2008 Woodie Awards
Hogs' road to bowl game gets tougher in November
Matt Watson
Issue date: 10/31/07 Section: Sports
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After crushing Florida International Saturday in front of a less-than-capacity Homecoming crowd, the Razorbacks are 3-0 in conference games. Sunbelt Conference games, that is.
Arkansas has more victories against Sunbelt opponents, three, than North Texas and Florida International, two Sunbelt teams, combined - one win.
In fact, the only Sunbelt team that hasn't lost a conference game is Troy University, who lost to the Hogs in Fayetteville in the season opener.
The Razorbacks' non conference opponents have a combined 9-23 record this year.
According to teamrankings.com, Arkansas has the 66th toughest schedule in the country, right in the middle of the pack. However, among Southeastern Conference teams, the Hogs are dead last in strength of schedule. The next closest team is LSU, with the 41st toughest slate this season.
The Razorbacks have won four of their last five games to improve to 5-3 on the year, but those four wins came over teams with a cumulative 5-28 record.
There are three teams on the docket in November that have been in the top 15 in the AP poll at some point between the preseason and now - South Carolina, Tennessee and LSU. The other team on the schedule is Mississippi State, who has already beaten Auburn and Kentucky this season, two teams that beat Arkansas in Fayetteville.
"We have four very good opponents left, and all of them are doing very well," head coach Houston Nutt said. "You've got to roll up your sleeves now and go to work and put it together."
So the road to a bowl game for the Hogs will only get tougher come November, when their four opponents have a combined record of 23-11.
The Razorbacks' 2007 season is reminiscent of the one the 2002 Arkansas squad put together, which ended in a Music City Bowl birth against Minnesota.
Five years ago the Hogs stood at 5-3 (2-3) after a win at home against Troy the first weekend of November. They had already lost to Kentucky and Alabama at home, and had beat Ole Miss in October, just like this year's team. The 2002 Hogs also won all four of their non conference regular season games.
Arkansas has more victories against Sunbelt opponents, three, than North Texas and Florida International, two Sunbelt teams, combined - one win.
In fact, the only Sunbelt team that hasn't lost a conference game is Troy University, who lost to the Hogs in Fayetteville in the season opener.
The Razorbacks' non conference opponents have a combined 9-23 record this year.
According to teamrankings.com, Arkansas has the 66th toughest schedule in the country, right in the middle of the pack. However, among Southeastern Conference teams, the Hogs are dead last in strength of schedule. The next closest team is LSU, with the 41st toughest slate this season.
The Razorbacks have won four of their last five games to improve to 5-3 on the year, but those four wins came over teams with a cumulative 5-28 record.
There are three teams on the docket in November that have been in the top 15 in the AP poll at some point between the preseason and now - South Carolina, Tennessee and LSU. The other team on the schedule is Mississippi State, who has already beaten Auburn and Kentucky this season, two teams that beat Arkansas in Fayetteville.
"We have four very good opponents left, and all of them are doing very well," head coach Houston Nutt said. "You've got to roll up your sleeves now and go to work and put it together."
So the road to a bowl game for the Hogs will only get tougher come November, when their four opponents have a combined record of 23-11.
The Razorbacks' 2007 season is reminiscent of the one the 2002 Arkansas squad put together, which ended in a Music City Bowl birth against Minnesota.
Five years ago the Hogs stood at 5-3 (2-3) after a win at home against Troy the first weekend of November. They had already lost to Kentucky and Alabama at home, and had beat Ole Miss in October, just like this year's team. The 2002 Hogs also won all four of their non conference regular season games.
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