quarterback Kyle Trask is in a four-way tie for the FBS lead in touchdown passes despite participating in just five games. The other three quarterbacks -- Sam Ehlinger of Texas, Brady White of Memphis and BYU's Zach Wilson -- have played in at least six each. He will attempt to increase that number against an Arkansas club that leads the SEC with 12 interceptions and also boasts the conference's top two tacklers in Grant Morgan and Bumper Pool.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Florida is without tight end Kyle Pitts (concussion), while Arkansas won't have head coach Sam Pittman (COVID-19) on the sidelines. The Gators are 17-point favorites and the over-under for total points scored is 62 in the latest Florida vs. Arkansas odds from William Hill Sportsbook. Before making any Arkansas vs. Florida picks, check out the college football predictions from SportsLine's Josh Nagel, given the impressive run he's on picking the Gators and Razorbacks.
A Nevada-based handicapper with more than 20 years of experience in the sports wagering industry, Nagel specializes in college sports and has been a consistent winner for SportsLine members. Last year, he went 82-61-1 on his against-the-spread college football picks to give his followers a profit of nearly $2,000. He's currently on a 32-22 run with his selections heading into Week 11.
What's more, he has had a sharp eye for the trajectories of both programs, posting a 14-2 record on picks involving either Arkansas or Florida over the past three seasons. This run of success includes telling SportsLine members to back Florida (+3.5) last week in its annual rivalry game against Georgia. The Gators overcame a slow start to pull away for a decisive victory and give Nagel's followers another easy winner. Anyone who has consistently followed him is way up.
Now, Nagel has studied Florida vs. Arkansas from every angle and has revealed his picks over at SportsLine. Here are the college football odds from William Hill and trends for Arkansas vs. Florida:
- Florida vs. Arkansas point spread: Florida -17
- Florida vs. Arkansas over-under total points: 62
- Florida vs. Arkansas money line: Florida -800, Arkansas +600
- ARK: The Razorbacks have covered the spread in four consecutive SEC road games.
- UF: The Gators have covered five of the past seven meetings in this series.
Why Florida can cover
The Gators can't afford a flat spot as they eye a berth in the SEC title game while facing a five-game stretch against relatively modest competition. In fact, Arkansas' three victories are more than any remaining Florida opponent currently has on its record. Perhaps they will be motivated by avoiding another near-disastrous start after faltering early against Georgia last week. They allowed a 75-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage and trailed 14-0 before 5 minutes had transpired in the first quarter.
The good news is, this gave Trask and the powerful offense plenty of time to recover and they did just that, with two long scoring drives to tie the game. Following a pick-six by Trask early in the second quarter, they scored the game's next 27 points to put it out of reach. Trask boosted his Heisman candidacy by finishing 30-of-43 for 474 yards and four touchdowns, while the defense limited Georgia to just seven second-half points.
Why Arkansas can cover
Feleipe Franks' journey is perhaps one of the more underappreciated stories in college football. He has been at the helm of a turnaround for the Florida program, and is now doing the same for Arkansas, an unlikely scenario given its recent run of futility and the hiring of a first-year coach amid the obstacle-laden season amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Franks was a highly regarded recruit who was expected to end Florida's run of inconsistency at the position. In his freshman year, he showed flashes of raw but unpolished talent and highlights included a 67-yard touchdown pass on the final play to beat rival Tennessee in what would be a four-win season.
He then flourished in coach Dan Mullen's first year with the Gators, helping them win 10 games and earn a berth in the SEC title game. Hopes were high for an encore last year before the injury that ended Franks' season and left the job to Trask. Franks landed at Arkansas and has led the Razorbacks to a .500 record against what is regarded as the toughest schedule in the program's history. Seven of its 10 opponents are ranked or were previously ranked in the top 25. Franks has a career-high passer rating of 154.7 while throwing for 14 touchdowns against three interceptions.
How to make Florida vs. Arkansas picks
Nagel has looked at this one from all sides, and he is leaning under on the total. He also has also found a critical x-factor that makes one side of the spread a must-back. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Arkansas vs. Florida? And which critical x-factor has Nagel jumping all over one side of the spread? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Florida vs. Arkansas spread to jump on Saturday, all from the expert on a 14-2 run on his picks involving the Gators or Razorbacks.
