SI Gambling analyst Roy Larking has Alabama at Arkansas and Illinois at Northwestern as the featured matchups on his Saturday NCAA college football betting card.
College Football Week 15 Betting Preview
Prior to playing Conference Championship games next weekend, No. 1 Alabama and No. 14 Northwestern are heavy favorites during Week 15 NCAA football action. The Crimson Tide battle the Arkansas Razorbacks on the road and the Wildcats end their regular season slate at home against the Illinois Fighting Illini.
With betting odds from DraftKings Sportsbook - here is a breakdown and picks for those two matchups that are slated for Saturday, December 12th.
Are you looking for PREMIUM picks for this week's college football slate? SI PRO subscribers can get real-time betting alerts whenever information comes in. Become an SI PRO member and start "Beating the Books" today!
The Vegas Whispers sharp information continues to dominate the sportsbooks with a 197-132-2 overall record. The information received from Frankie Taddeo, Sports Illustrated’s Gambling Vegas Insider, is currently 22-18 ATS on NCAA College Football for all SI PRO members. Follow Frankie on Twitter @Frankie_Fantasy.
No. 1 Alabama (-32) at Arkansas | TOTAL: 68.5
Cruising along, as the top seed in the College Football Playoff rankings, No. 1 Alabama (9-0) visits Arkansas (3-6) on Saturday. Kickoff for this SEC West battle is slated for 12:00 p.m. ET at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Crimson Tide has rolled over everyone in their path this season as they have outscored opponents by a combined 443-165 margin. That includes wins over Kentucky (63-3), Auburn (42-13) and LSU (55-17) during the last three games.
Arkansas opened their season with a 3-3 record but has lost three straight games. The Razorbacks were competitive in two of the three losses. They were blown out by Florida (63-35) on the road prior to losing close contests against LSU (27-24) at home and Missouri (50-48) on the road. Arkansas was up 40-26 against the Tigers last week but they were outscored 24-8 over the final 13 minutes of the game. The Razorbacks have lost 13 straight contests against the Crimson Tide.
Alabama is led by Heisman Trophy favorite Mack Jones who has racked up 3,113 passing yards with 27 touchdowns and just three interceptions. RB Najee Harris has 1,038 rushing yards and leads all non-quarterbacks with 20 touchdowns. DaVonta Smith is the top wide receiver in the Nation with 1,305 yards and 15 touchdowns. After giving up 115 points, during their first four games, the Alabama defence has allowed just 50 points over their last five contests.
Quarterback Feleipe Franks leads the Arkansas offense with 2,017 passing yards, 17 touchdowns and four interceptions. Franks is questionable to start after sitting out last week with a rib injury. KJ Jefferson was the Razorbacks starter against Missouri and he completed 18-of-33 pass attempts for 274 yards and three touchdowns. Arkansas lost 65-31 to Alabama two years ago and 48-7 last year. The Tide offense will continue to roll and the defense will seal the deal.
Pick: Alabama Crimson Tide (-32) at DraftKings
Bet on College Football at DraftKings Sportsbook
Illinois at No. 14 Northwestern (-13.5) | TOTAL: 40.5
Prior to facing Ohio State, in Big Ten championship game next week, No. 14 Northwestern (5-1) hosts Illinois (2-4) on Saturday. Playing for the Land of Lincoln trophy, this in-state rivalry duel is slated for 12:00 p.m. ET at Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois. This is the 114th meeting and the Fighting Illini hold a slim 55-53-5 series edge. Northwestern has closed the gap recently as the Wildcats have won five straight - including a 29-10 road win last season.
Northwestern opened their season with five straight wins. Defense led the way as the Wildcats outscored their opponents by a combined 129-63 margin. That includes signature wins over Iowa (21-20) who are currently 5-2 and Wisconsin (17-7) who were ranked No. 10 in the AP Top 25 at the time. Following the big win over the Badgers, the Wildcats were flat during a 29-20 loss to Michigan State. Their game against Minnesota was cancelled last week due to COVID-19 concerns.
Illinois opened their season with three straight losses against Wisconsin (45-7), Purdue (31-24) and Minnesota (41-14). That was followed by road wins over Rutgers (23-20) and Nebraska (41-23) and a 35-21 loss at home to Iowa last week. Illinois was supposed to play Ohio State in Week 13 but that game was cancelled due to COVID-19 issues. The Fighting Illini are averaging 21.7 points per game on offense and they have allowed 32.5 points per game on defense.
The Wildcats have an outside shot at playing in a New Year’s Six Bowl Game but they need to beat Illinois and the Buckeyes for that to happen. With the Big Championship game looming next week, it’s difficult to determine how long Northwestern will play their starters this week. I feel the Wildcats will take an early lead before pulling some key players in the second half. With that scenario in mind - I am betting on Northwestern covering the -7.5 first half point spread.
Pick: Northwestern Wildcats (-7.5) First Half at DraftKings
2020 NCAA Football Record: 8-4 ATS
MORE COLLEGE FOOTBALL
College Football Week 15 Betting Preview: LSU vs. No. 6 Florida
College Football Week 15 Betting Preview: No. 11 Coastal Carolina vs. Troy