College Football: Notre Dame vs Arkansas Odds, Analysis, & Picks

National Championship finalists Notre Dame will be looking to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive on Saturday, September 27, when they face the Arkansas Razorbacks in Week 5. The kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. ET at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville. Despite being ranked No. 22, the Fighting Irish are 1-2 and finally grabbed their first win last weekend, beating Purdue by a score of 56-30. As for the Razorbacks, they’re 2-2 and have lost two in a row after starting the campaign with a pair of victories. Read more for the Notre Dame vs Arkansas picks.

Odds provided by Sports Interaction.

Notre Dame vs Arkansas Odds

The Fighting Irish are a -190 moneyline favorite, and they’re also laying 4.5 points on the spread at online betting sites. Arkansas returns as a +160 home underdog.

This is the first-ever meeting between Notre Dame and the Razorbacks.

Notre Dame vs Arkansas Analysis

After making a Cinderella run to the National Title Game last season, where they eventually lost to Ohio State, Notre Dame has looked like a completely different team so far, and not in the way they would’ve hoped. Marcus Freeman’s squad lost their opening two games to Miami and Texas A&M. While both teams are ranked within the top-10, a group who just played for national championship should be winning those games.

On a more positive note, the Fighting Irish finally got on track last Saturday, dropping 56 points on Purdue. Quarterback CJ Carr had an efficient game with two passing TDs and 223 yards through the air, but the real star of the show was running back Jeremiyah Love. The youngster balled out, rushing for 157 yards and two touchdowns. That was certainly a breakout game for Love, and ND will need more of the same from their RB1 on Saturday. Love is a weapon, as he showed last year as well. The Irish found some momentum, and they will be looking to carry that into Fayetteville.

The Razorbacks aren’t exactly an elite team, but they’re not a pushover, either. Arkansas is always a group who can make some noise in the SEC, but they’ve had a rough couple of weeks. Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss beat them 41-35 in Week 3 before the Memphis Tigers shocked the Razorbacks last weekend, 32-31. Arkansas desperately needs a win, and they’ll face a tall task in Week 5. Notre Dame is still a very good team, and they’ve now had the taste of winning this season.

Offensively, the Hogs have shown promise at times. They rank eighth in total yards, 14th in passing yards, and 15th in points. QB Taylen Green has been relatively efficient, completing 64.3% of his passes for 1,191 yards and 12 touchdowns against four interceptions. But, he had a rough Week 4, getting picked off twice by Memphis. Green is tasked with a strong Notre Dame pass rush. We’ll see if he can respond in front of the Arkansas faithful.

Notre Dame vs Arkansas Picks

Arkansas has put up a fight against superior opponents many times before. While I do expect this one to be close, Carr and Love will prove to be too much for the Razorbacks. Notre Dame covers and evens its record at 2-2.

Pick: Notre Dame -4.5 (-105)/Sports Interaction