FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas fans are hoping these video games are seriously wrong. Since these electronic games work off algorithms bad publicity can’t even be blamed.
They are apparently struggling in simulations, too.
On July 10, EA Sports will launch its long-awaited “College Football 26,” and Razorback got a taste of what to expect after the HawgSports crew ran series of simulations. They used the game’s dynasty mode to play out a full 2025 season for Arkansas — not once, but 10 times.
What the algorithm delivered wasn’t the best with an average outcome is a sub-.500 season. Hanging around .500 is exactly where the oddsmakers have the Hogs going into a year with more questions than answers.
Arkansas, coming off a year that saw flashes of promise but not nearly enough production, faces a schedule that could break even the most optimistic hearts. The season starts at home against Alabama A&M, but then three games away from Razorback Stadium.
That includes a first-ever matchup with Arkansas State at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. The Hogs then dive straight into SEC play at Ole Miss, before a non-conference tilt at Memphis and a historic home clash with Notre Dame.
The simulation was not kind. In 10 tries, Arkansas averaged just under six wins, with only about three coming in SEC play.
Four runs ended with bowl eligibility, but the majority suggested another year on the outside looking in. The game’s code saw Notre Dame as an insurmountable obstacle, with the Razorbacks losing all 10 simulated meetings.
Texas and Texas A&M also dominated, picking up nine wins apiece against the Razorbacks. Auburn, perhaps surprisingly, joined the list of perennial headaches, beating the Hogs in all but two runs.
There were bright spots, though. In every simulation, Arkansas dispatched the FCS opponent.
In the SEC, Missouri proved manageable with the Razorbacks winning eight out of 10 games. Memphis only managed a single simulated victory. Arkansas State took two wins in the digital world.
National media watching with a measure of caution. Athlon Sports and other outlets see Arkansas as a possible bowl team but project the Razorbacks to finish in the lower half of the SEC West.
“There’s talent, but the schedule is brutal and the questions about stability are real,” said Andy Hodges on Sports Illustrated.
In this case, the world of electronic make-believe is strangely similar to what fans and media generally are thinking.
Pittman enters with maybe more at stake than ever. After a rollercoaster few seasons, his seat has gone from warm to scorching. He probably knows it better than anybody because he’s the one sitting on it, whether he’ll admit it publicly or not.
There are some that believe the university’s patience may be running thin, especially if the team fails to reach a bowl. That’s a scenario EA’s simulation sees as more likely than not.
The Razorbacks’ 2024 bowl win in Memphis offered hope, but then again so did the Liberty Bowl win over Kansas after the 2022 season. It wasn’t great in 2023.
The video game’s accuracy is uncanny. Last year’s EA Sports simulation for Arkansas came within a game of the actual result. Fans and analysts alike have begun to treat these preseason projections with more seriousness.
Some see them as not just as entertainment, but legitimate tea leaves for the months ahead. That’s because there’s moe data to analyze.
The Razorbacks will open the season August 30 against Alabama A&M at Razorback Stadium and it will probably be a blistering 3:30 start. The game will be televised on SEC Network.
