Central Arkansas's offense carries a 33-spot rank edge over SE Missouri State

The clearest separation between these two FCS teams sits on offense, where Central Arkansas checks in 21st nationally in its division against SE Missouri State's 54th, a 33-spot gap that Versus grades out as A- against B-. Central Arkansas's own defense lags well behind that attack, ranked 41st and graded only B+, which keeps this one from looking like a runaway despite the offensive disparity.

This is a non-conference game for both sides, with Central Arkansas representing the United Athletic Conference and SE Missouri State the Ohio Valley Conference, so nothing in either league's standings is on the line. Versus has Central Arkansas 35th in FCS overall and SE Missouri State 64th, a 29-spot difference in the divisional rankings, with Central Arkansas also holding the higher power grade at A- to SE Missouri State's B.

Central Arkansas arrives off a 59-20 win over Central Oklahoma, its most lopsided margin since September 2024, and enters at 2-1. SE Missouri State is 1-2 and has dropped back-to-back games for the first time since November 2025, even though Versus still lists the Redhawks third in the OVC. The projection favors Central Arkansas 29-27, a two-point margin with a 56 percent win probability, making this closer than the rank gap alone would suggest.