Every season seems to be full of intense matchups for Razorback Football. It’s certainly not hurt the resurrection of the most profitable program on campus.
Thinking back to one of the toughest schedules ever in 2014 every conference opponent was ranked. Crazy enough six of the eight games were against teams ranked in the top ten.
Half of Sam Pittman’s 36 games as head coach of the Razorbacks have been against ranked opponents. He currently holds a record of 6-12 in those 18 games and five of those losses have come by one possession.
Nothing is going to come easier when playing in the SEC. This year, Arkansas doesn’t face eight ranked conference opponents. But, they do face a six game stretch with only one game in Fayetteville.
This is by no means a cry of pity. Perhaps it’s more of a statement of how tough Arkansas has it. They’re already navigating through the toughest division in the FBS but look at the meat of this schedule.
At LSU
Facing LSU on the road to begin conference play will be a tough battle. Hog fans like to point toward last season’s 13-10 loss at home and say the Tigers aren’t that scary of an opponent. But, what many fans are missing is the team down in Baton Rouge is a national title contender.
Like Arkansas, LSU returns their starting quarterback Jayden Daniels, star receiver Malik Nabers, all their key pieces on the line and running back. It’s likely this will be a night game between two undefeated teams in Death Valley, Tiger Stadium. The sound will be deafening but without a doubt Arkansas will hang with them.
Texas A&M in Arlington
There’s a lot of unknown when it comes to Texas A&M and their head coach Jimbo Fisher. What are the expectations down in College Station? As every season since 2009 (except 2020) the Aggies and Razorbacks will play in Arlington at Cowboys Stadium. The Hogs have won one game in this series since 2011 but can the Hogs figure out a way to win in 2023?
Quarterback, Conner Weigman, is a budding superstar. Fortunately, for his development he’ll be under quarterback guru Bobby Petrino. Weigman has plenty of receivers to work with on Ainias Smith, Evan Stewart and Moose Muhammad III.
Arkansas will succeed in this matchup if A&M hasn’t bolstered a run defense that finished 123rd in the country last season.
The pressure is on the $95-million dollar head coach to compete for an SEC West title this fall. Will he be able to do it or cripple due to the high expectations?
At Ole Miss
If there’s one road game that Arkansas will be players in it will be against Ole Miss in Oxford. The 2021 version of the rivalry was a 53-52 offensive thriller. KJ Jefferson went off in that game and so did Matt Corrall. A huge question for the Rebels this fall will be their quarterback room.
Yes, they return Jaxson Dart but also bring in Oklahoma State transfer, Spencer Sanders and LSU transfer Walker Howard. If you don’t think Lane Kiffin is chomping at the bit for the start of the 2023 season you don’t know the Ole Miss head coach well. He’s likely foaming at the mouth thinking about the behemoth that will be his backfield.
Can Arkansas brew up enough offense to steal a win at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium? The Razorbacks have Sardis, (Miss.) native, KJ Jefferson at quarterback and he’ll be ready to steal the show. This is the most intriguing game on the schedule because of the storylines in this one.
At Alabama
Bryant-Denny Stadium comes calling next. A place that Arkansas has not won in since 2003. It’ll be a tough one but is Alabama going to remain Alabama moving forward? There are a lot of red flags like a suspect offensive coordinator bringing in a not so sure thing transfer quarterback from his old school Notre Dame.
Defensively, they’ll always be stalwarts but the offensive side of the ball could do this team in. Hog fans shouldn’t expect a win at Alabama this season but they do have a shot if the Crimson Tide are struggling.
Hosting Mississippi State
Lastly, will Arkansas navigate a home game against Mississippi State and a road matchup at Florida?
The Bulldogs are under new leadership in head coach Zach Arnett. They’ll be moving to a traditional pro-style offense but will fan favorite Will Rogers and his old Air Raid friends be able to adapt?
Gone are Caleb Duckling and RaRa Thomas from a season ago. But Justin Robinson and Jaden Walley return giving the Bulldogs hope of a easier transition.
Will Mississippi State take a step back with a new defensive coordinator? You have to think that it’s possible with the talent they’ve been losing to the draft year after year.
At Florida
Finally, the last road game of the season for Arkansas takes place in Gainesville, (Fla.) when they take on the Gators. The hogs have never defeated Florida on the road since their inception into the SEC in 1992.
One win was stolen from them in 2009 due to Mark Curles and his band of inept officials. 2023 is the season to do it since the Gators are coming off a woeful 6-7 campaign. There’s not much hope on either side of the football for Billy Napier’s team.
If you look at the betting services many of them only have Florida winning five games in 2023. Will that be the case? They have a new quarterback in Graham Mertz that can inspire the Gator offense to be better than a year ago.
With veterans all over the field, Arkansas has the advantage in that category alone in 4 of the 6 games, respectively. Honestly, I don’t expect wins at LSU or Alabama but I can see a path for Arkansas to go 4-2 in this stretch of games on their way to a 9 or 10 win season. The calls and ball will have to go in Arkansas’ direction in multiple games similar to the 2021 season.
How do you think the Hogs navigate through this stretch? With Dan Enos returning and an intense group of new assistant coaches it’s worth thinking they can be very successful in 2023.
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