In case you haven’t noticed, there’s an Arkansas football game today.
After a week of probably more stories about athletic director Hunter Yurachek than a game coming up this evening against a Tulsa Golden Hurricane team that is undefeated.
Maybe not enough talk this week. Tulsa beat Oklahoma State to start the season and really haven’t looked back since then. Part of their credibility comes from the Cowboys’ win over Oregon.
A lot of folks are dismissing the Golden Hurricane, pointing out the Razorbacks’ roster is probably more talented but still some reluctance to ride with a win prediction.
Some people are sticking with the Hogs to win this. Tulsa has provided a second win in a 2-10 season before. Remember Chad Morris’ first season when the Hogs got a 23-0 win before turning around to lose to Vanderbilt the next week at home?
Arkansas coach Ryan Silverfield has said the correct things all week. He’s praised the Golden Hurricane lineup and been careful to not give any bulletin board material.
With a team like the Razorbacks have this year, making these guesses early is a little like throwing darts blindfolded. You’ve got a good idea what the target is but hitting it blindly isn’t a good bet.
Quarterback questions cloud Arkansas outlook
That’s the way this one shakes out but while everyone wants to take the Hogs, they’ve given absolutely no proof they can close out a win even over a team they should beat handily.
Maybe the thing that makes folks to most uncertain is the mystery around why coaches can’t seem to settle on a starting quarterback. It shouldn’t be this hard.
KJ Jackson has clearly looked to be the most consistent but the coaches think they see something that causes them pause. It makes you wonder about the details of why they can’t just put together a package of what he can do well and let him develop it.
That’s the way most coaches handle it.
All of this drama at the most important position on a football team is why this week’s pick is probably hope more than a realistic projection. There are too many variables in this game.
The one I keep coming back to is Tulsa having a win over Oklahoma State and then a couple of wins over Sam Houston State and East Texas State that weren’t particularly impressive.
In other words, the Golden Hurricane aren’t impressing anybody either. The Razorbacks can get their second win of the season but it probably won’t be impressive.
It might be some kind of progress, though. Hogs 27, Cowboys 24
Picks around the SEC this week
No. 1 Texas at No. 14 Tennessee: A lot of people, particularly in Arkansas, are pulling like crazy for the Vols in this one mainly because they hate the Longhorns so much. This is going to be a rowdy crowd in a sea of orange that will be two different colors of the same one. It could be another chance for Arch Manning to move up in the Heisman voters’ minds. Texas by 9.
South Alabama at Kentucky: This is really the only Good Grief game on the schedule as we move more into all-SEC games. This one may have a Wildcats’ hangover from some good outings but they need more wins and may be the most improved team in the SEC this year. Of course it’s still early but they’ll win this one fairly easily. Kentucky by 17.
No. 4 Ole Miss at No. 21 Florida: No idea when the Rebels quit celebrating the win over LSU but it probably wasn’t quickly. How that affects them in this game nobody really knows for sure until this afternoon. The Gators may be at home but Ole Miss still has the better roster, some big-game wins and they beat the new Florida coach twice last season. In the end, though, the Rebels may just have the better team this year. Rebels by 9.
Oklahoma at No. 2 Georgia: We’ll find out today if the Sooner’s defense that’s supposed to be so good can actually measure up to the best in the league. The Bulldogs haven’t really been tested this season and Oklahoma provides that first challenge. We’ll see pretty fast how they plays out but the guess here is they can’t shut down Georgia. Razorback fans saw up close and personal last week just how good Kirby Smart’s team is this year. Georgia by 11.
Vanderbilt at Auburn: The Commodores had a miracle win last week, but that probably isn’t something folks should expect every year. It’s a tough way to plan on piling up wins and the Tigers with new coach Alex Golesh are still struggling at times to find their way in one of those complete SEC re-building jobs. It may end up being a fairly close game, though. Tigers by 4.
South Carolina at No. 8 Alabama: Gamecocks got beat at home by a Mississippi State team that just might be the most improved team in the league. They have a quarterback and there are indications they may have shrugged off the problems closing out wins like they had last season. If they have managed that, they could be one of those pesky teams in the conference that causes problems. Crimson Tide by 13.
No. 23 Texas A&M at No. 10 LSU: After last week’s gut-wrenching loss to Ole Miss, how Lane Kiffin gets the Tigers to bounce back this week will be the story of this game. The Aggies got kicked all over the field against Kentucky so they’ve got their own problems to worry about but one of these teams will be walking a fine line after this game to even get mentioned around playoff time. Tigers by 3.
No. 19 Missouri at No. 24 Mississippi State: This game probably won’t draw the same amout of eyeballs the Aggies-LSU game will but may be a much closer battle. Eli Drinkwitz’ team just keeps hanging in these games and getting wins at the end of the year. The Bulldogs have a quarterback in Kamario Taylor that’s putting himself in the picture of best-performing quarterbacks so far this season. It will be interesting how they jump if they can pull of a win in this one. Bulldogs by 2.
