Hogs 19th, will play 5 teams in AP preseason poll

An Arkansas football helmet is shown during a game against Missouri on Friday, Nov. 26, 2021, in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas’ football team is ranked 19th in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 Poll that was released Monday. 

The Razorbacks’ ranking is higher than where they finished last season, when they were ranked 21st following a 24-10 victory over Penn State in the Outback Bowl that improved their record 9-4. Arkansas is ranked in the AP preseason poll for the first time since 2015.

Cincinnati is ranked 23rd in the preseason poll. The Razorbacks are scheduled to open the season with a game against the Bearcats on Sept. 3 in Fayetteville. 

Six SEC teams are ranked in the preseason poll, led by top-ranked Alabama. Georgia (3), Texas A&M (6), Kentucky (20) and Ole Miss (21) are also ranked. 

Arkansas is scheduled to play Texas A&M on Sept. 24 in Arlington, Texas, and is scheduled to host games in Fayetteville against Alabama on Oct. 1 and Ole Miss on Nov. 19. 

The Razorbacks are also scheduled to play a non-conference game at No. 25 BYU on Oct. 15. Arkansas opponents LSU, Mississippi State, Auburn and South Carolina received votes in the AP poll but were unranked. 

Arkansas is ranked in both major polls this preseason. The Razorbacks were ranked 23rd in the USA Today Coaches Poll that was released earlier this month. 

The AP poll is the poll of record for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette until the first College Football Playoff rankings are released in late October. 

Preseason AP Top 25

1. Alabama

2. Ohio State

3. Georgia

4. Clemson

5. Notre Dame

6. Texas A&M

7. Utah

8. Michigan

9. Oklahoma

10. Baylor

11. Oregon

12. Oklahoma State

13. North Carolina State

14. Southern Cal

15. Michigan State

16. Miami

17. Pittsburgh

18. Wisconsin

19. Arkansas

20. Kentucky

21. Ole Miss

22. Wake Forest

23. Cincinnati

24. Houston

25. BYU