FAYETTEVILLE — ESPN play-by-play voice Joe Tessitore provided “national perspective” at the Northwest Arkansas Touchdown Club on Tuesday. He reminded that No. 22 Arkansas is good, but may have the nation's toughest schedule.
There's not anyone in the national media with a better understanding of the Razorbacks. Tessitore will call an Arkansas game for the fourth time this week when ESPN comes to Fayetteville to broadcast the game with No. 12 Ole Miss.
It's such a great schedule that has helped make Arkansas an attractive team for ESPN's primetime broadcast. Plus, Tessitore thinks the Hogs are good.
“The schedule, it's extraordinary,” Tessitore said. “Everything in college football comes down to schedule.
“If you are the fourth best team in the SEC West, you are an outstanding team. No one wants to play you. If you take the Arkansas schedule, ask who would want to play it?”
Tessitore challenged the audience to combine the rosters between No. 8 Wisconsin and Ole Miss, then pick a starting 22.
“What you'd have on the field would be almost all Rebels,” he said. “It would be like that with every other team in the SEC West.”
Tessitore knows the Hogs well after calling their games against TCU, Texas A&M and Alabama over the last month.
“Arkansas is very good but they play in the best conference in America, plus they added TCU this year,” he said. “They've been a team that was under consideration for the College Football Playoffs in other years.”
Tessitore is still early in his game prep for the Arkansas-Ole Miss game, but he's got a pretty good grasp. It's a matchup of top SEC quarterbacks. Ole Miss features senior Chad Kelly. Austin Allen, the junior first-time starter, has emerged for Arkansas.
There were vibes that Tessitore likes Kelly on the field, but isn't so crazy about his checkered past. He has been suspended in high school, dismissed at Clemson and also had issues since arriving at Ole Miss. He was involved in a brawl at his brother's high school game last week during an open week.
“Unfortunately, all of that was presented to me by our staff," Tessitore said. "It's real.”
Kelly is terrific on the field. He torched the Hogs last year, but Brandon Allen won the overtime duel. The younger Allen could be better.
“That's what I'm hearing from SEC defensive coordinators,” Tessitore said. “I meet with them before the game. That's what they tell me.
“They have a lot of respect for Austin. Some are saying he's more talented than his brother. They rave about his presence, his guts, his leadership. They rave about his arm talent, the ability to throw across the field and down the field.”
Allen has thrown for over 200 yards in six straight games. He leads the SEC with 15 touchdown passes. He passed for 400 yards last week against Alabama to give him 1,632 yards for the season.
Only Tyler Wilson (1,779) and Ryan Mallett (1,646) have thrown for more in their first six starts at Arkansas.
“You saw Nick Saban so upset at halftime and after the game for what his defense gave up in the passing game,” Tessitore said. “You hear those defensive coordinators and you know Austin is the real deal.”
It's Allen's ability that gives the Hogs a chance against Ole Miss.
“Chad Kelly can burn you,” Tessitore said. “The back end of the (Arkansas) defense has to play their A-plus game, but they are capable of that. The offense is capable of managing the game and keep the Ole Miss offense off the field.
“That's exactly the thing I saw them do against Texas A&M for three quarters."
Tessitore said he thought Allen scored on a controversial play against Texas A&M three weeks ago. Allen kept the ball on a third-and-goal at the 1, but was ruled down. Replay appeared to show Allen cross the goal line, but the on-field call was upheld.
Tessitore said ESPN's expert on officiating saw the replay and also thought it was likely that Austin scored, but knew there wasn't an angle that would allow for a reversal of the call.
“You just aren't going to get that call changed,” he said.
A score would have given the Razorbacks a seven-point lead late in the third quarter, but Texas A&M held Arkansas out of the end zone again on a fourth down. The Aggies then hit a 92-yard touchdown pass two plays later and eventually won by three touchdowns.
"(If Allen scores), you have a different game and maybe Arkansas wins it 31-24," Tessitore said. "But it was a tremendous turn around just two plays later."
As it is, Texas A&M is still undefeated and headed for a showdown with Alabama that might decide a spot in the playoffs. It's clear who Tessitore thinks is going to win.
“I think Alabama goes undefeated,” he said. “I think it will be Ohio State from the Big Ten. Michigan is good, but I don't trust their quarterback as far as experience like I do J.T. Barrett (with Ohio State).
“I think Clemson will handle Florida State. I think Washington is a legit team, too. I covered a lot of games in the Pac-12 and that's a really good team, with an SEC defense. I think the front five across that front plays in the NFL.”
There are other attractive aspects of the Washington team.
“I think the quarterback is elite, the running back is elite and they have two elite receivers," Tessitore said. "That is a top tier team although people are slow to recognize it.”
Tessitore knows the history of college football suggests there will be plenty of upsets down the stretch. He has been in the booth for some major upsets through the years that affected the national championship race, including Nevada over Boise State in 2010 and Iowa State over Oklahoma State the following year.
Tessitore thinks the seeding will be Alabama, Ohio State, Washington and Clemson.
“I think those four go undefeated,” he said. “I think this is the year that there are no one-loss teams in the playoffs.”
“It will be a heckuva playoff. I think you'll have a defining moment in Nick Saban's career. He will get a chance to avenge the Sugar Bowl loss (to Urban Meyer), go for his sixth national championship to tie Bear Bryant. I can't imagine a bigger game for TV ratings.”
Tessitore might not have had Alabama rated so highly just a few weeks ago. The recent play of freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts has elevated his thoughts on the Tide.
“Just a week ago, I might have given Ohio State the advantage,” he said. “They have depth and experience at quarterback.
“But Jalen Hurts does not seem like a freshman to me. I liked his overall composure, what I saw last week. Lane Kiffin was high on him when we've talked. I've changed my thoughts on Alabama. I thought there would be a point it might go south for them because of quarterback. But I don't feel that way now.”
There is little doubt Tessitore is believes Arkansas has the right fit with Bret Bielema as head coach. A television reporter suggested that there are some Razorback fans ready to look for another coach.
“I'd tell them they would have to be out of their mind,” he said. “You have one of the best coaches at building a program for the long term, developing talent. He's a proven winner who develops talent. If you said that to someone on the national scene, they wouldn't believe it.
“What you have is a team which has lost to the favorite for the national title and another national title contender. Alabama and Texas A&M are very good.”