Football
How high did Hogs leap in media, coaches polls Sunday?
The Razorbacks crack the Top 10 for the first time since 2012 and now expectations are through the roof.
All of these power polls and rankings really don’t mean a lot for another couple of months but Arkansas is getting back in the mix.
They are higher than at any point since 2012. Of course that was a rather forgettable year when they started high and finished nowhere.
The 20-10 win over Texas A&M added some legitimacy to a 4-0 start. Taking ownership over the biggest teams in Texas doing it is just a bonus.
Finally back where it belongs! A huge thank you from our staff and players for the fans support yesterday! #turnthatdamnjukeboxon #gohogs pic.twitter.com/LSEeHnu6pc
— Coach Sam Pittman (@CoachSamPittman) September 26, 2021
Right or wrong a large number of folks in Arkansas would rather beat the Longhorns and Aggies than the Crimson Tide or Tigers.
Sunday, the Hogs moved seven spots in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll to No. 11, which has kept them a couple of spots behind the media poll.
They leaped all the way to No. 8 in the Associated Press poll.
In the win over the Aggies, Sam Pittman got Hogs coaches Eric Musselman (men’s basketball) and Dave Van Horn (baseball) to be on the sidelines. Those are the two most visible coaches right now.
Turn that damn jukebox on @CoachSamPittman!! @RazorbackFB pic.twitter.com/VqeihLrEWB
— Eric Musselman (@EricPMusselman) September 25, 2021
That’s not a knock on other coaches but there are some limits on the number of folks just standing and watching from the sidelines during games.
He called both early last week.
“I just told ’em I think we’ll be more powerful if you guys come on the sidelines and stand there,” Pittman said Saturday after the win. “It was a special moment for me. I mean, it was Dave Van Horn and Eric Musselman. I mean my god.”
He almost sounded in awe of Van Horn’s regular trips to Omaha and what Musselman has accomplished in a short time at Fayetteville.
Pittman is getting the enthusiasm. The Hogs are getting respect.
The stage gets bigger this week and the spotlight brighter. No. 2 Georgia is next, the game is on the road, ESPN GameDay is going to be in Athens.
Now they have to keep winning.
? A T H E N S
We’re headed to the Classic City for @RazorbackFB vs. @GeorgiaFootball ? pic.twitter.com/aXlh6GamBy
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) September 26, 2021
