Auburn Game Key Turning Point in Arkansas Football Program

Once coach's convenient off week makes win even more pressing for Pittman

Arkansas Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman during the final regular-season game against the Missouri Tigers on Nov. 24, 2023, in Fayetteville, Ark. / Craven Whitlow-allHOGS Images

AUBURN, Ala. — The day has finally come. Arkansas fans are about to know whether there is a need for football in October or if John Calipari's basketball team will require the entire spotlight.

If there's truly such a thing as a must-win in college football, the Razorbacks need it this afternoon at Auburn. Should the Hogs lose, there's not a path to a bowl game even the most dedicated Arkansas fan can envision, and that's been generally accepted as the minimum requirement for this coaching staff to come back in its present form.

UNLV Rebels head coach Barry Odom watches from the sidelines against the Boise State Broncos in the first half during the Mountain West Championship at Allegiant Stadium. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

UNLV is off following a big win at Kansas and has a strong chance to slide into the Top 25 as teams drop out this weekend. It's the kind of success and convenient off-date timing that could land former Hogs defensive coordinator Barry Odom on a discreet Zoom call with Arkansas administration should Pittman come out on the short end of his third consecutive battle of coaching wits against Hugh Freeze.

However, if the Razorbacks pull off the win, especially if it's convincing, everyone from Joe in Johnsville to Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek will start viewing the season as a single mistake away from being 4-0 with a Top 25 ranking. Fans will comb the schedule looking for other victims and convince themselves Arkansas will be the team to take down Texas regardless of which quarterback rolls into Fayetteville in November.

Arkansas running back AJ Green runs for a touchdown in a blowout of Texas at Razorbacks Stadium in 2021. / Nelson Chenault – USA Today Sports

A loss will solidify in people's minds what type of team Arkansas has, but a win will keep questions going that Hogs fans will be more than happy to see revealed under the guise of hope. It also holds together a recruiting class with a cluster of potential game-changers in defensive tackle Kevin Oatis, linebacker Tavion Wallace and quarterback Grayson Wilson to sprinkle among future transfers.

It's a lot to consider, but by 5:30 p.m. this afternoon, there will either be a rocket lifting the Arkansas program to the heights of Pittman's middle years as head coach or a bomb crashing down on it, leaving a lot of beloved coaches in its wake. Should the latter be the case, the basketball team takes on Kansas in Bud Walton a month and four days from now.

HOGS FEED:

• SEC schedule, TV, who's favored

• Hogs add a little more Kentucky flavor to basketball team

• Razorbacks have experienced highs, lows against Auburn

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