FAYETTEVILLE — How close were the Arkansas Razorbacks to a New Year’s Six bowl berth?
Put it this way. Had the Razorbacks been successful on that two-point conversion try with no time on the clock at Ole Miss on Oct. 9 and everything else played out like it did since then, the University of Arkansas would probably be in the Rebels’ shoes as the No. 3 team out of the SEC and primed for the New Year’s Six matchups put together by the College Football Playoff selection committee.
Arkansas lost 52-51 at Ole Miss after scoring on KJ Jefferson’s touchdown pass to Warren Thompson on the final play of the game, so the Hogs are behind the Rebels (9-3) in the bowl pecking order.
And yet the Razorbacks’ first eight-win regular season in 10 years has led to this, the most anticipated bowl selection Sunday since the 2011 team accepted a Cotton Bowl berth and went on to post the program’s first 11-win season since 1977.
Arkansas finished 8-4 under second-year Coach Sam Pittman to put the Razorbacks in the tier of bowls for SEC teams just outside the New Year’s Six.
Three of the Razorbacks losses came against Georgia, Alabama and Ole Miss, top 10 teams that will be in the bowls with the most prestigious tie-ins for the SEC.
The Razorbacks figure to play in a Florida-based bowl, though industry sources think the Citrus Bowl, which has the first selection after the College Football Playoff matchups, is more likely to take Kentucky (9-3). Citrus Bowl officials discussed Kentucky, Arkansas and Texas A&M in their planning meetings last week, with the Wildcats and Razorbacks drawing the strongest consideration, according to a source with knowledge of the discussions.
The Outback and TaxSlayer Gator bowls are considered the top level of what the SEC calls the group of six bowls, and the Razorbacks have an edge at earning an invitation to one of the two. The Outback Bowl features an SEC vs. a Big Ten opponent, while the Gator Bowl pits an SEC team vs. an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent.
Arkansas would qualify for a Florida bowl for the first time since the 2006 SEC West championship team fell 17-14 to Wisconsin in the Capital One Bowl, which is now the Citrus Bowl.
Media projections for the Razorbacks’ bowl destination are all over the place.
CBSSports.com’s Jerry Palm is projecting an Arkansas-Wake Forest matchup in the Gator Bowl, an assessment that is shared by Athlon Sports.
Yahoo Sports projects the Razorbacks will face Minnesota in the Outback Bowl. Brett McMurphy of the Action Network projected on Saturday an Arkansas vs. Wisconsin pairing in the Outback Bowl.
SI.com also projects an Outback Bowl appearance for Arkansas with a matchup against Michigan State in Tampa.
BowlSeason.com has Arkansas matched up against Penn State in the Music City Bowl in its latest projection.
The Razorbacks are scheduled to begin bowl practices on Friday.