SEC Such Mess, Hogs Could Be Tied Atop Standings After Next Weekend

Path to claiming conference playoff bye could legitimately still be on table heading into November

Arkansas Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman on the sidelines against the Texas A&M Aggies. / Michael Morrison-Hogs on SI Images

This weekend, Arkansas will get a chance to prove its players truly believe they are playoff contenders.

That is a sentence no respectable reporter would have expected to write when the season began. It still feels a little surreal writing that even though it's a legitimate statement.

If the Razorbacks knock off LSU, which would be the second Top 10 victim in as many weeks, the first question that should be asked of Arkansas coach Sam Pittman is whether his program is prepared to handle the pressure of having a contender's mark on its back. It could be the first and last time the Hogs may ever get to be asked that question so it's an opportunity that can't be allowed to pass.

Arkansas currently sits at No. 2 in the SEC with its lone loss coming in a tight game against Texas A&M, the only team with an unblemished record in conference play. It would further separate the Razorbacks from what is currently a group of 10 teams still hopeful of a playoff berth and still in contention for a bye, although Ole Miss has to be classified as a long shot now for that distinction.

 The other interesting part of this plausible dynamic is how it changes the verbiage of next week's game against Mississippi State. It was supposed to be the game that determined Pittman's fate.

However, if Arkansas pulls one out in what by then would be a trend of treacherous night games in Fayetteville for opposing highly ranked teams, the trip to Starkville goes from must-win to possible trap game.

Should the Razorbacks survive beyond that, the Hogs very well could find themselves at the top of the SEC standings. Either Alabama or Tennessee will have at least two conference losses. If Texas loses to Georgia Saturday, the Longhorns could be staring down a second loss at Vanderbilt by the end of next week.

Texas A&M has to take down LSU next Saturday at Kyle Field if the Aggies want to hold onto first place in the SEC. From that point, it's anyone's game as far as the SEC championship is concerned.

The conference is going to cannibalize itself to the point that there almost has to be a two-loss team, possibly two, playing for the conference title. Technically, for Arkansas to be eliminated from potentially playing for the SEC's top seed in the playoffs, the Hogs will have to be a three-loss team because it's going to take two conference losses at this point to keep them out.

Games remaining between SEC teams still in playoff contention:
Arkansas vs. LSU
Texas vs. Georgia
Tennessee vs. Alabama
Vanderbilt vs. Texas
Texas A&M vs. LSU
Alabama vs. Missouri
Arkansas vs. Ole Miss
Ole Miss vs. Georgia
LSU vs. Alabama
Georgia vs. Tennessee
Arkansas vs. Texas
LSU vs. Vanderbilt
Texas A&M vs. Texas
Vanderbilt vs. Tennessee
Missouri vs. Arkansas

HOGS FEED:

• SEC schedule, TV, spreads on weekend where big Hogs' game third fiddle

• Is Pittman Playing Mind Games with LSU's Kelly?

• Arkansas Edge announces new program to drum up NIL support

• Why Razorback fans continue to hate LSU | Locked on Razorbacks

• SEC Round-Up: Hot seats, hot dollars, hot teams

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