So here we are: No. 17 Arkansas at No. 21 Auburn. It’s one of three SEC games between AP Top 25 teams this week, and it might be the most intriguing matchup. For Arkansas, it comes smack in the middle of five straight contests against ranked teams. For Auburn, it’s a chance to build on a surprising first half of the season.

What should we expect? Settle in, let us put on the prognostication hat and make a few guesses about one of the biggest battles of the week.

1. Sean White will win the battle between the SEC’s two most efficient QBs: White has been outstanding for Auburn, completing nearly 70 percent of his passes to lead the SEC. Plus, he’ll be playing at home against a passing defense that is only seventh in the conference, surrendering 223 yards per game.

Arkansas’ Austin Allen has been fantastic in his own right, leading the league in passing yards (1,861) and TDs (18). He also has a terrific receiving corps at his disposal, but he’ll be on the road against the third-best passing defense in the league, which gives White and Auburn the advantage.

2. Auburn’s two solid running backs will be better than Arkansas’ great one: Rawleigh Williams III is coming off his best game as a Razorback, when he finished with a career-high 180 yards on 27 carries in Arkansas’ 34-30 win over Ole Miss. And Auburn has been OK against the run, allowing 147 yards a game to rank sixth in the SEC.

Williams leads the conference with 785 rushing yards, but Auburn’s Kerryon Johnson (538) and Kamryn Pettway (505) rank eighth and ninth, respectively, in the conference in that category. Johnson is expected back for Saturday night’s game, according to the Associated Press, after injuring his ankle two weeks ago against Mississippi State.

In that same game, Pettway rushed 39 times for 169 yards and 3 TDs – all career-highs – as Auburn battered the Bulldogs, 38-14. Arkansas might be able to stop Pettway or Johnson but containing both will be too much to ask.

3. Auburn will be the “ball Hog”: Arkansas, which leads the SEC in time of possession at nearly 36 minutes per game, didn’t secure its 34-30 win over Ole Miss last week until forcing a late fumble by Rebels QB Chad Kelly despite having the ball for more than two-thirds of the contest. Auburn, fourth in the conference in TOP at 32:30, will flip the script on Arkansas by using the SEC’s third-best rushing offense to control tempo and keep Allen & Co. off the field.

4. Linebackers will be licking their chops: With both teams being effective at running the ball, there should be plenty of tackling opportunities once the backs get beyond the defensive lines. Expect Arkansas’ Brooks Ellis, who had nine stops against Ole Miss and is tied for fifth in the SEC with 51 tackles, to come up big again.

If Auburn finds a way to shut down Allen and the Razorbacks’ passing game, that would play right into Deshaun Davis’ hands. He and the rest of the linebacking corps should be able to prevent Williams from reaching the Tigers’ secondary, which features AU’s top two tacklers – Rudy Ford and Tray Matthews.

5. Auburn’s Daniel Carlson will be the difference in the game, literally: Auburn’s placekicker is seventh in the FBS in field goal percentage (92.9) only because the top five guys in this category haven’t missed a kick, and the player just ahead of Carlson –Arizona State’s Zane Gonzalez – has gone 19-for-20. Expect a one-score game at halftime – somewhere in the 17-14 or 14-13 range.

The spread (9.5 points) between a couple of ranked, two-loss teams seems a little high. Auburn will win, 34-28, on the strength of two Carlson field goals.