Mississippi Rebels vs. Arkansas Razorbacks Betting Odds, College Football Pick

The Arkansas Razorbacks hope last week’s big home win carries over to this Saturday, when they host the Ole Miss Rebels in an SEC matchup. The Razorbacks snapped their 17-game losing streak against conference opponents with a 17-0 victory over LSU as 1.5-point home favorites last Saturday, and they will try to make it two SEC wins in a row against an Ole Miss team that has dropped four of five road games in league play.

Point spread: The Rebels opened as two-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark (line updates and matchup report).

College football pick, via Odds Shark computer: 29.2-26.7 Rebels

Why the Mississippi Rebels can cover the spread

The Rebels got a week off to prepare for Arkansas, and you could argue it was more like two weeks, as their previous game was a 48-0 rout of Presbyterian. They had lost two in a row to a pair of Tigers teams in Auburn and LSU before beating the Blue Hose, but those games were decided by a total of seven points.

Even though Arkansas was able to end its SEC drought, the team has dropped seven of eight at home against conference foes. The Razorbacks could still be celebrating the end of that skid to the point that they are not prepared enough to play a talented Ole Miss squad.

Why the Arkansas Razorbacks can cover the spread

Arkansas will be riding high following the team’s last victory, which extended its home winning streak against the spread to five games overall at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. The Razorbacks are 4-1 straight up in those games, with the lone loss there coming against Alabama by one point, 14-13.

They did lose another home game to Georgia 45-32, but that one took place at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. Arkansas still has a shot to become bowl-eligible despite its 1-5 mark in SEC games this season, so expect head coach Bret Bielema to use that as a rallying cry.

Smart pick

The Rebels have enjoyed a fine season, but this is a tough spot for them coming off a bye and facing a pumped-up team that has newfound confidence. They are just 3-7 ATS in their past 10 meetings with the Razorbacks, who not only won but also shut out the Tigers last week in a dominant defensive effort that limited them to 123 yards.

Arkansas is already building for the future, and Bielema’s coaching finally got his team over the hump in that win against LSU. There should not be any more pressure on the Razorbacks to end their SEC losing streak, so they will be able to play looser and have nothing to lose. For that reason, watch for Arkansas to spring the upset in another low-scoring game.

Betting trends

• Mississippi is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games when playing Arkansas.
• Arkansas is 4-2 SU in its last six games when playing at home against Mississippi.

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