Best case for Arkansas Football in 2023

After looking up and down Arkansas’ schedule in 2023 there is one conclusion most can come to:

THE RAZORBACKS HAVE A MANAGABLE SCHEDULE

There’s no season opener against a non-conference opponent coming off a college football playoff bid. No sign of a road trip to middle of nowhere Utah midseason. Plus, there’s not a top Group of Five opponent with a head coach that’s hell bent to return to the SEC.

Yeah, there’s your usual suspects that include road games at LSU, Alabama and Ole Miss. For some reason the Hogs get to travel to Gainesville, (Fla.) once again with hopes of winning their first road game against the Gators.

The non-conference start

Luckily for the Hogs they get to open their season in Little Rock against a FCS Western Carolina program that hasn’t set the world on fire. With a pair of new coordinators and a host of new assistants this is a solid way to get their feet wet with a new program.

In week two, Arkansas hosts Kent State out of the MAC for Family Weekend and the first game inside Razorback Stadium for the year. New head coach, Kenni Burns brings the Golden Flashes in for the first matchup between the two programs.

Week three sees the first rematch from last season with BYU coming to Fayetteville. The Cougars are looking for retribution after a blowout loss at home that sent their season on a nosedive.

Arkansas starts the season 3-0 while looking dominant with KJ Jefferson and Rahiem Sanders pacing the offense. One of the biggest questions going into the season is the defense. How much pressure will they bring off the edges? Will the secondary actually look competent in coverage? There’s so many questions but the average fan should be able to spot improvement right away.

Four straight SEC games on the road

Immediately, Arkansas’ schedule becomes increasingly harder by the week. Week four, the Hogs will travel to Baton Rouge to take on the defending SEC Western division champions. Brian Kelly has the Tigers looking to keep the momentum going at LSU with national championship aspirations to start the year. LSU will find out right away where they stand with a week one matchup against Florida State.

The Razorbacks have historically made things interesting with some of the best Tiger teams. Arkansas lost by three last season without Jefferson. Can Arkansas pull off an upset? With this being a best case scenario article, we’re going to go with yes for now.

Arkansas continues to be on the road with a neutral site matchup against Texas A&M. Former Razorback head coach, Bobby Petrino, will be ‘calling plays’ as offensive coordinator for the Aggies. Being hated rivals and both teams possibly being undefeated there could be some high stakes to play for as far as conference play goes. It just feels like it’s Arkansas’ time to rise to the occasion and win in Jerry’s World again.

The road trip continues for Arkansas the next week when they visit Ole Miss. Arkansas seems to have their number no matter who roams the sideline as head coach for the Rebels. Pittman is currently 2-1 against Lane Kiffin but the last time the game was held in Oxford, Ole Miss won 52-51 on a failed two-point conversion attempt by the Hogs. Jefferson being a Mississippi native will surely be looking for one final win against their rival and continue a perfect season for Arkansas.

Alabama comes looming in during week seven. The Tide have more questions offensively than what they’re used to this time of year. Defensively, they have plenty of returning experience in the secondary while their linebacker unit looks sharp. Along the line they are very excited and deep at every position. However, football today starts and ends with how well the offense can move and score on each possession.

With the game being played in Tuscaloosa and Arkansas losing every game in the series dating back to 2007 it just makes sense to pick Alabama here. A perfect season is over but there is still plenty to play for.

A return home

It’s going to be a while before Mississippi State lands back on their feet after losing their beloved head coach, Mike Leach. That’s not to say that Zach Arnett won’t be successful in Starkville. He is in one of the toughest situations for a first year head coach.

Right now, with this game being played in Fayetteville and not enough is known about this Bulldogs team the edge should be given to the Hogs.

Oh great, another Florida road game.

Sheesh, when will the SEC ever favor the Razorbacks? The Hogs are 2-10 all-time against the Gators and have only won once in the series since joining the SEC, a 31-10 home victory in 2016. It’s been a brutal series especially when three of the last four games have been played in Gainesville

There’s big question marks for the Gators going into year two with Billy Napier. Will the offense look more efficient? Can the defense climb back to the top half of the conference? Florida fans don’t have much confidence right now and are worried that another .500 season is at hand.

Historically, Arkansas has never won at Florida and sadly that will continue. Sometimes it comes down to things that are just out of the Razorbacks hands, too.

The final stretch

It’s been a long season but the Razorbacks will play their final three games from the comfort of their home stadium. Auburn comes to town in week 11 with Hugh Freeze. The former Ole Miss and Liberty head coach has won a few games in Fayetteville. That includes last season’s 21-19 loss to Liberty.

Auburn has some issues to sort through but Freeze’s teams seem to always hit their stride during the month of November. The Hogs will look to bounce back in a big way from a road loss to Florida. With a New Year’s Six bowl game at stake, Arkansas will have their minds set on that and winning out.

After somewhat of a haymaker of a schedule, Arkansas gets to face Florida International for the first time since 2007. It should be a game that will see a lot of backups get reps and chances to make their families proud. Hogs win easily.

Finally, Arkansas will be looking for the ultimate revenge as they look to bring the Battle Line Rivalry trophy back to its rightful home. This has been a humbling series to see Arkansas play in, only winning two games since the beginning of the rivalry back in 2014.

Both programs don’t battle for recruits much but one coach likes to run his mouth a little much. This is the season that Arkansas clamps their mouths shut, muzzling the Tigers for a while.

Arkansas finishes the regular season where they thought they would just a season ago. A 10-2 overall record and 6-2 SEC mark will give them their best finish since 2011 and a likely bump to Sam Pittman’s pay.

What’s your best scenario for Razorback football in 2023? Leave it in a comment below.