Arkansas football mailbag: Will the Razorbacks catch a scheduling break next season?

Christina Long, Fort Smith Times Record
·3 min read
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Nov 25, 2022; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Sam Pittman watches team warm ups up against the Missouri Tigers prior to a game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Arkansas football ended the regular season on a sour note with a 29-27 loss to Missouri last week.

The Razorbacks (6-6, 3-5 SEC) still have a bowl game ahead and will learn their destination on Sunday. But the regular season ended in disappointing fashion, and some fans have already begun looking ahead to next year. Arkansas' future is the subject of today's mailbag.

Is next year's schedule as hard as this year's? (Arkansas) never had a week to breathe. — Tony

Coach Sam Pittman has said he doesn't want to use Arkansas' tough schedule as an excuse for the lackluster year, but it's important to take the difficult slate into account when looking back on the regular season.

An SEC West schedule is always going to be tough. This year, though, Arkansas' non-conference slate was what made this such a daunting schedule when examined before the season. Cincinnati was coming off an unbeaten regular season and a College Football Playoff appearance. Missouri State was a top-five FCS team when it came to Fayetteville. BYU was a Top 25 team, as was Liberty.

You're right that Arkansas really never caught a break. It couldn't afford to overlook any of its opponents, even its non-conference ones.

Next year's slate is looking a bit more favorable for Arkansas. The Razorbacks open in Little Rock against FCS Western Carolina. The Catamounts finished 6-5 this season. Kent State in Week 2 shouldn't be overlooked, but it's still an easier game than what Arkansas had this season. The Golden Flashes have been a strong contender in the MAC under coach Sean Lewis, but they had a bad season this year and finished under .500.

Arkansas hosts BYU in Week 3. The Cougars had a similar season to the Razorbacks this year, underperforming relative to early expectations and falling off late in the season despite being ranked early. This is probably Arkansas' hardest non-conference game, but it's one the Razorbacks should expect to win.

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This year, instead of scheduling a cupcake team late in the season, Arkansas hosted a ranked Liberty squad and lost. Next season, the Razorbacks have Florida International in the next-to-last slot on the schedule. The Panthers have had a poor season, finishing at 4-8. But that was under a first-year head coach. Next year will be Mike McIntyre's second season with FIU, and the Panthers might be back on track by this time in 2023.

As for the conference schedule, the difficulty lies in location. Arkansas has to face LSU, Ole Miss, Alabama and Florida in true road games. That's four road games in five weeks, and if you add on the Southwest Classic against Texas A&M at AT&T Stadium, it's five road trips in six weeks.

In short, Arkansas' non-conference opponents look easier next season than they did this year. But the Razorbacks have a harrowing stretch of road conference games starting in Week 4, and if they stumble early, it could be hard to bounce back.

Christina Long covers the Arkansas Razorbacks for the Southwest Times Record and USA TODAY Network. You can follow her on Twitter @christinalong00 or email her at clong@swtimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas football mailbag: Looking ahead to the 2023 schedule