Can Razorbacks ascend from middle of road SEC team in 2025?

When evaluating the team going into the quiet period between April and July, it's ok to ponder how close or far off are the Razorbacks from breaking the Liberty Bowl barrier.

There's a division between the Razorbacks fanbase that are okay with six wins and mid-tier bowl appearances. Excuses thrown around such as NIL, transfer portal and recruiting not being up to task are reasons why Arkansas is held back.

Others within the fanbase want to not only be competitive but win at the same level as the South Carolina's, Missouri's and Ole Miss' of the SEC. That's certainly not hard to ask for.

Whether or not Arkansas can still get that done under Pittman isn't out of the question either because he has proven to be capable of leading the Razorbacks to eight regular season victories.

When Arkansas won nine games in 2021, expectations certainly soared and rightfully so. The failure of not being able to sustain such success moving forward is what angers many.

There were plenty of things that made the 2022 season go sideways. Injuries were a huge factor as neither side of the football could stay healthy including secondary depth which led to the unit's abysmal output finishing dead last nationally in pass defense.

Arkansas has also lost an absurd amount of one possession games (7-17) since 2020 and Pittman realizes that.

Victories over Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Missouri were within reach but turnovers, rotational management were just a couple of things that contributed to more of the same.

If anything, Pittman has been good for Arkansas from a longevity standpoint since he is the longest tenured coach since Houston Nutt's 10-year reign from 1998-2007.

The continuity and staff retention have also improved which is necessary to build a culture that so many recruits and families rave about.

Coaches, agents and those connected around the world of college football talk plenty.

When athletic director Hunter Yurachek relieved Chad Morris less than two seasons after the same program fired nationally respected coach Bret Bielema, there was a more than noticeable black eye on the program.

Times are different now, a football team thought to be dead less than a decade ago has a little bit of life and pep in its step.

Now, it would be a surprise to see the Razorbacks compete for a playoff spot in 2025 but Pittman's team could force a narrative change early on with a home victory over national runner up Notre Dame in week five.

After playing the likes of Ole Miss, the Irish and Tennessee in a three span, Arkansas will play a pivotal three week stretch at home against Texas A&M, Auburn and Mississippi State that will certainly dictate where the Razorbacks program truly is moving forward in the SEC.

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