FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas faces a unique test the next two weeks.
The No. 22 Razorbacks are coming off a game against No. 1 Alabama, and play two straight teams - No. 12 Ole Miss and No. 23 Auburn - that will coming off an open date.
Arkansas' game against Ole Miss will be its seventh in seven weeks. The Razorbacks (4-2, 0-2 SEC) don't have an open date until Oct. 29, which is the midway point of their conference schedule.
Teams are 11-19 this season when their opponent is coming off a bye week and they played the week before. Arkansas coach Bret Bielema noted the open week can work against the more rested teams, too.
"I think as a head coach there have been times when I’ve come out of a bye week and thought we were sluggish because we had been up to full speed, and now you are playing an opponent of high caliber that you are concerned about and maybe we didn’t start the game the right way," Bielema said. “But I have also been a part of some games where you are just champing at the bit."
That will likely be the case for Ole Miss (3-2, 1-1) this week. The Rebels have lost two straight to Arkansas, including a 53-52 overtime game last season that ultimately knocked Ole Miss out of the SEC Championship Game.
It is the second time in three seasons the Razorbacks will play Ole Miss when the Rebels are coming off a bye. Arkansas upset then-No. 8 Ole Miss 30-0 in such a game two years ago in Fayetteville.
Rebels coach Hugh Freeze said he doesn't expect a repeat performance of that game.
"I wouldn't expect our team to have any rust based on it being a road conference game," Freeze said. "I think that seems to get their attention and gets them motivated. If you're coming off an off-week and maybe playing a nonconference game, I would probably tend to worry more about that than playing at Arkansas on Saturday night."
Perhaps more than rest, the Razorbacks will be at a disadvantage in preparing for their next two opponents. Ole Miss coaches were able to scout Arkansas' game against Alabama in real time, just as Auburn coaches will be able to do this weekend.
"It gives us a few extra days to prepare for all of Arkansas' offensive sets - the shifts, the moves and the things they do," Freeze said. "Hopefully that will be beneficial."
"Those who have extra preparation time tend to be more creative in every phase of the game," Bielema said, "and that's something to be concerned about.”
Freeze and Auburn coach Gus Malzahn both said their open dates came at opportune times because of injuries. Ole Miss expects to have running back D'Vaughn Pennamon (hamstring) back this weekend, while Auburn running back Kerryon Johnson (ankle) may be back in time to play the Razorbacks.
"Probably the biggest thing for us is just getting healthy because we were pretty beat up," said Malzahn, whose Tigers are 4-2 overall and 2-1 SEC. "It's a chance for us to heal up. We'll look at Arkansas a little bit this week, but mainly this week is about healing up."