The national coaches may not have given Arkansas much credit for playing Alabama toe-to-toe on Saturday. But the national media did.
Arkansas was No. 21 in the AP Poll entering the game in Tuscaloosa. After it, the Hogs were 25th.
The loss was Arkansas’ 15th straight against the Crimson Tide, but the one-possession difference was the closest since a one-point Alabama win in 2014. Arkansas had only just returned to the AP Poll after beating LSU last week.
Five SEC teams were ranked entering the final week of the regular season. Georgia continued its stay at No. 1. Alabama maintained at No. 2. Ole Miss moved up to No. 8 and Texas A&M went up to No. 14
Arkansas has a chance to finish with its first eight-win season in a decade on Friday. If the Razorbacks snap a five-game skid to Missouri, Arkansas will have reached eight victories for the first time since 2011.