The Tulsa Golden Hurricane and the Arkansas State Red Wolves will meet on Saturday in college football action from Centennial Bank Stadium. Here’s an Arkansas State vs Tulsa prediction. We’ll be looking at this matchup from a betting perspective and determining the best Arkansas State vs Tulsa pick.
Tulsa Golden Hurricane Betting Preview
Last year Tulsa managed to go a pretty rough 4-8 overall with a 2-6 run in American Athletic Conference matchups. The Hurricane finished just two spots out of the basement with that record, ahead of only Temple and East Carolina.
In their first game of the 2024 season, the Hurricane demolished Northwestern State 62-28, scoring 27 points in the second quarter alone. Tulsa’s Kirk Francis logged 299 pass yards and four scores. Zion Steptoe caught five balls for 88 yards in the blowout win.
Arkansas State Red Wolves
Over on the Red Wolves’ side, they posted a losing record in 2023 with a 6-7 run and a 4-4 mark in Sun Belt games. Arkansas State landed in third place in the West Division, trailing Troy and Texas State. The Red Wolves lost their Camellia Bowl berth 21-19 versus Northern Illinois.
Matched up against Central Arkansas on Saturday, the Red Wolves were outscored 21-14 in the final quarter but held on for the win 34-31. Jaylen Raynor notched 317 yards, one TD, and one pick while also scoring a rush TD. Corey Rucker caught nine balls for 179 yards and a score.
Why the Arkansas State Red Wolves will win
- Tulsa has lost each of its last eight road openers.
- Arkansas State has won each of its last seven September games as a home favorite against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Arkansas State has covered the spread in seven of its last eight September games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Tulsa has failed to cover the spread in six of its last seven games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Arkansas State has won the first quarter in four of its last five home games against non-conference opponents.
- Arkansas State has won the first half in four of its last five home games against non-conference opponents.
Why the Tulsa Golden Hurricane will win
- Arkansas State has lost each of its last six games against opponents from the American Athletic Conference.
- The underdog has won three of Arkansas State’s last four games.
- The underdog has covered the spread in each of Arkansas State’s last seven games.
- Arkansas State has failed to cover the spread in four of its last five games as a favorite against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Arkansas State has lost the first half in each of its last six games against opponents from the American Athletic Conference.
Total Points Facts
- Five of Tulsa’s last six September games against non-AP-ranked teams have gone OVER the total points line.
- Four of Arkansas State’s last five games as a home favorite have gone OVER the total points line.
Matchup/League Facts
- Arkansas State ranks T1st among FBS teams for Q1 opponent points per game this season (0.0).
- Arkansas State ranks T1st among FBS teams for Q2 opponent points per game this season (0.0).
- Tulsa ranks T1st among FBS teams for Q2 opponent points per game this season (0.0).
- Tulsa ranks T1st among FBS teams for Q3 opponent points per game this season (0.0).
Arkansas State vs Tulsa Prediction
I’ll probably try Tulsa here. The Hurricane didn’t have too many issues versus an overmatched Northwestern State team despite posting ties 14-14 in the first and fourth quarters. Tulsa rolled to 622 total yards (323 rushing) and 31 first downs. On defense, the Hurricane held the Demons to 226 yards (112 passing) and 12 first downs.
As for Arkansas State, in their weekend matchup, they faded down the stretch against a plucky Central AR team who hampered themselves with 11 penalties. The Red Wolves gave up 235 yards on the ground and 7.1 yards per play, which could mean some solid opportunities for the Hurricane this weekend.