With Pittman and a challenging schedule, the Razorbacks could be hedging bets.
Arkansas may be attempting to save their way to wealth by adhering to what may be the most demanding timetable in school history. When media outlets began obtaining the contract for new wide receivers coach Ronnie Fouch through the FOI procedure, they noticed some intriguing language.
When I originally saw the clause stating that the second season would only be guaranteed provided Sam Pittman remained the coach, I assumed that they were attempting to avoid buyouts for assistant coaches. Pittman received a large deal after a 9–4 season, so benching him would be a significant enough blow. His remarks that his buyout wasn’t significant during news conferences during the end of the previous season were undoubtedly made in the heat of the moment.
It could have also had to do with examining the schedule the Razorbacks would face in the inaugural season of Texas and Oklahoma’s league entry. As neither team had won a national championship in a number of years, many assumed it would only clog the center of the league once more.
However, this previous season’s four-team playoff featured both Alabama and Texas from the SEC. Hey, at least the Hogs won’t have to face the Longhorns at what is likely the worst possible moment for them to achieve expectations this year, if they do.
Before the Hogs joined the SEC, Texas and Arkansas used to play major games that were almost always held in mid-October. The week following their game against Oklahoma, the Razorbacks hosted the Longhorns, and they were able to obtain a strong scouting report along with the odd truly angry team.
If you play the game in early November, that won’t occur. It’s impossible to predict the weather or the timing of the game. How many people are in the deer woods or even interested in showing up will probably depend on the remainder of the schedule.
The Hogs’ schedule includes a road trip to face Oklahoma State in the second week of the season, as well as games against four teams who were rated in the preseason’s Top 25 and a few more that might be by then. There is no build-up to the point at when the games become truly important.
It’s bad enough to begin SEC play on the road against Auburn only a few weeks after visiting Stillwater. It’s a difficult stretch to play Auburn, Texas A&M, Tennessee, and LSU while having one or two weeks off. The timetable is uninterrupted.
The way I look at these things, we’ll look at the games in that lineup much too early and focus on the victories and losses that are assured, with everything else being a toss-up. Everything depends on injuries, the state of the weather, the decisions made by the authorities, the time, and even the players already on the roster.
Most Likely Triumphs
UAPB at Little Rock on August 31 (will that journey ever end? ), followed by Louisiana Tech on November 23 and Alabama-Birmingham on September 14.
Probable Losses (as of right now)
Oklahoma State on the road Sept. 7 is not a nice challenge. The primary expectation is that Arkansas’s season progresses favorably and the Cowboys will strive for a later game. There’s no sign of it lately, but Tennessee on October 5 and LSU on October 19 will both be in Fayetteville, so perhaps that helps.
Ole Miss on November 2, and the Longhorns now boast a roster with more skill. Who knows by November, though. Any team may have half of its members out injured, quitting, or just attempting to finish the season.
Important Games at the Moment
The last game at AT&T Stadium against Texas A&M and the road trip to Auburn will be significant early obstacles. Predicting which LSU squad will play on November 19 is always a game of chance. But pay heed to the Tigers. Pete Jenkins has been a huge admirer of mine for many years, and Brian Kelly has revived him. When they won a national championship, he was the lone adult on Ed Orgeron’s staff and the person he would generally listen to. Ed soon after joined Pete in his departure.
Don’t write Mississippi State off or think it will be easy. That may turn out to be the case, but with Jeff Lebby joining the team as a new coach, it is far too soon to make any firm predictions at this time. However, the first prediction is that will score highly.
After that, playing for a bowl game is typically not something you want to do when Missouri is on the road at the end. Since the Tigers entered the league, the Hogs have only triumphed twice. That reveals the issue, presuming that Big 12 clubs would need some time to compete after entering the SEC. The Tigers won the SEC East in their second and third seasons, 2013 and 2014, proving that it didn’t need ten years to be competitive.