Don't Expect Razorbacks to Move Up in SEC Power Rankings

Even though a 70-0 win over UAPB looked great earlier in the week, it was passed by other teams

Arkansas Razorbacks running back Rodney Hill (20) rushes for a touchdown in the first quarter as Pine Bluff Golden Lions linebacker Jaylen White (31) defends at War Memorial Stadium. / Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — By Friday morning last week, Arkansas fans were feeling pretty good about things. A 70-0 win over UAPB on Thursday night gave everyone a rush of hope for the coming season.

That was impressive, some said. It got passed when Saturday's games rolled around.

I've said for months, the Razorbacks weren't the only team in the SEC trying to improve in the off-season. Apparently others got off to hot starts, too.

Two on the Hogs' schedule even had bigger wins over teams that were probably better than the Golden Lions. That should sober everybody up pretty quick.

Throw in Oklahoma State didn't stumble one bit coming out of the starting blocks to the season and dismantled defending FCS champion South Dakota State on Saturday, 44-20. The game really wasn't that close because the Jackrabbits got some scores after it was decided.

Now Arkansas has to travel to Stillwater, Okla., to face the Cowboys. It will be a hostile environment in front of a crowd that has been pumping this game for months.

The place will be jam-packed and at a fever pitch. Auburn (Week 4) destroyed Alabama A&M, 73-3.

That may be on a par with the Hogs' win. Ole Miss, however, beat a Furman team 76-0 (scoring 52 points in the first half) while giving up less than 200 yards total offense (26 rushing).

As Nick Saban said on TV, the Rebels have accumulated interior linemen on the both sides of the ball to go along with playoff-caliber specialists. They did nothing in the opener to remove them from playoff talk this early in the season.

Others on the Arkansas schedule that struggled included Texas A&M, which folded late against No. 7 Notre Dame in a 23-13 loss that was actually much more like a 3-point game. The Aggies may actually be improved because the Irish are as good as expected.

Tennessee rolled to an easy 69-3 win over Chattanooga and LSU lost in the final two minutes to USC on Sunday night. Mississippi State stomped Eastern Kentucky, 56-3, in Jeff Lebby's debut while Texas and Missouri each had impressive wins by 50+points.

It's hard to see how the Razorbacks' beatdown of a very bad FCS team will help anything in November. The month of September will give us a much better idea. That starts Saturday against Oklahoma State.

We'll know much more about the Hogs next Sunday. How they stack up in the SEC will be better judged then.

HOGS FEED:

• Linebacker play will be ultimate key to potential Razorbacks' upset in Oklahoma State

• Razorbacks battle experience gap against Oklahoma State on Saturday

• • Three questions for Razorbacks ahead of Oklahoma State

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