Raise your hand if you honestly thought Arkansas would be 7-3 and ranked in the top 20 heading to Tuscaloosa on November 20 in the preseason?
If you did, you probably needed a drug screen or are just a huge fan.
Either way, Sam Pittman and his Razorbacks have nothing to lose and everything to gain in the final two regular season contests and the bowl game.
This is the best record through 10 games of a normal season since 2011. Even Bret Bielema’s teams from 2014-16 that were competitive nationally could only muster 6-4 twice, in 2015 and 2016.
Alabama is the class of the SEC West and has been since 2008. I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect Arkansas to go in there next week and win.
Not to say that it’s impossible. The Crimson Tide have looked vulnerable at times this year.
But reality says that Alabama will likely win by two or three scores.
That leads us to the regular season finale and Missouri.
Arkansas hasn’t beaten Missouri since 2015, just like with LSU before last night.
A win over the Tigers in the ‘Battle Line Rivalry’ would cap a 8-4 season, which would be the best since 2011.
It would likely mean a warm bowl trip, possibly to Tampa or Jacksonville or even Orlando.
Finishing with 9 wins would be monumental for Pittman, not only for reinforcing that Hunter Yurachek made the right decision in hiring him, but for the recruiting dividends that it would yield.
It’s no secret that Arkansas is going to lose a lot of players off this year’s team. Next year could be a step back, and the schedule does the program no favors with its increased difficulty.
A rougher 2022 season would be a lot easier to swallow coming off the highs of a 9-win 2021 than if Arkansas stubs its toe and only finishes 8-5 or loses out.
Pittman will undoubtedly hit the transfer portal hard and he is bringing in an impressive 2022 class, filled with hungry in-state talent ready to prove itself and bonafide studs eager to contribute right away.
Regardless, it’s way more fun to be talking about bowl games and what-if scenarios, rather than wondering if the program should even be in the SEC or if it is the worst Power Five team in America.