Best and worst case scenarios for the four games after the bye
Arkansas fired Dan Enos.
The offense was beyond repair, so Sam Pittman did something about it. Now Kenny Guiton will be given the opportunity to see if he can make something out of the situation he’s been put in.
Defensively, Arkansas has been good enough to stay in almost every game they’ve played in this season.
In five SEC contests, the Razorbacks have only surrendered 126 points, which averages out to 25.2 points per game.
Not elite, but certainly not league-worst or even league-average. It’s good enough for fifth, just behind Georgia, Alabama, Texas A&M and Tennessee.
Even a halfway decent offense, that was capable of averaging 26-27 points per game instead of 19, would probably have Arkansas 4-4 or 5-3 right now instead of 2-6.
Let’s see how the final four games should shake out.
Best case scenario: Arkansas wins out
Winning all four games, including the first win in Gainesville in school history, would be amazing considering the circumstances.
Arkansas is going to be an underdog against the Gators, Auburn and Missouri. Florida International is the only game that the Razorbacks will be a favorite, although how heavy a favorite will be determined by how they look against Florida and Auburn.
Worst case scenario: Arkansas goes 1-3 and barely squeaks by FIU
If Sam Pittman wants to coach the team in 2024, he better not let this occur.
Arkansas has never won in the Swamp. This loss won’t sink his boat.
Auburn’s offense isn’t much better than the Razorbacks, and their defense is league average. It’s a winnable game. Pittman needs to avenge last year’s Liberty defeat and beat Hugh Freeze.
Then the Razorbacks need to blow FIU out. It’s a true rent-a-win. If they are tied or trailing in the fourth quarter of this game, there are true problems that probably can’t be corrected by anyone on this coaching staff.
Missouri is having quite the season, has owned Arkansas as of late and will be plenty motivated to win this game. The Tigers will probably be a touchdown or more favorite.
Most likely scenario: Arkansas goes .500 and looks much more competent offensively
As mentioned above, Arkansas is as good as Auburn and should be able to beat FIU by multiple scores. The defense has proven it can stop people, and they’ve played much better offenses than what they’re going to see in these final four games outside of Missouri.
It’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Razorbacks could beat Florida and Missouri, or just one of the two, but it’s probably more likely they just beat Auburn and FIU. If the offense takes a massive jump, 3-1 is definitely doable.
4-8 or 5-7 won’t make anyone happy based on preseason prognostications, but it should be enough for Hunter Yurachek to give Sam Pittman a fifth year and a chance to rectify things.
