I don’t have a crystal ball fortune tellers have claimed for generations they use to peer into the future.
I’ve never even seen a crystal ball, unless you count the cheap replica that swirled above the dance floors during my disco dancing days in the 1970s. But I can offer some crystal-clear predictions on what may unfold for Arkansas, which showed some spunk while going 3-7 last year against an all-SEC schedule.
BEST WIN
How many times have you heard someone say in reference to the son of a former player, “He’s good, but he ain’t as good as his daddy?"
If you had spent as much time covering football games in the South as I have, the count would be in the 100s. Auburn is a place where Bo Nix has yet to measure up to the accomplishments of his father, Patrick Nix, a former Tigers quarterback who left in 1995 as the school’s leader in passing efficiency.
Auburn fans expect more from Bo Nix with Bryan Harsin taking over for Gus Malzahn, but he’ll have to improve a bunch to satisfy Tigers fans. Jalen Catalon, Grant Morgan & Company will again expose Nix as a mediocre quarterback when Arkansas turns a 2-point loss at Auburn in 2020 into a 10-point win at Fayetteville in 2021.
WORST LOSS
So, the guy who threw six interceptions in a loss to the Razorbacks last year is being mentioned as a Heisman Trophy candidate?
That’s right, if you believe the hype. I don’t believe the hype, but I do believe being embarrassed on national TV will motivate Matt Corral into playing a much better at home against the Porkers.
Ole Miss won five of its last six games a year ago and I envision the Rebels winning at least nine games in the second year under coach Lane Kiffin.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS
Easy picks here: Treylon Burks on offense and Jalen Catalon on defense. I’m also a huge fan of Grant Morgan, the former walk-on from Greenwood.
Arkansas’ program once thrived on guys like Morgan, who’s surprised the skeptics who believed he wasn’t good enough, fast enough, or tough enough to play at the high Division I level.
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
Arkansas fans will long remember Grant Morgan for his tenacity and refusal to take no for an answer.
SUDDEN IMPACT
Arkansas struck gold when Feleipe Franks decided to play his final year in Fayetteville and the Razorbacks may do so again with the arrival of John Ridgeway from Illinois State to anchor the defensive line.
Ridgeway won’t fill up the stat sheet. That’s not what guys who play his position do. But he’ll tie up the middle and enable guys like Morgan and Bumper Pool at linebacker to make even more plays.
Arkansas fans are going to love ol’ No. 99 John Ridgeway — all 6-feet-6 and 325 pounds of him.
TOP NEWCOMER
Arkansas needs help at receiver, especially after Mike Woods took his ball and crossed the border into Oklahoma.
There are a handful of candidates who could emerge, including Ketron Jackson, a 4-star recruit from Royse City, Texas. It’s risky to count on incoming freshmen in the SEC but Pittman labeled Jackson at least the team’s third-best receiver before he’s even played a down of college football.
The only question it appears is how long before Jackson moves up to No. 2 and give the Razorbacks a reliable target besides Burks, an All-American candidate.
FINAL RECORD
The most impressive action from the spring workouts that I saw came when Coach Pittman ordered the offense off the field and then back on again with more urgency. That’s coaching, folks, and the Sam Pittman-Barry Odom tandem as defensive coordinator provides promise of better days ahead for the Razorbacks.
Still, there’s a major question mark at quarterback following a stellar performance by Franks, who elevated the Razorbacks with his poise and leadership ability.
Arkansas should be at least 5-4 after beating Mississippi State at home in November. I’ve got the Razorbacks finishing 5-7 after losing their final three games at LSU, at Alabama, and at home against Missouri, which is 9-3 against the Razorbacks with five consecutive wins.
Forget Texas A&M. Missouri is the team Arkansas needs to beat to have a chance at breaking even over a 12-game schedule.