Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said, minutes after his team beat Mississippi State, 31-28, on Saturday night that he believed Arkansas was a Top 25 team, deserving of ranking.
He meant, presumably, the College Football Playoff ranking, the only one that matters at this point of the season as it determines the four teams that play for the national championship. The rest don’t ultimately matter, but gaining entry into that Top 25 carries heft, even more than the traditional Associated Press and USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches polls.
Before noon Sunday, Arkansas found it wasn’t in the latter. Right after lunch Sunday, Arkansas found it wasn’t in AP’s, either.
Arkansas picked up 139 points to rank as the de facto No. 27 team in the AP Poll on Sunday. The Razorbacks jumped from having 72 points in last week’s poll, but it wasn’t enough. Purdue, which upset now No. 8 Michigan State, is No. 26.
The CFP rankings will be released on Tuesday. Mississippi State was No. 17 in those, but unranked in the others, suggesting Arkansas has a legitimate shot at entering. They would be the most important ones, even if only psychologically.
The Razorbacks (6-3) clinched bowl-eligibility and .500 regular season with the victory of the Bulldogs on Saturday. Arkansas travels to unranked LSU on Saturday to play in Baton Rouge, a place where the Hogs have won just three times since joining the SEC.