Arkansas is hosting Notre Dame on Saturday afternoon of Week 5. The game will take place at 12:00 p.m. ET in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
The Fighting Irish are 4.5-point road favorites in this game on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at 64.5 points. This is a preview, prediction and pick for this Notre Dame vs. Arkansas non-conference matchup.
Notre Dame vs. Arkansas prediction, preview
Notre Dame Preview
Notre Dame needs to play perfectly the rest of the season to have any chance at the College Football Playoff. They started the season with back-to-back losses to Miami and Texas A&M. After last year’s trip to the national title game, Notre Dame was hoping to have another special season. Unfortunately, its defense let them down in both of those big games. The Notre Dame defense will be tested even further in this game against Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green. The Notre Dame offense, however, has been solid so far, finding a spark against Texas A&M. They carried that over to their matchup against Purdue, scoring 56 points in that game. The running back duo of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price is among the best in the nation, and quarterback CJ Carr is starting to grow in confidence. This will be a good test on the road against an SEC opponent.
Arkansas Preview
Arkansas has been one of the most exciting teams to watch in college football this season. Their quarterback, Taylen Green, has been a human highlight reel. He is top ten in the nation in passing yards and passing touchdowns, while also leading all quarterbacks in the country in rushing yards. He can do it all for the Razorbacks and has their offense ranked in the top 15 in the country in EPA/play and success rate. However, the Arkansas defense is a horror show. They gave up 41 points to Ole Miss and 32 points to Memphis in their losses the past two weeks. The defense has particularly struggled against the rush, which is a bad sign heading into this matchup with Notre Dame.
Notre Dame vs. Arkansas pick, best bet
My best bet for this non-conference matchup is the over 64.5 points. These are two great offenses, accompanied by two bad defenses. Both teams are averaging at least 40 points per game this season, while both defenses are giving up 34.8 points per game against Power Four opponents. Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green has been sensational, and Notre Dame ranks 130th in the nation in defensive EPA/pass. Taylen Green should be able to hit deep shots to Omega Blake and his other receivers in this game. Meanwhile, Arkansas ranks 107th in the nation in defensive EPA/rush. The elite running back duo of Love and Price should run all over them. Both teams will struggle to get any stops, and with both teams desperate for a big win, they should pull out all the tricks in their bags to get points on the board.
