It’s funny how quickly the college football world develops amnesia. One year you torch Volunteers in Knoxville and close the season dunking on oil-money backed Texas Tech in a bowl game, and the next? Folks act like you’re fighting for scraps at the kids’ table. That’s the mood around Fayetteville right now—Arkansas just went 7–6, found their kick under one of the best offensive geniuses, Bobby Petrino’s offense, and yet, preseason polls got them sitting near rock bottom. And Sam Pittman? Man, he’s not letting that disrespect slide.
The Razorbacks weren’t supposed to mid in 2024 (they kinda were). But they blasted Arkansas–Pine Bluff 70–0, flexed SEC muscle against Auburn, and delivered one of the nastiest upsets of the year, toppling the then #4 Tennessee. Taylen Green aired it out for 3,100+ yards, Andrew Armstrong snagged 1,100 yards himself, and Ja’Quinden Jackson gave them a legit ground game. And to top it off? A Liberty Bowl 39-26 dub over Joey McGuire’s Texas Tech. That’s no “bottom-feeder” résumé.
But when the SEC Media Days poll dropped? Arkansas was chilling at 14 out of 16. Similarly, Phil Steele, SB Nation, and a whole bunch of others weren’t exactly hyping the Hogs either and placed the Razorbacks in the lower tier of the SEC. Mainly because 7-6 is mediocre by SEC standards. The national Coaches Poll didn’t even bother sliding them into the Top 25—though they snuck 14 votes. ESPN’s Football Power Index threw them a bone with a #22 slot, but that’s about it. Translation: outside of Fayetteville, nobody’s buying stock.
Gotta love Sam Pittman’s bold confidence at the @LRTouchdownClub!
Basically saying, “I’ve got a damn good football team. Don’t wanna ranks us? Fine. We’re gonna roll the ball out there, kick their ass and let’m find out I’ve got a band of wild Razorback hogs.” pic.twitter.com/4iEr6NDWlA
— Jacob Davis (@JacobScottDavis) August 19, 2025
Sam Pittman, though, he’s allergic to disrespect. On August 18, the Razorback HC rolled into the Little Rock Touchdown Club with his new hip and no filter: “I don’t know what the guys who never played a down predicted us and all kind of stuff,” he fired back. “But I know we got a really good freshman class, we do. Hence, if you don’t want to rank us, that’s fine. Don’t you all have to play of em anyway? Roll that thing out there, and let’s see what happens.” Yeah, you heard the coach!
Arkansas’s 2025 freshman class is stacked with players who can flip games on both sides of the ball. Leading the charge is WR Antonio Jordan, a 6’6” baller who straight up cooked defenses in high school, racking up over 1,000 yards and 14 touchdowns his senior year. He’s the kind of red-zone threat the Hogs have been missing. On defense, LB Tavion Wallace and DT Kevin Oatis look like plug-and-play beasts, ready to make a noise the second they hit the field.
Pittman doubled down: “We don’t need to be ranked if you don’t want to rank it. We surprise a lot of people…We ain’t surprising me, we’ve got a really good football team. We really, really do, and we’re excited to get out there and play.” To be fair, Arkansas lost almost a third of its roster to the transfer portal. That’s the type of turnover that makes pollsters nervous. But Pittman flipped that into an opportunity like a capitalist.
He snagged New Mexico State running back Mike Washington Jr., who already jumped over Benton bruiser Braylen Russell for RB1 duties. Then you got Razorbacks like UAB transfer O’Mega Blake or 30-year-old Monte Harrison—yeah, the ex-MLB guy—who might just be the wild card nobody’s game-planning for.
And because Pittman bleeds offensive line, he swears the Hogs’ trenches are upgraded, too. Defensively, they patched holes with DE Justus Boone from Florida, plus a deeper secondary rotation featuring Taijh Overton and Jayden Shelton. So yeah, Arkansas got snubbed. But Pittman’s betting on culture, portal plugs, and an offense that nearly broke school records last year to keep them in the fight. He’s telling the rest of the SEC: you can laugh now, but we’re gonna see each other in the fall.
Can Sam Pittman walk the talk? Schedule and total wins
Here’s the real test. Trash talk is fun in August, but September exposes the truth. Arkansas opens light with Alabama A&M, then an in-state grudge with Arkansas State. Easy enough. But right after? They get Ole Miss on the road, Memphis away, and a home date with Notre Dame on September 27. Yeah, the Irish in Fayetteville—that’s a swing game with trap written all over it.
October isn’t forgiving either. Trips to Knoxville for Tennessee, Josh Heupel’s squad is waiting for revenge. Then home matchups with Texas A&M and Auburn, then LSU and Texas, both on the road, before wrapping with Missouri at home. That’s a murderers’ row even before you count the Notre Dame tilt. Basically, Pittman’s gotta keep his squad from catching too many L’s in a row or the season could slide ugly.
Vegas is already smirking. Oddsmakers pinned Arkansas’ win total at 5.5, shading toward the under. Most analysts see 5–7 overall with maybe 2 SEC wins. Bowl game? Depends on stealing a couple of scalps. Notre Dame looks like the make-or-break moment: make an upset, and suddenly you’re staring at 7 wins. Drop it, and the climb to bowl eligibility gets steep.
As for futures? They’re long shots bordering on fantasy. BetMGM’s got Arkansas at +15,000 to win the SEC and +20,000 to sniff the national championship. Playoff odds are +2200. In gambler talk, that’s lotto ticket territory. But Pittman isn’t worried about the books—he’s worried about proving every talking head wrong. If Arkansas goes bowling again, Pittman buys himself more time and more credibility. If not? The hot seat whispers turn into roars. That’s the razor-thin line the Hogs are walking in 2025: surprise people, or get surprised right out of SEC relevance.
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