Arkansas Football 2016 SEC West Prediction: 5th
With Spring Practice in full swing, I make my annual SEC predictions for the upcoming 2016 football season.
The Arkansas football team was the trendy dark horse pick to make lots of noise during the 2015 football season. The 2014 team went 7-6 and had opportunities to upset Texas A&M, Alabama, and Mississippi State. What does the future hold for the Arkansas football program?
| Opponent | Home or Away | Predicted Outcome | Wins | Losses | SEC Wins | SEC Losses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana Tech Bulldogs | Home | Win | 1 | |||
| TCU Horned Frogs | Away | Loss | 1 | |||
| Texas State Bobcats | Away | Loss | 2 | |||
| Texas A&M Aggies | Neutral | Loss | 2 | 1 | ||
| Alcorn State Braves | Home | Win | 3 | |||
| Alabama Crimson Tide | Home | Loss | 3 | 2 | ||
| Ole Miss Rebels | Home | Win | 4 | 1 | ||
| Auburn Tigers | Away | Win | 5 | 2 | ||
| Florida Gators | Home | Win | 6 | 3 | ||
| LSU Tigers | Home | Loss | 7 | 3 | ||
| Mississippi State Bulldogs | Away | Loss | 4 | 4 | ||
| Missouri Tigers | Away | Win | 8 | 4 | ||
| Overall 8-4, SEC 4-4 |
I really don’t know what expectations are going to be like for the Arkansas football team in 2016. The Razorbacks are losing almost all of their most important offensive contributors from the 2015 team, but the defense is going to be returning a lot of its playmakers from a year ago.
The early part of the season could be a struggle. With games against TCU on the road and Alabama coming in the first six weeks of the season, Arkansas football fans might begin to panic. The game against Ole Miss will be the game that turns things around for the Razorbacks.
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Figuring out what the Arkansas football team will do in 2016 is tricky. They have some games they can win, but a lot of them are on the road. And winning on the road is never easy in the SEC.
Bret Bielema had an abundance of success as the Wisconsin head coach. He has yet to reach the same level with the Arkansas football program. Bielema will get this team a little bit closer than they have been in his previous three seasons, but I still don’t think he’s ready to get the Razorbacks competing at an elite level in the SEC.