Early Power Rankings for SEC Only Provides Hope for Razorback Fans

At least in the SEC power rankings ahead of spring practices starting, Arkansas isn't last.

A bigger problem is the only team ranked below them isn't on the Hogs' schedule this year. That's what happens when Mississippi State drops off for a couple of years as the Razorbacks' weakest conference opponent.

The CBS Sports SEC Football Power Rankings from Brandon Marcello for 2026 don’t mention Arkansas first, but he explained the challenge fairly clearly.

Texas, Georgia, and Texas A&M occupy the top tier of the league, and those same programs shape the backbone of the Razorbacks’ schedule.

When those rankings are compared with Arkansas’ 2026 schedule, the difficulty becomes clear. Several of the SEC’s highest-rated teams appear on the Hogs’ calendar, turning nearly every league weekend into a test against programs projected near the conference summit.

Texas sits at No. 1 in the CBS rankings, with Georgia and Texas A&M close behind. The Hogs are scheduled to face all three, placing the Razorbacks directly in the path of the SEC’s projected elite.

Georgia Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart congratulates tight end Oscar Delp (4) and linebacker Quintavius Johnson (33) after a play against the Ole Miss Rebels in the second quarter during the 2026 Sugar Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

That reality gives you an idea about the season before the first kick-off. Rankings don’t decide outcomes, but they set expectations for the margin required each week.

Arkansas’ schedule leaves little room for easing into conference play.

The Razorbacks open the season at home against North Alabama, a non-conference game that offers a controlled start. A road trip to Utah follows, adding an early measuring stick before the SEC grind begins.

By mid-September, the Razorbacks start playing teams in the SEC. Georgia’s visit to Fayetteville arrives before the end of the month, bringing one of the conference’s highest-ranked teams into Razorback Stadium.

Tulsa closes the non-conference portion, but the respite is brief. October begins with the Hogs stepping into the heart of the SEC schedule, where rankings and depth matter most.

From that point, they are measured weekly against programs projected to sit above them in the league order. The power rankings explain why those stretches carry more weight.

Viewed through the CBS lens, Arkansas’ schedule isn’t just challenging, it’s concentrated with opponents expected to shape the SEC title picture.

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) looks to make a pass in the second half against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Early Games Lead to Challenging October

Arkansas opens SEC road play at Texas A&M, a program ranked among the league’s top three by CBS.

That early October showdown underscores how quickly the Razorbacks are asked to compete with the conference’s projected front-runners.

Tennessee follows at home, continuing a stretch that allows little separation between major tests. Each game stacks preparation demands and tests depth as the season moves deeper into conference play.

A road trip to Vanderbilt comes next, shifting venues, but not importance. By mid-October, Arkansas will already have faced multiple teams projected above the league’s midpoint.

Missouri returns to Fayetteville later in the month, renewing a familiar SEC pseudo-rivalry. The timing places it between road challenges, keeping the Razorbacks in constant competitive rhythm.

Missouri Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz prior to a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

As October closes, the accumulation of ranked or near-ranked opponents begins to define the season’s shape. Arkansas isn’t navigating peaks and valleys — it’s facing a steady climb.

November continues the trend. A road game at Auburn brings another historically competitive SEC environment, followed by a home date with South Carolina.

Each of those games arrives after weeks of physical and tactical demands. The Razorbacks’ ability to sustain performance becomes as important as individual outcomes.

The regular season closes at Texas, the top-ranked team in the CBS projections. Ending the year against the league’s projected leader reinforces the overall difficulty of the slate.

From start to finish, the schedule places Arkansas against teams expected to influence the SEC standings, validating the rankings-based view of the season.

These power rankings provide context, not conclusions. They illustrate why Arkansas’ 2026 path stands out as demanding, but they don’t dictate how the season will unfold.

For the Razorbacks, the challenge is cumulative. Facing multiple top-ranked opponents across different months tests preparation, roster depth, and adaptability.

It provides opportunities for Silverfield's staff to evaluate where the Hogs truly are from a development standpoint, make adjustments for a couple of weeks, and then measure against the best again. In an ideal world, by the time Arkansas faces Texas, the Longhorns should be in for a difficult day of work.

The Hogs benefit from five SEC home games, but how much of a shot they have of winning those games is impossible to project now. Road trips to Texas A&M and Texas remain defining hurdles.

Viewed objectively, the rankings explain why the Razorbacks’ season is considered difficult before kick-off. That's a sarcastic understatement.

Don't expect to find out an awful lot in spring. Everybody looks like an all-SEC candidate there.

That's been seen that too often in recent years. It will be difficult for people to tell what kind of team Silverfield has through a layman's eye on the sidelines, but hopefully players won't be so deceiving for their coaching staff.

Change and growth something Arkansas fans will have to wait to see to believe. As usual, all they have now in the unsually warm dead of winter is hope.

Early Games Lead to Challenging October

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