Arkansas falls out of AFCA USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll after loss to Alabama
Arkansas may have have given Alabama everything it had Saturday, but national coaches dinged the Razorbacks on Sunday.
Arkansas entered the game against the No. 2 Crimson Tide as the No. 22 team in the nation in the AFCA USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll. Less than 24 hours later, when the new poll was released, the Razorbacks found themselves on the outside, a de facto No. 26, picking up the most points for any team unranked.
The game against Alabama was the closest the Hogs had played against Nick Saban’s team since a 14-13 Alabama win in 2014. The Crimson Tide’s victory clinched the SEC West and a meeting against Georgia in the SEC title game on December 4.
The Razorbacks would almost certainly finish the regular-season inside the Top 25 with a win in the season finale against Missouri and another team’s loss. Arkansas hosts the Tigers on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
Other SEC teams in the Top 25 include No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Alabama, No. 8 Ole Miss and No. 14 Texas A&M and No. 25 Kentucky. Mississippi State joined Arkansas in receiving votes, checking in at a de facto No. 28.
