College football betting handicappers got a reminder as to why Alabama is the team to beat in 2010 as they rallied from a 13-point deficit to beat Arkansas Saturday.
Tested Tide Rolls
Alabama entered the game at Arkansas ranked #1 in the country and as a team with a target on its chest as they faced one of the most hostile environments possible. The Crimson Tide were 6.5-point favorites and were down 7-0 with less than a minute having been played as Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallet hit Ronnie Wingo for a 43 yard touchdown pass play that sent the home crowd into a frenzy. The Hogs looked to be in control with a 20-7 lead late in the 3rd quarter before the Tide asserted its championship form to remind everyone at SBG that it’s foolish to ever count them out. The defense tightened and forced late interceptions of Mallet and the offense overcame earlier mistakes to get the win although the Hogs did get the cash.
Arkansas for Real
Arkansas was given no more than a “puncher’s chance” by most of those who bet on college football against Alabama but played toe-to-toe with the BCS champions as total yards were dead even at 421 apiece with Alabama holding a slight 23-20 first down edge. The Razorback defense surprised fans and gamblers with a solid effort and were it not for Mallet’s 3 interceptions the Hogs likely would have pulled off the upset. As it is they did themselves proud with the effort as they proved to the college football betting world that they are a team to keep an eye on for the future as 3rd year Coach Bobby Petrino clearly has the program on the correct course. The Hogs have shown good balance ranking 16th in total offense and 29th in total defense. Their 103rd ranked ground game was suffocated by the Tide and that was also a factor in the loss as the inability to run killed off Arkansas’ ability to run out the clock and milk the lead.
Cream Rises to Top
Many handicappers that bet on college football Saturday had Bama written off for dead but it was a gutty and courageous comeback win for the Tide as they demonstrated just how tough it will be to beat them this year.