The USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll is out and Arkansas is climbing.
The Razorbacks received three points in the preseason poll, putting them in the “others receiving votes” section. This week, Arkansas received 11 points. It makes them tied for 44th among all teams.
Coach Sam Pittman’s team beat Rice, 38-17, in their season opener in Week 1. The Hogs trailed at the half and nerves were on edge. A second-half explosion of 31 points allowed Arkansas to ultimately cover their 19 1/2-point spread.
Arkansas’ opponent this week, Texas, checked in at No. 15. The Longhorns had 427 points were ranked No. 19 in the preseason poll, but picked up 653 this week to climb. Texas beat previous No. 23 Louisiana, 38-18, in its season opener. Louisiana dropped out of the Top 25.
Other SEC teams inside the top 25 include Alabama (1), Georgia (2), Texas A&M (5), Florida (9) and Ole Miss (20). LSU, Auburn, Mississippi State, Missouri were not ranked, though Auburn was the top vote-getting team outside the Top 25.
Arkansas plays the Aggies Sept. 25 in Arlington, Texas, then Georgia the next week in Athens, Ole Miss the week after in Oxford, Auburn on Oct. 16 in Fayetteville and finishes four weeks in a row against Mississippi State (home), LSU (away), Alabama (away) and Missouri (home).
Arkansas was listed as No. 30 in this week’s ESPN Football Power Index, good for eighth in the SEC. Texas is seventh in the FPI, a four-place jump from the preseason.
Kickoff against the Longhorns on Saturday is at 6 p.m.
Follow Razorbacks Wire on Facebook and Twitter to get the latest University of Arkansas sports news on your timeline.
Stream college football games from the SEC, Big 12, The American, and more on ESPN+