Paul Finebaum Highlights the 'Best Worst Team in the SEC'

The ESPN guru shared a take on a new coaching reign and an unusual program.

ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum shared an interesting take about an SEC program moving in a new direction. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

The college football off-season is the time for dreaming. Not just for superfans of top programs or for powerhouses projected to have huge seasons, but also for teams that have made a pivot. Even if a program has struggled to string together wins and has run through multiple coaches, a new season brings a new round of possibility.

Of course, for many fans, that possibility ends when the games begin in late August and early September. But Paul Finebaum discussed one relevant SEC program that hopes to carry expectations a bit farther. On The Paul Finebaum Show, the host found himself seeing some hope for "the best worst team in the SEC."

The 'Best Worst Team'

No, Finebaum wasn't the one who termed that nickname for the team in question, which was the Arkansas Razorbacks. But when a caller dubbed the Hogs by that nickname, Finebaum admitted, "Absolutely."

"I like Ryan Silverfield," Finebaum said of Arkansas's new coach. "I won't say automatically that he'll be a great hit because Arkansas has been one of the more difficult jobs in the country, but if he can get some support, I think he's a good enough coach to turn a couple of those close games that Arkansas has to win and I believe he will be successful."

Arkansas's Struggles

As for Arkansas's cursed nature, the Razorbacks were just 2-10 in Sam Pittman's 2025 swansong, but they easily could have finished with a better record. Arkansas lost 41-35 at Oxford, fell 32-31 at Memphis to Silverfield's Memphis squad, dropped a 34-31 decision in Knoxville, lost 45-42 to Texas A&M, lost 38-35 to Mississippi State, and fell 23-22 at LSU. That's a total of six losses by a combined 17 points. If Arkansas won all of those games, Pittman would have gone 8-4 and played in a nice post-season bowl game.

Instead, he's out and Silverfield is in. The job certainly presents some challenges.

A Run of Underwhelming Performances

Arkansas hasn't finished in the Top 20 of the AP poll since 2011, around the time that Bobby Petrino took an ill-fated motorcycle ride that saw him step out of Fayetteville and Arkansas struggle since. In the 14 seasons since, Arkansas has completed eight losing seasons while only winning nine games once and eight games once. That run encompasses the coaching tenures of John L. Smith, Bret Bielema, Chad Morris, and Sam Pittman.

"The real question that I would ask Arkansas fans is 'What is success?'" pondered Finebaum. "It's not the same standard as Alabama or Texas."

New Arkansas coach Ryan Silverfield is trying to turn around a struggling Razorback program. | Brett Rojo-Imagn Images