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The Arkansas Razorbacks and No. 23 Liberty Flames will face off at 3 p.m. CT Saturday at Reynolds Razorback Stadium on Saturday.

The Razorbacks have never played Liberty on the gridiron, making it the third matchup this season that the Hogs are playing a team for the first time in program history (Cincinnati and BYU).

Arkansas is a -14.5 point favorite over the Flames (BetSaracen).

Here is how the HawgBeat staff thinks the game will go Saturday:

This will be a game where the strengths and weaknesses of both teams will go head-to-head.

Arkansas' offense is its strength and the Hogs rank No. 13 in the nation in total yards per game. On the other side, Liberty's defense has been it's strong-suit and the Flames have the nation's 25th-best total defense.

The Hogs' defense ranks 121st in the nation in total yards allowed per game, while the Flames have availability issues on offense and they are turning the ball over at a high clip.

Hugh Freeze might have played some mind tricks throughout the week by praising the Hogs for their talent, but it won't be enough to trick Sam Pittman and crew. The Hogs should roll the Flames and win their third straight game.

Arkansas 48, Liberty 31

Liberty could enter this game completely healthy and I still wouldn’t like its chances to beat Arkansas. To no fault of their own, the Flames appear to have no idea what they’re doing under center, so the Razorbacks could make it two efficient weeks in a row on the defensive side of things.

Throw the ranking out the window for this one. Liberty has done well to beat the teams it has been scheduled to play, but strength of schedule is the tell here.

The Flames’ only Power Five opponent so far was Wake Forest, to which they suffered their only loss. Arkansas is about to double both those totals, and it will not be particularly close.

Arkansas 41, Liberty 20

Simply put, this is a must-win game for the Arkansas Razorbacks. Forget about bowl eligibility or the fact that this game doesn't count toward the Hogs' SEC record - you cannot lose to Liberty at home in year three of a promising regime.

Liberty's No. 23 ranking in the most recent AP top 25 poll is based solely on its 7-1 record, and didn't take into consideration that they've been pushed to the brink by the likes of Southern Miss and Gardner-Webb.

Though Liberty's lone loss came on a failed two-point try on the road against a solid Wake Forest team, there's no reason Arkansas shouldn't be able to take care of business ahead of a grueling two-game home stand.

I do, however, expect this one to be a points bonanza.

It's no secret that Arkansas' defense has been among the worst in the nation this season, allowing 31.9 points and 459 yards per game. Wins in 2022 have come at the cost of defensive performance, and I don't see any reason for that to change in a game that I expect Arkansas to run away with late.

Arkansas 45, Liberty 31

The Liberty Flames come to Fayetteville on Saturday at 7–1, their only loss being a one-point loss to Wake Forest on the road.

They have a big question mark at the quarterback position, and will likely be without one of their running backs, Shedro Louis, due to personal matters.

Still, the Flames are ranked No. 23 in the AP poll for a reason, and the Hogs will need to be firing on all cylinders to come out with a win. I expect this one to be close, but I think Rocket Sanders has a repeat performance of last week and the defense holds Liberty back enough to cruise to a semi-easy victory.

Arkansas 42, Liberty 31

Liberty comes in to Fayetteville ranked 23rd for the second ranked non-conference matchup of the year for the Razorbacks.

The Flames have question marks in the backfield at the quarterback and running back positions. On top of that, their schedule has been lackluster outside of a close loss to Wake Forest.

Arkansas should be able to score at will and generate some stops against a hurt Flames team.

Arkansas 45, Liberty 20

Arkansas got a much needed monkey off its back last week dismantling Auburn and subsequently Harsin’s time on the Plains.

Liberty is not your typical non-conference Homecoming opponent. Hugh Freeze coached teams always play hard and they play fast. He has had success at every school and the Flames are a top 25 team once again this season.

I feel the ranking will be short lived with the Hogs' offense firing on all cylinders in front of a home crowd for the first time in a month. Last week wasn’t clean by any means but KJ Jefferson and crew still put up 500 yards and 41 points. Jefferson was very efficient throwing between the hashes and that adds another dimension to an already dangerous offense.

I don’t see the Flames being able to do what Auburn couldn’t but they will put up some points, no matter who plays QB on Saturday. Let’s not overthink this one too much. Hogs roll and become bowl eligible for the third straight season.

Arkansas 45, Liberty 30

Mason: 7-1, 6-2 ATS

Robert: 7-1, 5-3 ATS

Alex: 6-1, 5-2 ATS

Daniel: 6-2, 6-2 ATS

Jackson: 7-1, 6-2 ATS

Kevin: 4-0, 4-0 ATS

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