A matchup between two old school, power football teams in the SEC. What’s so exciting about that? How about the fact that the last time they met in Fayetteville, these teams played to a 14-13 final score? With that in mind, here are bold reasons why this could be a game worth watching:

  1. Joshua Jacobs leads Alabama in rushing this week. Yes, Damien Harris should return this week and give Alabama help in the backfield, but Harris is returning from a high ankle sprain. Whether minor or not, high ankle sprains require time to fully recover. Depending on the severity, Harris could be 100 percent next week, but an educated guess says he’s not quite 100 percent. Jacobs has continually improved throughout the season. He was the team’s leading rusher last week against Kentucky, so can he do the same against Arkansas? Nick Saban described Jacobs as “very instinctive,” which has been a big part of his early success.
  2. Austin Allen throws three touchdowns and no interceptions. If Arkansas is going to have any chance at beating Alabama, they need another efficient performance from the starting quarterback. Allen had those numbers against TCU and Alcorn State, but they’re not the Crimson Tide. However, if Alabama limits Arkansas’ running game, the Razorbacks may be willing to take more chances with the passing game. So far, Allen has a 12-2 touchdown-interception ratio for the season. If he watches the game tape of Ole Miss, he should be more wary of fumbling the ball than getting picked off.
  3. Alabama holds Arkansas to about 50 rushing yards. Arkansas lost Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams to the NFL but replaced them with two more talented backs in Rawleigh Williams III and Devwah Whaley. Those 50 rushing yards seem low at first glance, but Florida had a mere 15 rushing yards last season in the SEC Championship Game against Alabama. Arkansas rushed for 44 yards last season, and Collins went for 26. This season’s team doesn’t have Jarran Reed, A’Shawn Robinson or Darren Lake, but Dalvin Tomlinson, Da’Ron Payne and Da’Shawn Hand are also pretty intimidating and thus far have been successful against the run.
  4. Jeremy Sprinkle scores a touchdown reception and Keon Hatcher has two touchdown receptions. Sprinkle and Hatcher both have three touchdown catches for the season. Sprinkle is a reliable red zone target, while Hatcher is a big-play threat. This prediction is bold primarily because Hatcher is returning this week from injury. However, practice reports indicate Hatcher is at 100 percent. He’s the biggest playmaker at wide receiver for the Razorbacks, averaging 20.1 yards per reception. It isn’t difficult to see him making big plays the same way Evan Engram did a few weeks ago against Alabama. Jared Cornelius’ more recent stats suggest a stronger outing, but from a matchup standpoint, Hatcher presents a taller order for the Alabama secondary.
  5. Tim Williams gets two sacks. A week after only getting to play in the second half due to an earlier arrest, Williams leads the Alabama defensive effort by getting to Allen not just once, but twice. Williams had a sack last week against Kentucky in the aforementioned second half, so two sacks in four quarters seems like a reasonable expectation, but his only games with two sacks came in back-to-back weeks against Auburn and Florida last season. Williams was relentless, leading the team with three tackles for a loss and two quarterback hits against the Wildcats.