Need some help betting on the Central Arkansas-UAB game? We got you covered with everything you need to know before making your picks.
If you’re looking to bet on the Central Arkansas-UAB game and need to do some last-minute research, you’re in luck! We’ve put together this handy betting guide, which includes the point spread, money line and point total, as well as the information you’ll need to make the best bet.
The game kicks off Thursday at 8 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPN3. The weather forecast for Birmingham, Ala. tonight is calling for clear skies so weather should not be a factor.
Central Arkansas, an FCS team, comes into the game with a 1-0 record after defeating Austin Peay 24-17 last Saturday. UAB is playing its first game of the season after finishing the 2019 season 9-5, including a loss to Appalachian State in the New Orleans Bowl.
UAB is one of the more intriguing Group of 5 teams in the country and are the heavy favorites to win Conference-USA
UAB led by a stout defense that returns most of its key players
In 2018, UAB was a run-first team despite its issues on the ground
The UAB passing game has a lot of potential with QB Tyler Johnson III coming off a season where he led the nation in big-time throw rate, per Pro Football Focus
Johnson also led the nation in turnover-worthy play rate and was called “the Jameis Winston of college football” by PFF
In Central Arkansas’ Week 0 win over Austin Peay, it relied on its run game to make up for an inefficient passing attack, which will be tough to do against what was one of the nation’s best run defenses last year
ESPN’s matchup predictor gives UAB a 93.6% win probability
78% of the public is betting on UAB, per Action Network
Advice
Taking the favorites looks like a safe bet, given the mismatch between UAB’s defense and Central Arkansas’ offense. A few big plays from Johnson and the passing game should be enough to cover. If he can avoid the mistakes that plagued him last season, things will get ugly. Also consider the under with UAB being so committed to the run, which could lead to a shorter game.
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Breaking down what’s going on with the major college football conferences as the season starts.
Welcome to Before The Snap, For The Win’s college football show where we’ll break down the sport’s trending storylines, examine each week’s biggest matchups and track the College Football Playoff and Heisman Trophy races.
A lot has happened in the college football world in the last several weeks with some schools and conferences canceling or postponing the season, citing health risks of the COVID-19 pandemic, while others are carrying on. It seems like things are constantly changing, and it can feel impossible to keep up.
But that’s OK because we’re here to help. Here’s a quick guide what’s going on with college football, specifically the Power 5 conferences, as the season starts.
The SEC is going forward with a 10-game, conference-only schedule, and it’s set to begin the week of September 26.
ACC
The ACC will play an 11-game schedule: 10 conference matchups and one nonconference game, which has to be played in the home state of the ACC school. It’s scheduled to start playing September 10.
Also, Notre Dame finally joined a conference, but it’s temporary. The Fighting Irish will compete in the ACC for the 2020 season only, and they will be eligible to play for the conference championship should it finish with one of the top-2 winning percentages.
The ACC championship game will be either December 12 or 19.
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Big 12
The Big 12 is doing something similar to the ACC. It’s planning on a 10-game schedule with nine conference games and one outside. The nonconference game must be played before September 26, when everyone’s conference schedule is set to begin.
The Big 12 title game is scheduled for December 12.
Nick Saban shared his thoughts on the impact of the Big Ten and Pac-12 not playing fall football.
Despite multiple conferences and teams postponing and canceling their fall football seasons because the COVID-19 pandemic, the SEC is among the Power 5 conferences moving forward as planned, more or less. And its first games are currently scheduled for September 26.
However, while the SEC, ACC and Big 12 are carrying on, the Big Ten and Pac-12 postponed their fall seasons with the hope that they’ll be able to bring football back at some point in 2021.
Now, spring football might not be the best idea or actually come to fruition for several reasons, as For The Win previously explained. And Alabama coach Nick Saban shared his perspective on the potential idea while on ESPN’s Get Up on Tuesday.
When asked to weigh in on the significance of the Big Ten and Pac-12 not playing this fall, Saban said:
“I think we all sort of have a group of people that we have a tremendous amount of respect for who are trying to guide us through this, and I’m talking about medical folks. And I think everybody’s circumstance and situation is a little bit different. I actually hate it for the players who won’t get the opportunity to play and compete and create value for themselves.
“Because I think one of the real consequences of this is if you’re a junior or a senior and you have an NFL grade, are you going to play in the spring? Or is that going to become sort of a JV season with a lot of these juniors and seniors opting out? …
“I’m in no way judging what anybody’s trying to do or not do. But our medical experts here thought that we could try to do this [and] create a safe environment and see if we can play. And I think that’s what we’re doing, and I think they’ve done a wonderful job of that.”
Whether it’s specifically to prepare for the NFL combine and draft or for health reasons, several college football players have opted out of the 2020 season already. And with the Big Ten’s and Pac-12’s postponements, players in those conferences are obviously sitting out the fall anyway.
Saban has a point regarding spring football because if a prospect likes his current NFL Draft stock, it’s probably not worth it to continue playing for free and risk an injury. And even if spring football becomes a safe and realistic option for the Big Ten and Pac-12, we could know by the NFL’s January deadline for players to file for early draft eligibility if his “JV season” prediction looks like it’s going to play out.
With a conference-only schedule this year, Alabama’s season begins on the road against Missouri on September 26.
The Clemson coach said he’s “grateful and thankful” that the ACC is still having college football in 2020.
If the ACC, SEC and Big 12 carry on with college football this fall without the rest of the Power 5 conferences, the value of this season’s national championship won’t be undermined because “whoever wins it is gonna have to earn it,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said.
So, during a virtual press conference Wednesday, Clemson’s two-time national championship coach was asked if he believes the importance of the national championship will be damaged without the Big Ten and Pac-12.
“No,” Swinney said. “It is what it is.”
(The question was asked at the 4:25-mark in the video below.)
Swinney said:
“Pick the four best teams can go play. And we’ve been one of those four for five years in a row. So, in my opinion, it doesn’t change anything for us. We’re just trying to be the best Clemson we can be. And whoever you play every week, you try to win that game, and you try to keep moving forward.
“We don’t have any control over that stuff. And I certainly don’t judge them in any way. Everybody’s gotta make decisions that they feel’s best. If they feel like that’s what best for them, then so be it.”
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Since the 2015-16 season, Clemson has been one of the four College Football Playoff teams and won it all in 2016-17 and 2018-19 seasons. But in the six years since this championship format was implemented, the Big Ten has had four teams make the playoff, while the Pac-12 has had two. The remaining past playoff participants have also always been SEC, ACC or Big 12 teams, with the exception of Notre Dame.
Swinney continued to explain his perspective and cited the NBA, MLB and other organizations as examples of professional sports leagues whose seasons were impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, which, so far, has led to more than five million cases and 163,000 deaths in the U.S.
And those leagues still found a way to determine a champion, he said, adding:
“Everybody has the opportunity to opt out in this environment, if you will. Nobody has to be here as a coach, nobody has to be here as a player, this is complete voluntary. So they chose not to play, and I don’t judge them at all. I’m not in their situation, so they made that decision. That’s for them.
“I’m just grateful and thankful that our presidents in the ACC and the Big 12 and the SEC have given us and continue to believe in our protocols and what we’re doing and supporting us and these players in what they’re trying to in having a season. So hopefully we’re all able to move forward. And when it’s all said and done, whoever wins it, wins it. That’s the champion. It’s the same way in every sport. Basketball got disrupted, but they’re going to crown a champion. …
“So maybe it’s a shortened season, maybe it’s not as many teams or whatever. But you best believe whoever wins it is gonna have to earn it. Ain’t nobody gonna give nothing to nobody. So you can only control what you control, and we just hope we can have the opportunity to play.”
The ACC will play a modified 11-game schedule this season with 10 conference games, plus one nonconference matchup that must be played in the home state of the ACC school. The season will begin the week of September 7 “if public health guidance allows,” the conference noted in July.
There won’t be divisions this year, so the ACC championship game will be played by the two teams with the best records. Notre Dame will also be part of the ACC for this season only and will be eligible for the conference title game.
Before the Big Ten postponed football, Scott Frost said Nebraska is “prepared to look for other options.”
Nebraska football coach Scott Frost was one of several coaches publicly urging conferences to carry on with the 2020 season, despite the known and unknown health risks related to the COVID-19 pandemic. And he said Monday that if the Cornhuskers can’t play this season with the Big Ten, “we’re prepared to look for other options.”
The Pac-12 also bowed out of a fall season, but the rest of the Power 5 conferences — the SEC, ACC and Big 12 — currently are still moving forward.
So does this mean Frost and the Cornhuskers would seriously try to play outside the Big Ten if it meant they could play football in the fall? Here’s what Frost said Monday:
“We want to play a Big Ten schedule. I hope that’s what happens. Our university’s committed to playing no matter what. No matter what that looks like and how that looks. We want to play no matter who it is or where it is.
“So we’ll see how all those chips fall. We certainly hope it’s in the Big Ten. If it isn’t, I think we’re prepared to look for other options.”
"Our University is committed to playing no matter what, no matter what that looks like and how that looks. We want to play no matter who it is or where it is."#Huskers HC Scott Frost on opponents for 2020. pic.twitter.com/kTPN9znv0v
And when the Big Ten announced the postponement of fall sports, Frost, athletic director Bill Moos and other university officials said in a statement that they’re “very disappointed” by the conference, adding:
“We will continue to consult with medical experts and evaluate the situation as it emerges. We hope it may be possible for our student athletes to have the opportunity to compete.”
That sort of sounds like Nebraska is still open to other options.
With a notable new and temporary exception with Notre Dame and the ACC, schools can’t be in a conference and be an independent, and Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren said as much when asked about the idea of Nebraska exploring other options. Via Yahoo Sports:
When Warren was asked specifically by Yahoo Sports if Nebraska could play college football this fall, he gave an answer that would make his hardline predecessor nod with approval.
“No,” he said, firmly. “Not and be a member of the Big Ten Conference.”
More from Warren about Nebraska following the Big Ten’s decision, via ESPN:
“We have 14 schools in the Big Ten conference. I appreciate the passion of all of our schools. I didn’t expect all of our coaches to be ecstatic that the decision was made, so I understand they’re passionate. … My expectation is that when you’re in a conference, you can’t be in a conference and be an independent. That’s where we are. I expect for our 14 members to go forward together.”
Clearly, Nebraska objected to the Big Ten postponing its season, but to try to leave the conference would be a particularly costly decision for the Cornhuskers. As the most profitable conference, the Big Ten had $781.5 million in revenue last year, which led to a payout of about $55.6 million to most of the schools, including Nebraska, USA TODAY Sports reported.
And, for what it’s worth, if Nebraska hypothetically tried to leave the Big Ten and join another conference for this season, returning to the Big 12 is the obvious choice. But Monday, according to the Austin American-Statesman‘s Kirk Bohls, that idea was news to the Big 12.
Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby, asked if there's a scenario where Nebraska or other Big Ten or SEC teams could play against Big 12 teams, texted that's "truly astonishing."
The “decision was guided by science and a deep commitment to the health and welfare of student-athletes.”
The Big Ten continues to lead the way, and the Pac-12 is right there with it. But whether the other three Power 5 conferences will follow suit this time is a different story.
Following days of rumors and speculation, the Big Ten did Tuesday what many people anticipated: It postponed the 2020-21 fall sports season, which includes college football, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, despite obliviously passionate arguments from coaches and politicians.
The Pac-12 did the same later Tuesday afternoon, postponing all athletic competitions through the end of the year. The Big Ten is hoping for the possibility of spring football, while the Pac-12 said its focused on getting to 2021.
They’re decisions that would have been unthinkable a year ago, but a look around the United States as it’s ravaged by the novel coronavirus makes them obvious ones. And with two Power 5 conferences out for the fall, the remaining three can’t justify carrying on with football right now.
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The Big Ten was the first Power 5 conference to bow out of its fall schedule, which it previously amended and planned to begin September 5. In July, it also was the first major conference to switch to an all-conference football schedule, and it didn’t take long for the Pac-12 and the SEC to do the same. Currently, the ACC and Big 12 plan on playing a conference-only-plus-one schedule.
But the Big Ten postponing the season is more than just any domino in this scramble to make a plan weeks before trying to play. It’s a huge falling domino from the most profitable conference in the country, which brought in $780 million in revenue in 2019, USA TODAY Sports reported.
Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren talks in March about the cancellation of the Men’s Big Ten Tournament. (Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports)
If the Big Ten and Pac-12 decided that football and other fall sports can’t take place as scheduled after relying on the medical advice of the Big Ten Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases, the Big Ten Sports Medicine Committee and the Pac-12 COVID-19 Medical Advisory Committee, how could any other conference come to a different conclusion?
From a health standpoint, they probably can’t. From a competitive standpoint, they really can’t justify crowning a champion with, at a minimum, three major conferences while Group of Five conferences, including the MAC and Mountain West, are bailing on the fall too.
And that’s devastating for all involved, particularly the unpaid players, some of whom surely hoped they could use an elite performance this fall as a springboard toward higher NFL Draft stock. There are serious and real-world ramifications of postponement — or ultimately canceling the season if we reach that point.
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Death is obviously the most severe result of having COVID-19, but the longterm effects of the virus remain unknown and, as ESPN reported Monday, could include a heart condition linked to the virus. We have no idea how damaging this could be in the long run, and unpaid athletes’ health and well-being simply isn’t worth the now-increased risk for fatter paychecks and fans’ entertainment. And players in the Big Ten and Pac-12 said as much.
Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren recognized how significantly athletes’ futures will be impacted because of the postponement. But he also said in the conference’s statement:
“Although that knowledge made this a painstaking decision, it did not make it difficult.”
Oregon president Michael H. Schill said the “decision was guided by science and a deep commitment to the health and welfare of student-athletes.” More from the Pac-12 statement:
“Unlike professional sports, college sports cannot operate in a bubble,” Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott said. “Our athletic programs are a part of broader campuses in communities where in many cases the prevalence of COVID-19 is significant.”
We’re in the middle of a global pandemic, and the United States has more than five million cases and 162,000 deaths. The numbers are tragic and heartbreaking, and they continue to rise partly because some people are carrying on with their lives as if everything is fine.
And it sure seems like leaders in college football figured they could do the same.
Leaders in college football had months to craft a transparent plan for keeping players healthy and safe and providing them with as many options as possible for their futures. Clearly, that was asking far too much.
But now they have another cushion.
Maybe they can learn from the time they squandered and utilize the next several months to come up with a tangible idea for spring football. And if not, we’ll be in the same spot again just a few months later.
Inevitably, the debate-that-shouldn’t-be-a-debate over whether college football should be played in the fall has spilled over into the world of politics, including the tweet we all saw coming from Donald Trump.
The president joined a growing chorus of lawmakers calling for universities to play football this year as reports say the Big Ten may have become the first Power 5 conference to cancel the season (a Big Ten spokesperson denied there was a vote on that subject).
There’s the letter sent by Nebraska senator Ben Sasse to Big Ten presidents and chancellors that includes the absurd phrase “life is about tradeoffs,” as if playing football in exchange for risking your health and life were equal. Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan declared “America needs college football,” and Trump had this to say:
Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) has drafted a letter that he plans to send to Big Ten presidents, identifying reasons why he believes college football should be played.@SINow obtained a copy.
That’s pretty much it. Had those in charge looked ahead and realized sports would be threatened by the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to take lives — over 160,000 as of publishing this post — months later, maybe they would have done something instead of where we’re at now, with our president continuing to simply say “it’ll go away.”
We have the NBA, WNBA, NHL and MLS sequestered in bubbles and thriving, while the National Women’s Soccer League completed a tournament with zero positive tests.
In Major League Baseball, we have two teams playing serious catch-up with outbreaks postponing their games. And now politicians think football — much more of a contact sport than baseball — should be played by teams all over the country who would flying and busing in and out of states and cities trying their best to control each of their virus situations? These are players who aren’t even earning money to participate in their sport, unlike the NFL.
It’s too late. The country and its lawmakers made their decisions and should have made this push long ago.
Multiplereports Sunday suggested that at a minimum, college football officials in Power 5 conferences are considering postponing the season to the spring or canceling it altogether. And without a clear plan for trying to keep the players — who are unpaid and would continue taking all the health risks — as safe as possible, their hand might be forced.
But many high-profile players, including Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, have been vocal on social media about wanting to play this season. But they want to be protected and clearly don’t feel that’s the case currently.
So representatives of the SEC, Big Ten, Pac-12, ACC and Big 12 united to issue a set of demands, ranging from universal coronavirus protocols to eligibility guarantees for players who opt out to, most significantly, taking the first steps toward ultimately creating a players association.
They used the hashtags #WeWantToPlay and #WeAreUnited and noted that this was “Representative of the players of all Power 5 conferences”, but it’s reasonable to wonder if each person on every Power 5 roster was consulted.
The players’ demands read:
“Establish universal mandated health & safety procedures and protocols to help college-athletes against COVID-19 among all conferences throughout the NCAA
“Give players the opportunity to opt out and respect their decision
“Guarantee eligibility whether a player chooses to play the season or not
“Use our voices to establish open communication & trust between players and officials; ultimately create a college football players association”
This list and suggestion to form what is essentially a union for college football players came just days after representatives of Pac-12 and Big Ten players separately issued a set of demands before agreeing to play this season.
Both lists, published in The Players’ Tribune, are related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and players want specifics about testing protocols and guarantees that their scholarships and eligibility are safe, should they choose to opt out of the season. They want transparency, protections and to ban the use of coronavirus-related liability waivers.
The Pac-12’s demands, however, also want racism in the sport addressed and outlined several starting points for how to make that happen. The conference’s players also want a 50-50 revenue share for athletes.
Also last week, UConn became the first FBS program to cancel its season, and the MAC became the first FBS conference to cancel college football.
Here’s a sample of some of the other players who joined the #WeWantToPlay movement on social media:
We have protocols and procedures we go through on a daily basis that will WILL NOT happen while we are at home…. @Matt_t_Summers and our medical staff have done a wonderful job keeping us safe!! #WeWantToPlay LETS COME UP WITH A SAFE PLAN TO BENEFIT ALL OF US pic.twitter.com/s9NAXVKvKT
Jim Harbaugh never passes on a chance to troll Jim Harbaugh.
The feud between Paul Finebaum and Jim Harbaugh is still going strong, despite the college football season being a few weeks away still — if it happens at all. Finebaum, who never misses a chance to criticize Harbaugh, saw another opportunity Wednesday with the release of an update Big Ten Conference schedule for the 2020 season.
The Big Ten moving forward with a 10-game, conference-only schedule because of the COVID-19 crisis — but players understandably want more protections — and it’s set to begin as early as the weekend of September 5. The schedule includes the Ohio State-Michigan game being played during Week 8 on October 24 — almost a full month earlier than it’s usual date over Thanksgiving weekend as the regular-season closer.
On ESPN’s First Take, Finebaum described that change as the most interesting part of the Big Ten’s new schedule, saying:
“I’m not joking about it, but it’s probably good news for Jim Harbaugh. Now he doesn’t end the season with a loss to Ohio State. He gets it out of the way early before Halloween.”
"It's probably good news for Jim Harbaugh, now he doesn't end the season with a loss to Ohio State, he gets it out of the way early before Halloween."
And, according to ESPN Cleveland radio host Aaron Goldhammer, Finebaum had more than one joke about moving the Ohio State-Michigan game up:
.@finebaum (joking) on why they moved OSU-Michigan to October: "I think they did it as a personal favor to Jim Harbaugh so he doesn't end the season with a bad loss to Ohio State every year."
In the Buckeyes and Wolverines’ most recent matchup, Ohio State dominated in a 56-27 win. Harbaugh dropped to 0-5 against the Buckeyes, and it marked the program’s 15th loss to Ohio State in 16 years.
But these are hardly the worst digs of Finebaum’s against Harbaugh.
Forgetting about their feud and jokes for a moment, it seems like Finebaum might actually have a point about the schedule. As conferences around the county adjust to conference-only schedules or conference-only plus one lineups, Finebaum said, “They’re feeding red meat to the fans.”
He continued:
“I don’t know if they’re being sincere, but they’re just trying to do whatever they’re supposed to do right now. But we still have not really hit the bottom line here of whether this season will go on. It looks like it’s going to start — and by the way, we’re only three weeks away from the so-called Week 0.
“I think we’ll get there, but once we start playing football games, I think it’s anyone’s guess whether we’ll get to the end of September, the end of October or certainly to the end of the season.”
Moving the game up to October from November does actually seem like the most interesting aspect of the Big Ten’s schedule because it’s easy to speculate from that decision that perhaps the conference is skeptical about making it through a full season because of the coronavirus pandemic.
In its announcement Wednesday about the new schedule, the conference acknowledged the United States is struggling “to gain control of a virus that continues to spread at an alarming rate.” It also noted that “a schedule does not guarantee that competition will occur”, and “we are also prepared to delay or cancel competition pursuant to local and state public health orders or the recommendations of our medical experts.”
“The safety challenges created by COVID-19 place our football student-athletes at an unacceptable level of risk.”
UConn football head coach Randy Edsall wanted to let his players decide what should happen to their 2020 college football season because they’re the ones actually taking the field and assuming many risks, The Athletic reported Saturday. And well, it appears they have.
UConn officially canceled its 2020 season because of the coronavirus pandemic, the program announced Wednesday, which made it the first in the FBS to do so.
“After receiving guidance from state and public health officials and consulting with football student-athletes, we’ve decided that we will not compete on the gridiron this season,” director of athletics David Benedict said in a statement. “The safety challenges created by COVID-19 place our football student-athletes at an unacceptable level of risk.”
After receiving guidance from state and public health officials and consulting with football student-athletes, we've decided that @UConnFootball will not compete on the gridiron this season. https://t.co/R5dLlnFNo9
Also in the statement, UConn said the team has been on campus since early July, and no athletes have tested positive for COVID-19. And Benedict noted that the players are looking ahead while trying to stay healthy:
“Ultimately, the student-athletes would rather preserve their year of eligibility with an eye to competing under more typical circumstances during the 2021 season.”
Prior to the Huskies’ announcement Wednesday, they had already lost several games on their schedule — such as matchups against Illinois, Indiana and Ole Miss — with the Big Ten and SEC playing conference-only opponents this year. Other teams they were set to play this season include North Carolina, Virginia and Army.
Despite not having any positive COVID-19 tests, players are being isolated if they show any possible coronavirus symptoms, The Athletic reported. But it’s also still taking them nearly two weeks to get their test results.
Edsall previously explained that he gave players the option not to show up to campus for workouts in June, meetings and walkthroughs in July or training camp, which was scheduled to begin Wednesday. And if they said they didn’t feel comfortable, he said their scholarships wouldn’t be impacted. More via The Athletic:
“I’m not playing it, athletic directors aren’t playing it, presidents aren’t playing it, conference commissioners aren’t playing it. It’s the student-athletes,” Edsall said. “It’s important that I hear what our student-athletes want to do and what they think is best for the experience with them, their health, their welfare and safety. That’s one thing that we’re going to make sure that we hear and look at.
“The NFL has a players association, and they negotiated different things. Here in college, I’m going to make sure they have a voice.”
“As a team we are in full support of the decision to not compete in 2020. We have many health concerns and not enough is known about the potential long term effects of contracting COVID-19. Additionally, we have not had the optimal time to train mentally & physically to be properly prepared to compete this season. We love this game and love competing. We came to campus in the beginning of July knowing there would be challenges presented by the pandemic but it is apparent to us now that these challenges are impossible to overcome.”
It likely helps the situation that UConn football is now an independent program and doesn’t have to fall in line with a conference. The Huskies officially left the American Athletic Conference in July — and owe a $17 million exit fee to be paid by 2026 — for the Big East, but that, of course, doesn’t apply to football.
So now, with UConn canceling its 2020 season because the coronavirus pandemic is raging across the U.S., we have to wonder if other programs will follow the Huskies’ lead.
