Arkansas rises in ESPN FPI after Louisiana Tech win

The Arkansas Razorbacks (6-5, 3-4 SEC) jumped in the ESPN Football Power Index (FPI) following their 35-14 win Saturday over the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.

After coming in at 32nd overall following their loss to Texas, the Razorbacks moved up three spots to No. 29 off the back of the win over Louisiana Tech in ESPN’s FPI this week.

Head coach Sam Pittman’s squad now has a 6.3-5.7 projected win total and has secured six wins for bowl eligibility. Arkansas, of course, no longer has a chance at winning the SEC or making the College Football Playoff, according to the FPI.

According to ESPN, Arkansas now has the 15th-highest SOS (strength of schedule) and the 26th-best remaining SOS. The Razorbacks also slot in at No. 33 in Game Control rank, which reflects the chance that an average Top 25 team would control games from start to end. Finally, Arkansas is No. 56 in average in-game win probability.

After 13 weeks of football, Arkansas dropped to No. 36 in the country in efficiency rankings, according to ESPN. This includes a 59.1 (No. 46) offensive rating.

The defensive rating moved up to 67.7 (No. 27) this week, and the special teams unit increased its rating to 45.2 (No. 87) after the Louisiana Tech game.

Compared to the rest of the SEC, the Razorbacks come in at No. 13 in the FPI just above Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Mississippi State. The Hogs are the same in the efficiency department, as they slot in at No. 13 in the SEC.

Arkansas’ next matchup will be on the road against No. 23 Missouri (8-3, 4-3 SEC), which ranks No. 33 in ESPN’s FPI with a 61.1 offensive efficiency (43rd) and 74.4 defensive efficiency (16th).

Per ESPN analytics, Arkansas has a 33.3% chance of beating Missouri this week.

The Razorbacks’ game against the Tigers will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. It will be broadcast on SEC Network.