Five questions heading into Alabama vs. Arkansas

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Nick Saban warns his players relentlessly about the dangers of complacency. However, it might have taken a narrow victory at Texas A&M last week to finally hammer the message home.

No. 1 Alabama (6-0, 3-0 in the SEC) nearly blew a three-touchdown lead in the second half over the weekend as the Crimson Tide escaped College Station, Texas, with a 27-19 victory over the Aggies. Following the game, Saban pointed to constant praise his team had received from the media following back-to-back blowout wins, calling the positivity “rat poison” for his players while stating it caused for complacency in the game.

Following the wake-up call, Alabama will return to Bryant-Denny Stadium this week for its homecoming game as it takes on Arkansas (2-3, 0-2) on Saturday at 6:15 p.m. CT. The Razorbacks are fresh off a 48-22 loss to South Carolina that saw starting quarterback Austin Allen leave the game in the fourth quarter with a shoulder injury. Although, no matter how bad things are looking for Arkansas, it’s safe to say the Razorbacks will have Alabama’s undivided attention this week.

“This is going to be a challenging team,” Saban said. “It always has been for us and we're certainly going to prepare that way.

Here are five questions to consider heading into the matchup: