Tuscaloosa, Ala. ? Arkansas corralled Texas a week after Alabama came up short against top-ranked Oklahoma.

The Razorbacks pounded North Texas the day Northern Illinois upended the Crimson Tide.

It’s been that kind of year for the two division rivals entering Saturday’s meeting — one team on the rise and the other at times in the dumps.

So why isn’t Houston Nutt feeling more at ease?

“We’re going to have Alabama at their best,” the Arkansas coach said. “We wish Northern Illinois would have gotten beat and Alabama won, then everything would be fine. Now their backs are against the wall. They’re going to come out fighting.”

The Razorbacks (3-0) barely have even been challenged, trailing for only three minutes and 20 seconds in the first three games entering their Southeastern Conference opener.

Alabama (2-2, 1-0) seems, though, to have a knack for spoiling their mood. Last year, Arkansas won its first two games by a combined 83-17, only to lose, 30-12, to the Tide.

“They’re going to have something in their guts that they have to win this game,” Alabama offensive tackle Wesley Britt said. “They’re going to be aiming for us and coming after us.”

In Saturday’s other Top 25 games, No. 3 Southern Cal is at California, No. 4 Ohio State plays host to Northwestern, No. 5 Virginia Tech plays Connecticut, No. 6 Florida State visits Duke, No. 7 LSU travels to Mississippi State, No. 8 Tennessee plays host to South Carolina, No. 21 Washington State visits No. 10 Oregon, No. 11 Michigan entertains Indiana, No. 13 Iowa is at Michigan State, and No. 14 Texas hosts Tulane.

Also, No. 17 Pittsburgh travels to Texas A&M, No. 18 Washington plays host to Stanford, No. 19 TCU visits Arizona, No. 20 Northern Illinois plays Iowa State, No. 22 Purdue entertains Notre Dame, No. 23 Missouri goes to Kansas University, No. 24 Minnesota visits Penn State, and No. 25 Florida plays at Kentucky.

The Tide has won three of the past four meetings against the defending SEC West champions. NCAA probation means Alabama can’t play in the league championship game, but the team can help dictate who does play in it.

“This is a bigger game for us even than Oklahoma,” Alabama quarterback Brodie Croyle said. “It’s a Top 10 team. It’s an SEC team. It’s an SEC West team.

“This is one of those games that we do want to spoil for people. It’s a game that we really need to win. We need to get this win and get back on track.”

Alabama, completing a five-game homestand, is smarting from last weekend’s loss to the unknown Huskies. The Tide is looking to avoid its first 0-3 start at Bryant-Denny Stadium since Mike DuBose’s first year as coach in 1997.

A loss might have Tide fans beginning to fear the worst for a team that’s undergone more turmoil — two coaching changes in a six-month span, NCAA probation — in the past couple of years than most do in a decade or two.

“We do need to win it, but I wouldn’t say if we lost it that our season would be done or anything like that,” Croyle said. “We’re looking to start it this week. But if it doesn’t happen, I wouldn’t count us out.”

The Razorbacks gave the first hint that this might be a special season with a 38-28 win at then-No. 6 Texas, the highest ranked team they’ve beaten in four years.

“They’re just a hot team right now,” Tide safety Roman Harper said. “You’ve got to give it to them. They’re playing great and on cloud nine right now.”