How and what to watch for Arkansas vs. No. 6 Florida

Saturday’s SEC slate wasn’t totally obliterated by COVID-19 outbreaks as the No. 6 Florida Gators will return to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to welcome an Arkansas Razorbacks team that will be without their head coach.

UF head coach Dan Mullen captured arguably the biggest win of his career last Saturday when the Gators triumphed over hated rival Georgia 44-28 in their annual showdown in Jacksonville. With UGA dealing with nagging quarterback issues, the Gators took full advantage by exploding for 24 points in the second quarter to take a 38-21 lead into halftime and never let go of their comfy cushion.

Quarterback Kyle Trask continued to make his Heisman case, throwing for 474 yards on 30 completions and four touchdowns. He was backed by defensive coordinator’s Todd Grantham’s defense, whose aggressiveness played to their favor. The Gator D complied seven QB hurries, three sacks and three interceptions throughout the afternoon.

In the Ozarks meanwhile, Arkansas quickly erased a 13-point halftime deficit to storm back for a 24-13 home victory over Tennessee. The Razorback defense forced straight Volunteer punts before capping the evening with a pair of interceptions by Eric Gregory and Jalen Catalon. That allowed for Razorback and former Florida QB Feleipe Franks to have an efficient day passing, completing 18-of-24 attempts for 215 yards and three third quarter touchdowns that put them ahead.

Unfortunately for Arkansas, first-year head coach Sam Pittman will not be making the trip to Gainesville due to a positive COVID test. Assistant head coach Barry Odom will take his place on the sideline.

Game Time/TV Channel/Streaming

You can watch Arkansas vs. Florida on Saturday, November 14th at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN, or you can stream it via the ESPN app with a cable or streaming service login.

Point Spread, Totals, Odds, Trends

Point spread: Arkansas vs. Florida (-17)
Point Total: O/U 60.5
Money line: Arkansas (+550), Florida (-835)

• The underdog has covered the spread in each of Arkansas’ last nine games.
• Seven of Arkansas’ last eight November games against top-10 AP-ranked teams have gone under the total points line.
• Florida has covered the spread 65.2% of the time as the favorite under Dan Mullen.

Betting splits

Arkansas: (64% of handle, 60% percent of bets)
Florida: (36% of handle, 40% percent of bets)

The Best Bet

Florida is certainly rolling but this is a potential letdown spot after knocking off their arch-division rival in Georgia. Arkansas has been the surprise team in the SEC this season and since their season opening 37-10 loss to Georgia, has stayed with two scores in each of their opponents.

As the former head coach of Missouri, Odom knows how to motivate his team on the road and will have the Razorbacks in a position to make things uncomfortable for UF.

Pick: Arkansas +17.5

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