Bret Bielema-led Arkansas is a live underdog

In an age in which many coaches routinely say the right thing and compliment their opponent ad nauseum, Bret Bielema of Arkansas can be a breath of fresh air to reporters looking for a good quote or catchy sound bite.

Two years ago, Bielema described his Razorbacks’ 31-7 bowl victory over longtime rival Texas as “borderline erotic.” Prior to last season, the Hogs coach addressed an assembly of Texas high school coaches, telling them that teams playing without a fullback or airing it out 70 times a game were destined to get their tails kicked by his club and their more physical brand of play.

Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury made it a point to remind Bielema of his comments after the Red Raiders knocked off the Razorbacks as a double-digit underdog last September.

But there’s more to Bielema than loose talk. Like him or not, the guy has proven he can coach.

Arkansas, which was pegged near the bottom of the Southeastern Conference West in the preseason polls, battles Texas A&M on Saturday at Arlington, Texas. Both teams are 3-0.

While the Aggies’ Trevor Knight is getting more headlines, Arkansas sophomore quarterback Austin Allen is progressing nicely as his older brother Brandon Allen’s replacement.

Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin has quieted the critics somewhat based on early victories over UCLA and Auburn. But the Aggies, who are laying 6 points in this neutral-site matchup, are 3-7 against the spread in their past 10 when favored against ranked opponents. Take the Razorbacks and the points.

Six more plays (home team in CAPS):

■ WESTERN MICHIGAN (-7) over Georgia Southern — With a pair of victories over Big Ten opponents and its conference opener on deck, Western Michigan might appear to be in a letdown spot against a Sun Belt opponent. As a 4½-point home underdog, Georgia Southern steamrolled Western Michigan 43-17 last season, and the Broncos will be out to make amends.

■ MARSHALL (+27) over Louisville — Many college football pundits have handed the Heisman Trophy to Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson and punched the Cardinals’ ticket into this season’s four-team playoff. Fresh off its 63-20 pasting of Florida State and a trip to Clemson on deck, Louisville is in a classic sandwich situation.

■ New Mexico State (+20) over TROY — Two weeks ago, Troy took Clemson to the wire in Death Valley before losing 30-24. Last week, Troy knocked off Southern Mississippi as a double-digit underdog. Now, however, the Trojans are big favorites and facing a New Mexico State team that will be with its top offensive (tailback Larry Rose III) and defensive (linebacker Derek Ibekwe) players for the first time this season.

■ Miami (Ohio) (+17½) over CINCINNATI — The Bearcats have won the past 10 series meetings. Miami is better than its 0-3 record and has lost the past three meetings in this series by an average of just 8.3 points, with 14 points being the largest margin of victory.

■ South Carolina (+2½) over KENTUCKY — Kentucky’s Mark Stoops is clearly coaching for his job the final nine games of this season, as the Wildcats have covered just one of their past 11 games. South Carolina is taking small steps toward the future behind exciting freshman quarterback Brandon McIlwain.

■ California-ARIZONA STATE (Over 82½) — The Golden Bears’ past five games have totaled an average of 89 points, with 82 being the low-water mark of the bunch. California has allowed 45 and 43 points in its past two games to San Diego State and Texas. Arizona State was torched by Texas Tech to the tune of 55 points, but still won by 13.

Last week: 3-3 against the spread

Season: 7-9

Paul Stone of VegasSportsAuthority.com is providing college football analysis for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Follow on Twitter: @paulstonesports