The Arkansas Razorbacks and the LSU Tigers will be playing for the SEC West championship this weekend at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. They’ll be playing for a lot more, too.
Arkansas Razorbacks @ LSU Tigers – Friday, November 25
Sports betting line: LSU -12
Why Arkansas Will Win
The college football betting experts who are discussing this game are going to be faced with a particular dilemma: Will Arkansas be mentally drained before Friday’s showdown even starts, or will the Hogs play with particular passion and pride? It’s terrible to have to bring this into a football game, but the Arkansas football family is reeling right now.
A cloud of unspeakable and unrelenting sadness fell over the Arkansas program this past weekend. One day after a 27-point thwacking of Mississippi State, the No. 3 team in the United States of America learned that its backup tight end, Garrett Uekman, died at the age of 19. The cause of death remains unknown, a fact which only deepens the grief felt by a team that has suddenly lost the reason to celebrate its successes through 11 regular-season games. Arkansas moved to 10-1 by turning back the Bulldogs from the Magnolia State, but the Hogs would much rather have Uekman in their locker room and on their practice field. As coach Bobby Petrino gathers his team before this Friday’s clash against No. 1 LSU, the sport of college football will exist in a decidedly different light. As contentious and colorful as this sport is, especially in the cauldron known that is the Southeastern Conference, the province of pigskin means precious little when compared to the life of a young man.
If there’s a portal to victory for Arkansas, it will simply be this: The Razorbacks will play for Uekman and run through a wall to try to lift up his memory in their hearts. If Arkansas uses this game as a living memorial, it could play with a level of emotion and belief that will be too much for LSU to overcome, even though the Tigers have established themselves as college football’s best team through week 12.
Why LSU Will Win
When you do your homework and assess your sportsbook review on this game, you can simply turn back to basics and acknowledge that LSU is the best team in the sport, hands down. The Tigers have turned back Oregon. They won at Alabama in a road night game. They have a supremely fast and resilient defense, and what’s most impressive of all is that they’ve used two quarterbacks – two quarterbacks, mind you, who are not at the top of their powers – and have still committed just six turnovers all season long. LSU doesn’t beat itself, and that’s why the Tigers are in such good position to whack Arkansas on Friday.
Who Will Win
It’s been LSU’s season since the Sept. 3 rout of Oregon. Why should the Tigers stop now? Arkansas could steal away the SEC championship, but LSU won’t allow the Hogs to capture that prize.
College Football Betting Pick: LSU