What bowl game will Arkansas football make? Here are best projections.

FAYETTEVILLE — Like many teams across college football, Arkansas hasn't yet reached the six-win threshold for bowl eligibility. As the season enters its home stretch, the Razorbacks' remaining five games look more and more challenging, but it seems Arkansas can get at least the two more wins it needs to make the postseason.

The College Football Playoff selection committee will release its first set of rankings on Nov. 1, meaning bowl projection season — both in the playoff and outside of it — has arrived.

It's too early to say with any certainty where Arkansas could land in a bowl game, but we can make projections based on where the season could go from here. Based on SEC tie-ins, there are 11 possible bowls the Razorbacks could make outside of the playoff semifinal.

Here's where the Razorbacks could land based on how the season might end.

MORE:Arkansas football restructured practices. It worked vs. BYU, but what about the rest of the season?

RECOVERY TIME:Arkansas football coach Sam Pittman optimistic about injuries after open week

Highest of high expectations: Sugar Bowl

Let's say Arkansas wins the remainder of its five games. This would be extremely difficult given how hot Liberty has gotten, LSU's recent resurgence and Ole Miss' success this season, but it's not technically out of the question. If Arkansas wins out, it would be 9-3 and contending for a high-level bowl game.

The Sugar and Orange are two of the non-playoff selection committee bowls in which an SEC team can play. Typically, these spots are reserved for an SEC runner-up that doesn't make the playoff and the next highest finisher in the league. Kentucky, for example, played in the Citrus Bowl last season after finishing 9-3. The Citrus Bowl is a playoff game this year, so the Sugar and Orange are equivalents for the 2022-23 bowl season.

Arkansas would have to win out, and high-level teams such as LSU and Ole Miss would have to suffer some small collapses. I won't call this scenario a complete pipe dream, but I will call it highly unlikely. A Sugar Bowl berth, in which Arkansas would play a Big 12 team, would be a massive leap from where the Razorbacks are now. There's plenty standing in their way.

Within reach: Music City Bowl

This is what I think could actually happen. Let's imagine the Razorbacks win three of their next five. I'm picking them to lose to LSU and Ole Miss. That would put Arkansas at 7-5.

The Liberty, Music City, Texas, TaxSlayer, ReliaQuest and Las Vegas are the SEC's Tier 1 bowls and likely landing spots for teams with seven or eight wins.

Arkansas just played in the ReliaQuest Bowl, which used to be the Outback Bowl. The Razorbacks have also been a frequent and relatively recent participant in the Liberty Bowl and Texas Bowl. Bowl games like a fresh face, and Arkansas hasn't played in the Music City, TaxSlayer (also known as Gator) or Las Vegas in decades.

Arkansas would likely be contending with the likes of South Carolina, Texas A&M and Florida, assuming all those teams earn bowl eligibility and sit around seven wins. I believe the Razorbacks are a compelling choice for either Tennessee-based bowl, but I'll choose the Music City in Nashville given how long its been since Arkansas played there and the proximity to Fayetteville. The Razorbacks would face a Big Ten opponent.

Worst-case scenario: Birmingham Bowl

Now let's say Arkansas barely makes it into the postseason with six wins. That would give them the most likely options of the Gasparilla or Birmingham, the bottom tier of SEC bowl tie-ins. In either case, the Razorbacks would face an opponent from the ACC, Conference USA or the American Athletic.

Bowls want fans to travel to them. On paper, Arkansas fans seem more likely to go to nearby Birmingham, Alabama, after a disappointing season than all the way to Tampa, Florida. That's making me lean toward the Birmingham Bowl as the postseason destination for a six-win Arkansas.

This scenario is certainly more likely than a nine-win Sugar Bowl appearance, but it would mean Arkansas lost a game it probably shouldn't have.

A lot can change in the final five weeks of the season. There's parity in the SEC this year, and a number of teams are sitting in a position that could break very bad or very good. Arkansas is one of those teams, so don't make your postseason travel plans just yet.

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: What bowl game might Arkansas football make? Our early prediction