ESPN doesn’t believe Arkansas can beat Texas A&M on Saturday

Arkansas played their best football of the season on Saturday, but ESPN’s FPI still doesn’t have faith in the Hogs against Texas A&M.

[autotag]Arkansas football[/autotag] may have played their best football of the season in Saturday’s 34-31 loss to LSU, but they’re still not a popular pick to win in Dallas this weekend.

Not only did the Hogs open as nearly a touchdown underdog (6.5 points), but the ESPN FPI predictor gives them just a 27.1% chance to beat Texas A&M on Saturday. For reference, they were given an 11.5% chance to go into Tiger Stadium and beat then-No. 12 LSU last week.

Given the history of the “Southwest Classic” and how Arkansas continuously finds new ways to lose this game each year, it makes sense. Add on the real issues we’ve seen with this Razorback team so far and it’s a recipe for another loss in AT&T Stadium.

If the Arkansas team we saw in the first half of last week’s game makes the trip to Dallas, sans penalties, then it should be a close contest. However, if we continue to see issues with the defense, offensive line and penalties, then Aggie offensive coordinator [autotag]Bobby Petrino[/autotag] will be sure to make it a very long day for the Hogs.