Texas A&M vs. Arkansas picks and best bets for Week 4

The SEC on CBS game this Saturday is a Top 25 battle of two SEC West foes as the No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies and the No. 16 Arkansas Razorbacks face off in the Southwest Classic at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. The game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Texas A&M (3-0) will have their darkhorse playoff contender status tested when opening SEC play in Jerry World on Saturday. The Aggies did what they had to do in blowouts of Kent State and New Mexico but sandwiched in between was a 10-7 victory over Colorado where they lost starting quarterback Haynes King with an ankle injury. Backup Zach Calzada has been serviceable but he’ll need to take a step up quickly as the schedule gets more treacherous. Fortunately, TAMU is fielding a top-five defense per SP+.

Arkansas (3-0) has proved that the excitement of the 2020 season was no fluke as the first quarter of this year was highlighted by a 40-21 manhandling of Texas. The Razorbacks followed that up with a 45-10 dismantling of Georgia Southern, one where quarterback KJ Jefferson threw for 366 yards on just 13 completions and three touchdowns. Arkansas has lost nine straight games against their bitter enemy from the old Southwest Conference so they hope this is the year they finally break through.

Here’s all the data you’ll want, and a pick for the game!

SP+ Rankings

Texas A&M: 9th overall, 28th offense, 5th defense
Arkansas: 32nd overall, 45th offense, 29th defense

Injury update

Texas A&M

WR Caleb Chapman Out Sat – Undisclosed

OL Layden Robinson Ques Sat – Undisclosed

OL Luke Matthews Ques Sat – Undisclosed

WR Hezekiah Jones Out Indefinitely – Shoulder

QB Haynes King Late Oct – Ankle

WR Ainias Smith Ques Sat – Concussion

Arkansas

DL Dorian Gerald Out For Season – Leg

ATS/Total

Against The Spread

Texas A&M: 2-1 ATS
Arkansas: 3-0 ATS

Total

Texas A&M: Over 0-3
Arkansas: Over 3-0

Returning/Overall Talent from 247Sports

Texas A&M: 11th overall, 10th offense, 8th defense
Arkansas: 35th overall, 29th offense, 42nd defense

Current lines at DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread: Texas A&M -4.5
Total: 47
Moneyline: Texas A&M -210, Arkansas +175

Opening line: Texas A&M -5.5
Opening total: 48

Weather

87 degrees, Winds 5 to 10 MPH S, 2% chance of rain

The Pick

Under 48

This has the makings of a game where line play and mean defenses will determine the outcome. Calzada is unproven as the Aggies’ signal-caller, while Jefferson has been inconsistent for the Razorbacks. The two coaching staffs won’t ask them to do much so expect a relatively low scoring affair on a neutral site.

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