Arkansas vs. Georgia Free College Football Picks for Week 5

Spectacular matchup from the SEC on Saturday as No. 8 Arkansas, one of the country’s biggest surprises, visits No. 2 Georgia. It could be an SEC title game preview.

Which way to lean at SBR’s top-rated sportsbooks? 

Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Georgia Bulldogs 

Saturday, October 02, 2021 - 12:00 PM EDT at Sanford Stadium 

There are four Top 25 matchups around college football on Saturday and this is the first of them, with ESPN having the telecast between No. 8 Arkansas and No. 2 Georgia.

They are in separate divisions so, in theory, this could be an SEC Championship Game preview – although I rather doubt the Hogs get there. To win the SEC title, Georgia is +130 on the (visit our Sportsbook Review) college football futures odds, while Arkansas is +3500.

https://youtu.be/sJq-zZDGCbA

Georgia leads the all-time series 11-4. When both are ranked, though, Arkansas leads 2-1. This is the first meeting with both ranked since the 2002 SEC Championship Game.  

Last year, the Razorbacks were 27.5-point home underdogs and lost to the Dawgs 37-10 in the season opener for both. Arkansas was up by the rather unusual score of 10-5 about midway through the third quarter but obviously, Georgia then took over.

Stetson Bennett threw for 211 yards and two scores for UGA, but he shouldn’t see the field Saturday unless starter JT Daniels is injured. Zamir White rushed for 71 yards and a TD. Feleipe Franks was the Hogs’ QB that day and threw for 200 yards with a TD and two picks. He’s now with the Atlanta Falcons. 

The underdog is 5-1 against the spread in the past six meetings. ESPN College GameDay will be in Athens.  

Pittman Working Wonders With Hogs 

Most Arkansas fans were not happy when the school hired Sam Pittman as head coach in December 2019 because he wasn’t very well known as the associate head coach and offensive line coach at Georgia. However, it has turned into a brilliant hire.  

The Hogs (4-0) weren’t ranked to open the season but now own wins over then-No. 15 Texas and then-No. 7 Texas A&M this past Saturday, 20-10. The Aggies had never lost in the series since joining the SEC and Arkansas hadn’t started 4-0 since 2003. 

Quarterback KJ Jefferson injured his knee in the win but played through it. He was just 7-for-15 passing but for 212 yards and two scores. Jefferson also rushed for 50 yards. He’s expected to play here. Ditto top receiver Treylon Burks, who was seen in a walking boot after the A&M victory. He had six catches for 167 yards and a TD in the win and leads the team with nineteen catches for 373 yards and two scores.

https://twitter.com/RazorbackFB/status/1442231431162314752

On Monday, he became the first Razorback to earn SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors since Rawleigh Williams III on Nov. 19, 2016. Burks is one of five FBS players to record a catch in every game of their careers (minimum 20 games). 

The Arkansas defense has been magnificent so far and Tre Williams was named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week after 2.0 sacks and three QB hurries vs. A&M. Arkansas’ defense recorded 9.0 tackles for loss overall. Deatrich Wise Jr. was the last Hog to earn SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week on Sept. 3, 2016.  

The No. 8 ranking is the highest for Arkansas in the AP Top 25 since 2012. The Hogs are 13-3 ATS in their past 16 overall on NCAAF odds. 

https://twitter.com/RazorbackFB/status/1442562888443432964?s=20

Dawgs Are Dominating On D 

Georgia (4-0) has not been challenged since its season-opening 10-3 win over then-No. 3 Clemson. The Dawgs won at Vanderbilt this past Saturday 62-0. That was over after one quarter with a score of 35-0. In fact, starting QB JT Daniels only played that quarter and was 9-for-10 for 129 yards and two scores. 

There may be no better defense in the country than Georgia’s and it held Vandy to just 77 yards. It was the sixth shutout of the Kirby Smart era and Georgia’s second-biggest margin of victory ever in an SEC game, trailing only a 75-0 win over Florida in 1942.

The Dawgs have won their last three games by at least 27 points, the first time they have done that since the 2017 season when they did it six times.  

JT Daniels #18 of the Georgia Bulldogs. Brett Carlsen/Getty Images/AFP

UGA ranks first nationally in scoring defense in allowing just 5.8 points per game and No. 5 against the rush, surrendering 66.0 yards per game. Two players who were hurt in fall camp and have yet to play this season are expected to Saturday in tight end Darnell Washington and defensive back Tykee Smith. Both those guys are likely future NFL players – Smith was a freshman All-American at West Virginia in 2019 and a third-team All-American last year before transferring.  

https://twitter.com/DawgNation/status/1442523765548589059?s=20

“They're back in drills, they're practicing, they're doing everything this week full go so hopefully we have them available,” Smart said. “I haven't seen them physically practice yet, so I've still got to see that, but we're under the expectation that they'll be able to go and play and be able to help us. I think that time off can hurt you, especially when you haven't played in quite a while but we've got to bring those guys back and be smart about their reps today. Gotta work them back in." 

Receiver Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint suffered an ankle injury against Vanderbilt and it’s not clear if he will play. He only has three catches for 31 yards.

This should be a defensive battle – I like the total more than the side but will take all those points.  

NCAAF Pick:  (visit our Sportsbook Review)

NCAAF Pick:  

*The pick reflects the line at the moment the writer made the play, the odds at the beginning of this article show the live line movement. Since the lines might vary, don’t forget to refer back to our live odds.