If we would have told you a year ago (or even just a few months ago) that LSU would enter the Arkansas game as the underdog, you probably would have said we were crazy.
But that’s just par for the course for what 2020 has offered.
The Razorbacks opened as a 1.5-point favorite to beat the Tigers, who have had a rocky, chaotic start to the season. Now granted, betting odds have moved back in favor of LSU, which is now about a 2- or 2.5-point favorite to win Saturday. But the notion still stands. The defending national champs are less than a field goal difference to a team that lost 20 straight SEC games until earlier this year.
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Even worse? The game that snapped that losing streak for Arkansas was a win again Mississippi State, which set passing records in an opening-week win against LSU.
We don’t need to recap too much of this brutal season. Tiger fans have lived through it and are fully aware of what has unfolded. But this Arkansas game that was probably penciled in as a win for LSU by most fans has turned into a pivotal contest for the Tigers moving forward.
LSU will have the luxury of an extra off week after the Alabama game was canceled/postponed a week ago, which could play into the Tigers’ benefit as they look to shore up the defense and get true freshman quarterback T.J. Finley more comfortable with the offense.
They’ll go against a Razorback defense that is tied for fourth in the country with a +8 turnover margin, along with an offense that has been surprisingly efficient with Feleipe Franks under center.
The LSU defense has struggled against several SEC quarterbacks this season, and Franks currently sits as the league’s No. 4 passer with 1,678 yards this season.
What kind of performance do you expect out of the Tigers this weekend? Do you think a win against Arkansas can get them back on track? Let us know in the comments below!
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We also wanted to note that while we are fully aware of and disgusted by the recent USA Today report that LSU ignored several sexual misconduct complaints against multiple athletes, we decided not to address it on the podcast quite yet. This is a very delicate and damning report, and as such, we want to make sure we’re responsible with our coverage of it.
What we will say is that there is absolutely no place for this behavior—in any environment, but in particular, at a university that we in this city love.
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