Worst Case Scenario for Razorback Football in 2023

Last week we went into a game by game detail of Arkansas’ best case scenario for 2023. That was a 10-win regular season campaign that saw Arkansas winning road games against LSU and Ole Miss plus a neutral site over Texas A&M.

Now, this is one of the more depressing outlooks to have to type due to the fact you’re looking at what happens when the hurting comes. What if KJ Jefferson goes down again? What if Rocket Sanders is out? What if the group of linebackers aren’t as productive as we thought? Will the secondary actually be improved?

The Non-Conference

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Not every game is a gimme but it’s fair to think that Sam Pittman’s second game to coach inside of War Memorial Stadium will be a victory. Games in Little Rock don’t hit like they used. With the Hogs hosting another mid FCS team it should be a cakewalk. Unless there is some sort of mass exodus of players come down with a sickness Arkansas will WIN this one.

Week two becomes kind of tricky with a Kent State team that pushed defending national champion Georgia last year in Athens. The Razorbacks were stunned last season in Fayetteville against a very good Liberty squad but expect Pittman to have his team to be focused against non-conference opponents in 2023. We’ll count this one a WIN for now.

BYU was a dangerous team last season at home with Jaren Hall at quarterback and Puca Nakua tearing up a depleted Razorback secondary. Now, both of them have departed and the Cougar offense could be taking a step back.

Arkansas’ ability to move the football against a now Big 12 team will probably happen with ease. It’s probably going to be a rebuilding seasons in Utah. We’ll call a hogs WIN.

Troubled Times

SEC play begins with a road game at LSU, Texas A&M at Jerry’s World, another road matchup with Ole Miss and finishing up with Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

The Tigers could be undefeated with a huge top ten win over Florida State to begin the year. Is Arkansas ready to take the next step in the Pittman tenure and win big early season games?

How will the Arkansas defense handle the elusive Jayden Daniels? They did a good job last year but with this being a road game and a potential night atmosphere at Tiger Stadium it could be hard to overcome. This could be the first LOSS of the season.

Texas A&M has a manageable schedule and will likely be sitting 3-0 going in. The Bobby Petrino project for Jimbo Fisher will be interesting. Will Fisher allow Petrino to call his own plays as offensive coordinator? It could either be a huge disaster or a home run hire.

Petrino might be looking to put away 12 years of feelings against his former school. If allowed to have complete control of the offense the Aggies will be a darkhorse in the SEC Western division. Hogs LOSE.

KJ Jefferson will be looking to finish what he couldn’t in 2021: winning a game in what is essentially his hometown. Ole Miss has a very stout run game that ranked second in the nation last year. Arkansas will have gaps to fill within the interior defensive. Plus, the linebackers and nickelbacks will also need to be proactive in stopping the Rebels if they want to leave Oxford with a victory.

The Razorbacks haven’t won in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium since the miraculous comeback in 2017. Ole Miss will be in the third game of a gruesome four week stretch that starts with a road game against Alabama, home games against LSU and Arkansas, and a road game at Auburn against former head coach Hugh Freeze. The Hogs find a way to LOSE this one.

Will Alabama be a somewhat normal opponent?

No one really knows how good Alabama football will be in 2023. If the spring game tells you anything it’s that they could struggle mightily on offense this fall. The Crimson Tide added Notre Dame transfer quarterback Tyler Buchner this week but he didn’t see the field much due to an injury in week two. It’s not a good sign that other highly touted quarterback on campus can’t take reins of the open starting job yet either.

Saban has always found a way to defeat the Razorbacks in every game he has coached against them while at Alabama. With as talented and deep of a defense this Crimson Tide team will have this year it makes sense that Arkansas can count this one as a LOSS, too.

Home Sweet Home?

Going back home to Fayetteville will be very sweet. With a long midseason losing streak for the third straight year out of the way Arkansas will be ready to put away there losing ways and press the reset button. Mississippi State comes to town with a lot of unknowns with a new offensive scheme. Although they bring back star quarterback Will Rogers how effective will he be?

The Bulldogs always seem to have a strong defense and that should be no surprise considering this team is coached by Zach Arnett. Will Arkansas be limping into this one with a bye week coming. A WIN will be needed at the right time and that’s exactly how this one will fall.

Yay, another road game at Florida

Florida comes calling after the bye week and with two weeks to be as healthy as possible Arkansas will be seeking their first victory in program history in Gainesville. Florida will be replacing a lot of production off a team that went 6-6 last year. Arkansas will have more talent up and down the depth chart and the most important position on the field (quarterback). The Razorback upswing will be back in order as they WIN at Florida.

Honestly, the late season turnaround continues with Auburn making their way to Fayetteville. Arkansas has lost every home game to the Tigers dating back to the 2015 season. Arkansas has won their past two SEC games with hope to get to .500 in SEC play for the second time under Sam Pittman.

Winning streak continued?

This series was very even before both programs went in two separate trajectories in 2012. Although Auburn has won eight of the last ten meetings it’s Arkansas that has all the momentum going whether it be on the gridiron or recruiting. Hogs continue getting it done down the stretch with a WIN over Auburn.

Arkansas takes on Florida International in the final non-conference game game of the season. The Razorbacks completely destroyed the Panthers in 2007 with Darren McFadden and company. This time should be no different with Arkansas winning their past three conference games. Hogs WIN big!

The homestand continues with the Battle Line Rivalry and Missouri in town. The hate in this rivalry continues as one side believes they’re the better program while the other continues their unprecedented dominating run in the series.

Arkansas will be wanting this one more than any on the schedule with the disappointing performance last season in Columbia. In the past three seasons the Razorbacks have enforced their will when it comes to running the football. Trelon Smith and Raheim Sanders have carved up the Tigers each year and they’ll make sure to take care of business at home this season. The Razorbacks will be desperate to put away Missouri for good this time and take hold of a series they’ve never had an advantage in.

Arkansas WINS in Jefferson’s final regular season game in a Razorback uniform so you know it’s going to mean more for the Sardis, (Miss.) native.

FINAL RECORD: 8-4 (4-4 SEC)

The 2023 season in the worse case scenario ends up similar to the 2021 season. There’s no reason for the floor of this team to be less than 7-8 victories at all. They seem to have upgraded at every position and are just young at linebacker. Right now, there’s plenty of time to add talent at certain positions to create more depth whether it be at defensive tackle, linebacker or offensive line.

Coach Pittman seems to think that the majority of Arkansas’ roster will remain intact once fall camp begins. So far, that’s seemed to be the case with only one player, tight end Landon Jackson, to have entered the transfer portal in the latest window.

What is your worst case scenario for Razorback Football in 2023? Leave your comment below.