Arkansas football‘s matchup with Mississippi State this weekend represents a swing game for the Razorbacks‘ hopes of bowl-eligibility.
A win over the Bulldogs would give Arkansas five victories this season, and the Hogs will be heavily favored at home against Louisiana Tech in late November. However, a loss would mean Arkansas (4-3, 2-2 SEC) needs at least one victory against Ole Miss, Texas and Missouri — and the Hogs will likely be underdogs in all three of those matchups.
“Our kids will be excited to try to get to postseason, and we’ve got to rebound next week, obviously, because I think Mississippi State is playing a lot better than what they did early in the year,” Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman said after Saturday’s loss to LSU.
To this point, the biggest boost to Arkansas’ postseason hopes was a win over Tennessee earlier this month. The 19-14 victory forced bowl prognosticators to universally plug the Hogs in their latest projections.
Arkansas and Mississippi State will kickoff 11:45 a.m. CT Saturday on SEC Network.
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The SEC is likely to land multiple teams in the College Football Playoff. The top team that does not make the Playoff will land in the Citrus Bowl, with the SEC assigning teams to eight other bowls with conference affiliations.
Here’s a look at where major media outlets have Arkansas bowling after its loss to LSU.
Kyle Bonagura of ESPN has picked the Razorbacks to face Tulane in the Birmingham Bowl in his most recent projections. That matchup would take place on Dec. 27 in Birmingham, Ala.
His colleague, Mark Schlabach, projected that the Razorbacks will face Cincinnati in the Texas Bowl. The matchup would take place on Dec. 31 at NRG Stadium, home of the NFL’s Houston Texans.
Jerry Palm of CBS Sports predicts Arkansas will play Illinois in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30. That would be an enticing matchup setting up a reunion between the Razorbacks and their former head coach, Brett Bielema, in Nashville, Tenn.
247Sports‘ Brad Crawford has the Hogs facing West Virginia at the Liberty Bowl in his latest forecast. That matchup would take place Dec. 27 in Memphis, Tenn. The Hogs’ most recent bowl game was also set at the Liberty Bowl in 2022.
Brett McMurphy of Action Network predicts Arkansas will face Louisville in the Taxslayer Gator Bowl. That game would take place on Jan. 2 in Jacksonville, Fla.
