Arkansas Football: 2017 Season preview and predictions
Schedule and predictions
| WEEK | DATE | OPPONENT | LOCATION |
| 1 | Aug. 31 | vs. Florida A&M | Little Rock, Ar. |
| 2 | Sept. 9 | vs. TCU | Fayetteville, Ar. |
| 3 | Sept. 16 | BYE WEEK | |
| 4 | Sept. 23 | vs. Texas A&M | Arlington, Tx. |
| 5 | Sept. 30 | vs. New Mexico State | Fayetteville, Ar. |
| 6 | Oct. 7 | @ South Carolina | Columbia, SC. |
| 7 | Oct. 14 | @ Alabama | Tuscaloosa Al. |
| 8 | Oct. 21 | vs. Auburn | Fayetteville, Ar. |
| 9 | Oct. 28 | @ Ole Miss | Oxford, Ms. |
| 10 | Nov. 4 | vs. Coastal Carolina | Fayetteville, Ar. |
| 11 | Nov. 11 | @ LSU | Baton Rouge, La. |
| 12 | Nov. 18 | vs. Mississippi State | Fayetteville, Ar. |
| 13 | Nov. 24 | vs. Missouri | Fayetteville, Ar. |
Someone bold on SEC Media Days gave Arkansas a first place vote in the SEC West. Yes, they picked the Razorbacks before the Auburn Tigers, LSU Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide. That one person seems to have forgotten that the Hogs haven’t found a way to beat the Aggies, let alone contend for the SEC crown.
I, for one, can’t find a winning conference record for Arkansas when I look at their 2017 schedule. They will be underdogs against Alabama, Auburn and LSU. One more loss, say to Texas A&M (again) or an up-and-coming South Carolina team would but them right at .500, somewhere in the middle of the SEC West.
With the exception of a few great seasons under Petrino, Arkansas seems pretty much range bound somewhere between six to eight wins. They don’t recruit on the same level as the SEC heavyweights. but their physical brand of football and clock grinding offense keeps every game within striking distance. Close games could go either way. That sets the baseline at 7-5 and a coin flip (or two) could see that move a little bit in either direction.
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Prediction: 8-4 (4-4 SEC)
Although they’re a step behind the upper tier of the conference their offense should be able to keep them above the Mississippi schools. Assuming no non-conference scares, the Hogs should finish fourth in the SEC. Not bad, but definitely not a threat to Alabama in the race for the SEC West crown.