Countdown to Kickoff Day 30: #21 Arkansas Razorbacks

Sam Pittman has taken a program that hoped to win one or two games in conference, to a program that is consistently playing in bowls and can compete with the best of the teams in the SEC. They haven’t quite gotten over the hump yet where people would consider them a threat to the top level teams in the SEC, but Pittman has his best team since he took over the job in 2019 as the Arkansas head coach so if there were ever a year for a shock in the SEC West, this is the year for the Razorbacks.

The Arkansas offense will be a show all year long. KJ Jefferson is back, and that means I am putting more money on him to win the Heisman Trophy. As Cam Newton’s biggest fan, the comparisons between KJ and him triggered me, but luckily those fizzled off once Arkansas started losing games and KJ’s play came back to earth a little. There will be nobody like Cam Newton to play the college game again but we can consider KJ his mini me, that's the furthest i'll go. He threw for 2,648 yards, 24 touchdowns, had 640 rushing yards, and added nine more touchdowns with his feet. Those numbers will only improve this year and his talent alone gives the fans in Fayetteville a reason to be excited.

Dan Enos’ offense will also welcome back Raheim “Rocket” Sanders in the backfield who will be a threat to reach the 2,000 yard mark on the ground, and will certainly reach that milestone in all purpose yards. The combo of Sanders and Jefferson along with a deep wide receiver core will equal 35-40 points a game.

If the defense can improve this year and if Arkansas can beat any two of LSU, Alabama, and Ole Miss we could see something since 2006, the Razorbacks in the SEC Championship game. Yes I realize there are a bunch of “ifs” in that statement, but I think we are overlooking this team and how good they will be on offense, and they brought in a new DC in Travis Williams who secured ten transfer players to ensure this defense can hang with the big dogs.

Prediction: 8-4.

How Many Games Will Arkansas Win In 2023

• 8 or more
• 7 or less