FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Considering Arkansas has never won an SEC title in their 32 seasons in the league, expectations are not exactly for a championship. Especially in a season filled with this many questions.
There have been times those have yielded big results. You can go back to Danny Ford managing to win the SEC West in 1995 and Houston Nutt backing into the championship game in 2002 because Alabama was on probation. Those years ended with a thud in Atlanta in the SEC Championship game.
It was the same thing in 2006 when it looked like the Razorbacks could actually go beyond anybody’s dreams and have a shot at the first legitimate national championshp in school history. (Sorry, but you don’t get to change the rules because you don’t like the final outcome in 1964.) A couple of key injuries de-railed things at the end that year in losses to LSU and Florida in the SEC Championship game.
There were an awful lot of questions with those teams at this point before the season started. You can throw 1998 in there, too. Nobody was expecting that team to be a fumble away from playing for a championship in Nutt’s first season.
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You could go back even farther. My buddy Jim Harris and I were the only media people in the state of Arkansas in 1977 that thought before the season that team would end up in the Orange Bowl against Oklahoma. And could win it.
The natural tendency to predict seasons involves looking at last year’s record, see how many starters are coming back and who they play at home on the schedule. The facts are what happened last year really doesn’t matter in a new year and last week’s game has nothing to do with the current one.
Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman has more questions than he has answers right now. He won’t get many of the answers in fall camp. You never do because there have been a ton of practice All-Americans that couldn’t play against SEC teams.
We’ll hear from Pittman on Tuesday and the strength coach, basically re-capping the summer workouts. He’ll also deliver a state of the program, but watch him not make any bold predictions because he’s told us before he doesn’t really know anything until they start playing league games.
Sorry, fans, but your hopes aren’t facts. This team has some really good players. Maybe even a few that are star-level. The problem is to compete for championships you need about 44 of those guys because injuries will happen. Or goofy officials’ calls, which leads to all these conspiracy theories of SEC trying to keep the Hogs down. We’ll hear about depth all season.
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We have no idea what the answers will be this year. That’s why they play the games. There have been times little was expected of the Razorbacks and they exceeded that bar, too, but Chad Morris isn’t around anymore.
This time may roll into Stillwater, Okla., on the second week of the season and kick Oklahoma State sideways. That will re-energize a fan base that has become terribly bored with the course of football. Most of the discussion I’ve heard throughout the summer has been about basketball and John Calipari.
So you understand what I’m talking about it’s not getting to 6 or 7 wins. That’s just being a little better than anyone expects. To really make a drastic turnaround it’s got to be at least 8 regular-season wins and hope you don’t waste it with a lackluster bowl game effort (those have happened, too).
Good for you if that improvement is what you’re looking to see. It is better than the last couple of years, but everybody will have their own context.
People talk about these paths they see to a certain number of wins. Some are realistic, others are based on counting on something happening without any evidence to support that. Aside from all that, just excuse me for taking it week by week.
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There are too many questions we don’t even know about right now. Let’s at least find out if a new kicker can get it consistently between the uprights.
HOGS FEED:
• Razorbacks close summer with Hog Wild Hangout over weekend
• Mateos adds in-state prospect to 2026 class
• Hogs make huge splash with another 2025 commitment
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It’s that time of year again. Coaches at Arkansas and across the country try to convince fans and the media that this is the greatest team they’ve ever seen. Everybody is pulling in the same direction and has made a hockey-stick growth level that rivals Silicon Valley tech startups.
Being my first year on the beat, I fell for it hook, line and sinker along with a portion of the fanbase before quickly being returned to a cruel reality. A 4-8 season where apathy kicked in as early as the fourth game of the season. Fans may still carry that apathy and resentment as the Razorbacks try and sell the same package to fans as they did last year. A team camaraderie so high it can overcome many of the challenges this year.
However, there may just be at least some iota of truth to some of it. A recent video of defensive coordinator Travis Williams talking to his team got former NFL receiver Randy Moss so excited that he wanted to come out of retirement.
Thinking bout coming outta retirement for this coach!!YEAH COACH https://t.co/OeW3nNg0WC
Golf fanatics look away, as offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino simplifies the game of golf beyond recognition, but fans may be getting some inside look as to why quarterback Taylen Green was hand-picked to lead the offensive coordinator and the chemistry between mentor and mentee.
Chemistry and camaraderie don’t count for any tangible wins. Oddsmakers and media members remain unmoved. BetSaracen has the over/under for Arkansas wins set at 4.5. Arkansas was picked to finish 14th in the SEC behind just Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. Perhaps, if nothing else the little viral moments will slowly chip away at the apathy after last season.
HOGS FEED:
• Razorbacks close summer with splash at Hog Wild Hangout
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• Mateos adds in-state prospect to 2026 class
• Hogs make huge splash with another 2025 commitment
• Subscribe and follow us on YouTube • Follow allHOGS on Xand Facebook
Pictured here are six of the most expensive houses sold in Little Rock during the week of July 1-5.
“Sold” refers to the date on which the real estate deed was recorded by the Pulaski County circuit clerk, irrespective of the actual sale date.
$1.38 million. 67 Sologne Circle on Monday, April 18, 2022. Owned by Laxmi Thummalakunta and the Avyay Trust, a house behind this gate — at 208 Sologne Court — was sold to Jennifer and Jonathan Dotson. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Stephen Swofford)
$1.075 million. 23 La Scala Court. Owned by ParFour LLC, a house behind this gate was sold to Rebecca and James Jones and the Buddy and Rebecca Jones Living Trust. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Colin Murphey)
$1,052,280. 14 Deauville Circle. Owned by Kelly and Jon Carnahan and the Carnahan Living Trust, a house behind this gate — at 18 Deauville Circle — was sold to Jennifer and Jordan Greer. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Colin Murphey)
$1.05 million. 16 Cascades Drive. Owned by Sandra and Michael Sheppard, this house was sold to Jessica and Matthew Selig. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Colin Murphey)
$959,999. 3804 Gordon Road. Owned by Dakota Properties Inc., this house was sold to Michelle and Frank Cuervo. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Thomas Metthe)
Donna Turk Kuykendall, age 81, of Texarkana, Arkansas, went to be with her Lord and Savior on Friday, July 26, 2024, surrounded by her family. Mrs. Kuykendall was born on December 28, 1942, in Village, Arkansas, and lived in the Texarkana area most of her life. She was a retired
$1.075 million. 23 La Scala Court. Owned by ParFour LLC, a house behind this gate was sold to Rebecca and James Jones and the Buddy and Rebecca Jones Living Trust. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Colin Murphey)
$1,052,280. 14 Deauville Circle. Owned by Kelly and Jon Carnahan and the Carnahan Living Trust, a house behind this gate — at 18 Deauville Circle — was sold to Jennifer and Jordan Greer. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Colin Murphey)
$1.05 million. 16 Cascades Drive. Owned by Sandra and Michael Sheppard, this house was sold to Jessica and Matthew Selig. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Colin Murphey)
$959,999. 3804 Gordon Road. Owned by Dakota Properties Inc., this house was sold to Michelle and Frank Cuervo. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Thomas Metthe)
