Bold Prediction: Pittman's Razorbacks will win nine games

Hopefully, Sam Pittman spent the weekend on his boat, with his wife, having fun and sharing a few cold beverages.

It'll be the last time for quite a while that Arkansas' football coach has the chance to enjoy extended time on the lake with blue skies, a soft breeze, hot sun and a carefree attitude.

That's because practice for the 2025 season starts Friday. For Sam, who is 30-31 in five seasons at the Hogs' helm, it could be the most important season of his coaching career.

Feeling I've got is that it'll be a successful one. Oh, I know there are plenty of naysayers out, for a variety of reasons.

Lots of them are the type who simply clamor for a coaching change every few years. Those folks "know" without a doubt that the program will really win big if they can just hire a new head Hog.

Others say it should be Sam's last chance to duplicate the successful 9-4 season he guided Arkansas to in 2021. Last year's 7-6 mark was good, not great, and those fans want more.

They were thrilled with that 9-4 mark in Sam's second season at Arkansas. That year included an ultra satisfying 40-21 beatdown of the Texas Longhorns in rowdy Razorback Stadium.

It also included victories against Texas A&M, LSU and Missouri -- the three schools the Razorbacks play each year with a made-up trophy at stake.

Arkansas coach Sam Pittman sits on a throne surrounded by trophies collected by his team throughout the 2021 season. | Arkansas Communications

Arkansas hadn't beaten A&M since 2011 so whipping the hated 'Horns and the Aggies in the same season made Pittman popular enough to run for governor.

The Hogs topped A&M by 10 and Missouri by 17 in Fayetteville and went to Baton Rouge, La., to beat LSU 16-13 in overtime.

For #8 on our top moments for Razorback fans this year, we picked the Razorbacks’ 20-10 win over the Aggies. This became Arkansas’ first win in the series since 2011. Treylon became daddy to the Aggies, with 6 receptions, 167 yards, and a TD. pic.twitter.com/uw1ZJlvjKK
— Barstool Hogs (@BarstoolUA) June 27, 2022

The very next week Arkansas invaded Tuscaloosa, Ala, and gave the No. 2 Crimson Tide a huge scare before the home team escaped with a 42-35 win.

The other losses were a blowout at No. 3 Georgia, a 52-51 thriller at Ole Miss, and a 38-23 home loss to Auburn.

The Hogs capped that season with a 24-10 win over Penn State in a New Year's Day bowl game in Tampa, Fla.

Here's why I detailed that 2021 season: Sam thinks -- no, he believes -- the Hogs can do it again this year.

Oddsmakers disagree. They have Arkansas as the 13th best team in the 16-team SEC with astronomical odds against the Razorbacks winning college football's best conference.

A Sports Illustrated story even cites a popular organization that sets odds for the Hogs' wins for 2025 at 5.5 games, with under that total being more likely.

As ESPN football commentator Lee Corso would often say, "Not so fast, my friend." Winning six seems a lock from where I sit.

Plus, there's even a path to achieve 9-4 again. It would take 10-2 in the regular season to make the College Football Playoffs, and I'm not going to suggest that'll happen.

But, check this out and let me know if you disagree it's impossible. I don't claim it's probable but it won't take a miracle to finish 8-4 in the regular season.

The "preseason" start: 2-0 with easy victories against Alabama A&M in Fayetteville and Arkansas State in the Hogs' last game ever in Little Rock.

Please let it be the finale. There is no reason to play in outdate War Memorial Stadium ever again. Really can't believe it took this long to end the relationship.

Upset Special: Week 3 at Ole Miss, which has a first-year starter at quarterback. Leave Oxford with a win and Pittman will have the Hogs believing they can do no wrong.

Ole Miss Rebels coach Lane Kiffin speaks to the media during SEC Media Day at Omni Atlanta Hotel earlier this month. His Rebs routed the Hogs 63-31 last season in Fayetteville, leading 35-10 at halftime. | Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

Week 4: The ultimate trap game, second straight on the road, against a good non-conference team anxious for a signature win against an SEC squad.

Whether the Hogs won or lost at Ole Miss, they simply must win at Memphis if this season is to be a success.

Season's biggest opportunity: College football's most legendary program comes to Fayetteville. Upset last season's national finalist, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and the Razorbacks -- along with Pittman -- will be the darlings of every national talk show.

Paybacks are hell: Even with an advantage at quarterback, Arkansas seems to have little chance of beating Tennessee. The Hogs shocked everyone with a 19-14 upset last October in Fayetteville. Problem is the Vols have too many guys who remember that embarrassment.

Home, sweet, home: Three straight in Razorback Stadium against the Texas A&M Aggies, Auburn Tigers and Mississippi State Bulldogs. Beat the Aggies and it's a much-needed sweep.

If you lost track, I've got the Hogs at 7-2, losing to Notre Dame and Tennessee. That'd likely have Pittman's guys ranked about No. 16 if they kept the two losses reasonably close.

Road kill: Reality check with trips to Austin and Baton Rouge. Arch Manning and his talented bunch of Texas teammates -- they're the fashionable pick to win the SEC -- will carve up the Hogs a week after they suffer a similar fate at the hands of LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier.

Eli's Coming: That's an old Three Dog Night song, not named for Missouri's cocky coach Eli Drinkwitz. There's probably no coach Sam would love to beat badly. Pittman and the Pigs get their wish, a day after Sam's birthday.

That's 8-4, setting up the Razorbacks for a good bowl game and a chance to equal Sam's best record as a head coach.

Pittman hit the jackpot when Arkansas hired him for his first gig as a head coach of a four-year college.

That followed nearly three decades as a highly respected and honored offensive line coach and associate head coach.

Is it likely the Hogs are 8-4 heading into a bowl game? Maybe not. Most figure they lose at Ole Miss and maybe at home to A&M.

That would be another break-even regular season, perhaps good enough for Sam to come back and take another go at glory in 2026.

But for those who say he's on the hot seat in '25 for the second straight season, he might need at least eight wins to cool off those naysayers.

An 8-5 season wouldn't be bad at all, and would bring Pittman peace next summer when he's back on the lake, catching fish from his boat and celebrating life with his wife.

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