All Hogs

Where Razorbacks not surprisingly landed in SEC Media Days polls

Arkansas not on bottom, but can probably see the floor after the media picked things in Atlanta
Andy Hodges|
Arkansas Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman talks to the media during the SEC Media Days at Omni Atlanta Hotel.
Arkansas Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman talks to the media during the SEC Media Days at Omni Atlanta Hotel. | Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

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Arkansas Razorbacks

ATLANTA — Arkansas was picked 14th in the SEC preseason media poll released Friday at SEC Media Days, as apparently the media doesn't think they will be rebounding this year.

Hogs coach Sam Pittman probably wasn't that surprised. Entering his sixth season, he knows to the road ahead won't be level or smooth.

“Most things that come out, you earn it,” Pittman said during his media session in Atlanta. “Now, you may disagree with some of it, all that. But I’ve earned it, I have. To get off that, we’ve got to win more football games.”

Three Razorbacks earned preseason All-SEC honors from media attending the event.

Redshirt-senior offensive lineman Fernando Carmona was named to the second team, redshirt-senior punter Devin Bale landed on the third team, and redshirt-senior defensive lineman Cam Ball also earned a third-team spot.

That probably shouldn't be surprising to a team ranked only ahead of Kentucky and Mississippi State at the bottom of the picks by the media.

Carmona started all 13 games on the offensive line in 2024 and was instrumental in helping Arkansas average 459.5 yards of total offense per game, ranking 10th nationally.

He protected for a passing attack that finished 18th in the country and did not allow a single sack in the team’s 58-25 victory at Mississippi State. Carmona was previously named Preseason First-Team All-SEC by the USA Today Sports Network earlier in the week.

Bale made an immediate impact in his first season as a Razorback, punting 41 times for 1,855 yards and averaging 45.2 yards per punt. He downed 11 punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line and had 11 punts of 50 yards or more. Bale’s season-long 66-yard punt came in a win over No. 4 Tennessee.

Ball, one of the most experienced players on the roster, started all 13 games last season and recorded a career-high 47 tackles, including four for loss and 1.5 sacks. He had a fumble recovery, two quarterback hurries and contributed five tackles in the Razorbacks’ Liberty Bowl win over Texas Tech.

The Razorbacks finished near the bottom of the conference standings last season, but Pittman said the program’s approach remains unchanged.

“You’re a fool if you think you’re going to coach somewhere for 10 years in the SEC,” he said at Media Days. “You’ve got to be smart. Every year, every day, it’s earned.”

People don't really want to hear all that coach-speak, but it's about all Pittman has at this point. This is a Hogs' team with far more questions than available answers.

Arkansas’ schedule includes early non-conference matchups including Notre Dame before the team dives into the SEC schedule, where the Razorbacks will face preseason favorite Texas and defending champion Georgia.

Arkansas’ last SEC division title came in 2006. The Hogs have never won an SEC Championship in football since joining the conference in 1992.

Pittman, who is 30-31 in five seasons with the Razorbacks (14-28 in the SEC), said the current group is eager to prove doubters wrong. “The only way to change the narrative is to go out and win,” he said.

Arkansas opens the season Aug. 30 against Alabama A&M in Fayetteville. The Razorbacks will face Texas in Austin on Oct. 4, a matchup that could signal how competitive Arkansas will be in the new-look SEC.

The Razorbacks have accepted four bowl invitations in Pittman’s tenure, winning three. Pittman said the team’s goal is to return to postseason play and climb the conference standings.

“We’ve done it before,” Pittman said. “There’s no reason we can’t do it again.”

It's only made worse because the hated Texas Longhorns are ranked No. 1, which will leave a lot of Arkansas fans waiting for them to resume a pattern of falling flat somewhere.

Texas the overwhelming choice to win the SEC. Maybe the biggest problem with that is it has become sort of a curse. Only 10 times since 1992 (33 years) has the predicted champion prior to the season at SEC Media Days proceeded to win the SEC Championship Game.

SEC CHAMPION

Texas (96 points)
Georgia (44)
Alabama (29)
LSU (20)
South Carolina (5)
Oklahoma (3)
Vanderbilt (3)
Florida (2)
Tennessee (1)
Ole Miss (1)
Auburn (1)

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

1. Texas (3060 points)
2. Georgia (2957)
3. Alabama (2783)
4. LSU (2668)
5. South Carolina (2109)
6. Florida (1986)
7. Ole Miss (1979)
8. Texas A&M (1892)
9. Tennessee (1700)
10. Oklahoma (1613)
11. Auburn (1272)
12. Missouri (1170)
13. Vanderbilt (936)
14. Arkansas (764)
15. Kentucky (512)
16. Mississippi State (343)

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Andy Hodges
ANDY HODGES

Sports columnist, writer, former radio host and television host who has been expressing an opinion on sports in the media for over four decades. He has been at numerous media stops in Arkansas, Texas and Mississippi.

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