From 2-10 in 2018 and 2019 to 10-2 in 2022?
Is it possible? Perhaps, but I’m not there yet with Arkansas, primarily because of its brutal schedule.
Predicting the won-lost record for the Porkers has changed from the previous few years when trying to find wins on the schedule was like picking out the good spots on a moldy block of government cheese. (Not that I’ve ever done that. OK, maybe once.) Now, I’m trying to figure out which games beside Alabama that Arkansas will likely lose.
Here’s how the season may unfold for the Porkers, who became relevant again by finishing 9-4 last season with an Outback Bowl victory over Penn State:
BEST WIN (Texas A&M)
The season hasn’t even started yet and I’m already tired of Texas A&M fans bragging about their highly rated (and high priced) recruiting class.
I read once about a coach who said he enjoyed going on the road to win games then staying in town long enough to eat their steaks before heading home. Sounds like a plan for folks from Arkansas, who’ll have plenty of options to eat and celebrate after the Razorbacks beat the Aggies in The Longhorn State on Sept. 24.
I’ll take mine medium well, please, with a baked potato and sauteed onions. Hold the salad.
WORST LOSS (Brigham Young)
Arkansas faces four teams that won at least 10 games last season but only one of those games will be on the road. That happens on Oct. 15 at Provo, Utah, against BYU.
There’s a tendency for SEC fans to consider any football west of the league’s footprint to be inferior, even sissified, with its high-scoring games and lackluster defenses. BYU is neither, and the Cougars hope to prove it to a national audience against Notre Dame and Arkansas on consecutive weekends.
It’s always dangerous to step away for a non-conference game in the heat of SEC play and Arkansas‘ trip to Utah comes between road games at Mississippi State and Auburn. There’s a good chance of a stumble in there somewhere and I won’t be surprised at all if it happens against BYU, which will join the Big 12 Conference in 2023.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER (KJ Jefferson)
I’ve greatly underestimated Jefferson, who is at least the third-best quarterback in the SEC. Jefferson is an accurate passer and a leader who will bow up and run over defenders to get a first down.
A tough hombre, for sure, which is just what you want when the game’s on the line.
SUDDEN IMPACT (Jadon Haselwood)
This category is a recent edition to allow for players from the transfer portal so many coaches now use to bolster their rosters.
If former Oklahoma receiver Jadon Haselwood doesn’t make an immediate impact for the Razorbacks, it’ll be a major surprise. Quarterback KJ Jefferson will likely look often for Haselwood, who caught 39 passes for nearly 400 yards and 6 touchdowns as a sophomore last year for the Sooners.
Defensively, Alabama transfer Drew Sanders should help compensate for the loss of Grant Morgan, who is competing for a roster spot in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
TOP NEWCOMER (Isaiah Sategna)
It’s hard to predict how anyone will make the transition from high school to Division I football, especially in the SEC where dozens of players are one step away from the NFL. But I saw too much of Sategna at Fayetteville to doubt he’ll make an impact, barring injury, as a wide receiver or kick returner for Arkansas.
Oh, and don’t expect this true freshman to be intimidated by smack talkers like those at Texas A&M. Sategna will wear the same Number 16 that first-round draft pick Treylon Burks wore for the Razorbacks.
How’s that for confidence?
FINAL RECORD (9-4 with a Citrus Bowl victory)
Arkansas will be challenged from the get-go against Cincinnati, which wants to show the country last year’s 13-1 record with an appearance in the national semifinals wasn’t a fluke.
Beating an SEC team on its home field will earn the Bearcats immediate attention.
Arkansas is on the national map again because of coach Sam Pittman and his staff that includes offensive coordinator Kendal Briles and defensive coordinator Barry Odom. Losing Treylon Burks and Brandon Burlsworth Trophy winner Grant Morgan hurts, but the Razorbacks have enough returning talent for another 9-win season with a bowl victory over a Top 15 opponent.
With this schedule, even an 8-5 season will mean progress for the Razorbacks, who had lost 19 consecutive SEC games before Pittman arrived. But Pittman caps off his third season at Arkansas by leading the Razorbacks over Michigan State at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla.
Hello sunshine, here comes the Hogs.