December 5, 2023

The Razorbacks will be lucky to be better than the 5-win team.
picture: Getty Images

The Arkansas Razorbacks football team is coming off one of their best seasons of the 21st century: nine wins, their most since 2011 and a victory in the Outback Bowl. Yes sir, things are already starting to look for Razorbacks. Even better, most of their key players return for the 2022 season. KJ Jefferson will be back. Four of the team’s offensive linemen will shine again in 2022.

Trillon Smith moved in on the back, but it was clear the Razorbacks were opting for more of a commission approach in their backcourt with Rahim Sanders and Dominic Johnson getting more as the season progressed. Smith can be replaced. Yes, Treylon Burks is a huge loss, but hopefully someone else can get ahead in the scrolling game. They had quite a few receivers this year, including former No. 1 candidate Jadon Haslewood. Perhaps he can fill the role left by Birx.

There were some losses in defense, but nothing that Arkansas couldn’t overcome. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if Arkansas finishes with fewer than five wins next year.

Despite all the talent they bring to the table next year, Arkansas 2022 a program It is an absolute challenge with no downtime, no gimme games, and no room for error. I know the SEC is always tough, but julie their other games aren’t any easier.

The team opens the season with Cincinnati. This is difficult as it is. This was followed by home games against South Carolina and Missouri. Arkansas should have at least one win during this stretch. Then comes the absolute gauntlet. Texas A&M, Alabama, in Mississippi, in BYU, in Auburn, Liberty, LSU, Ole Miss, and Missouri to close things off. Get it! Aside from Missouri, these are all games the Razorbacks can lose. Freedom is questionable without owner Willis, but why on earth is a timeline of all these high-profile non-conference games in one season, especially when you’ll actually be playing SEC all year long as well? If you play Bama, LSU, Texas A&M, and Auburn in the same season, I think your schedule would be fine without scheduling two teams that finished the season in the AP Top-20. Give your team a break every once in a while.

The hardest part of that schedule will be that four-week period in the middle of the season where Arkansas gets Alabama at home followed by three straight games on the road. At least the team gets a farewell week before facing Auburn, the last game of this stretch, but this is the easiest match! If anything, you want to take a breather before facing Bama or LSU, but no. The sky absolutely forbids anything going the way of Arkansas with their schedule.

With all the promises Arkansas showed last year, and with talent coming in, there’s a chance this team could lose expectations and go 10-2 or 9-3. However, I think Arkansas is more likely to give in to their schedule mid-season and end up around 0.500, and I don’t think it’s silly to expect the Razorbacks to go 4-8 or even 3-9. They are better than that. They shouldn’t, but that’s not beyond the realm of possibilities.

The insane contrast between the Razorbacks’ roof and floor is a bettors’ worst nightmare, but for my money, if I had to bet the Arkansas gross for 2022, I’d get under 7.5 every day of the week.

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