Arkansas Season Odds
FAYETTEVILLE, AR (The Spread) – It was a long and strange offseason for the Arkansas Razorbacks. Here is a look at their odds for the upcoming 2012 College Football Season.
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After an 11-2 season in 2011 that included a victory in the Cotton Bowl, the Razorbacks had a horrible offseason, as head coach Bobby Petrino was discovered to be doing a number of questionable things off the field, which led to his dismissal. After Petrino was released, Arkansas had to scramble to find a new coach. It ended up being John L. Smith, who had just been hired to coach at Weber State, his alma mater. However, Smith chose to leave the job without ever coaching one game to take over at Arkansas.
According to oddsmakers, Arkansas comes into the season with 40/1 odds to win the 2013 BCS National Championship and 7/1 odds to win the SEC Championship. The Razorbacks also have 4/1 odds to win the SEC West and their over/under for wins this year has been set at 8.5
The Razorbacks do come into the season with 17 starters back, including 7 on offense. Most importantly, Arkansas has quarterback Tyler Wilson returning. The senior threw for 3,638 yards and 24 TD’s in 2011 and he is among those with odds to win the 2012 Heisman Trophy. Wilson has been given 33/1 odds, while junior running back Knile Davis has 75/1 odds. Davis returns to the Arkansas backfield after missing last season with a broken ankle. He should help balance out the offense, which averaged just 137 rushing yards per game last year.
Defensively, Arkansas allowed 22.2 points and 363 yards a year ago. The unit has six starters back, most of which come in the back seven. Arkansas will be replacing both starting defensive ends, and they need to improve their pressure on the QB, as they had just 29 sacks as a team in 2011. As a secondary, Arkansas only allowed 195 passing yards per game, and they return three starters in that unit.
When it comes to scheduling, Arkansas doesn’t have much of a non-conference schedule to worry about, as its toughest game is at home against Tulsa. SEC games feature home contests with Alabama and LSU along with road trips to Auburn and South Carolina. The schedule actually sets up nicely for Arkansas, but they have been unable to prove that they can run the table in a stacked SEC conference. Still, 9 wins seems possible as long as Smith can keep the team together.
For total odds for the Arkansas Razorbacks for the 2012 College Football Season, see below.
2012 Arkansas Season Odds
2013 BCS National Championship Odds: 40/1
2012 SEC Conference Championship Odds: 7/1
2012 SEC West Division Odds To Win: 4/1
2012 Heisman Trophy Odds: Tyler Wilson (QB) 33/1
2012 Heisman Trophy Odds: Knile Davis (RB) 75/1
2012 Over/Under Win Total Odds: 8.5
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