Paul Finebaum Says One SEC Team Faces Uphill Climb in 2025

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jaron Spor | Last updated Jun 11, 2025 10:00 PM ET

Despite showing improvement during the 2024 season, several coaches are still at risk of losing their jobs as they head into the 2025 season.

This includes Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Sam Pittman, who, according to Seth Emerson from "The Athletic," sits on one of the hottest seats in the SEC. Over his five seasons at Arkansas, Pittman has a record of 30 wins and 31 losses.

He seemed to have the program heading in the right direction after achieving a 9-4 record in his second season. However, he has struggled to regain that success since, with subsequent records of 7-6, 4-8 and 7-6 over the next three years.

On "The Paul Finebaum Show," the SEC Network analyst shared his thoughts on Arkansas as it enters the new season. While he expressed optimism, he also acknowledged the road ahead will be challenging.

"I think Arkansas has a chance to get to seven wins this year," Finebaum said. "I'm not optimistic they can break through to eight or nine. I'm hopeful. But I still think it's going to be a big challenge."

ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI) is a measure of team strength that serves as a predictive tool for a team's performance throughout the rest of the season. According to the FPI, Arkansas is projected to finish with six wins and rank No. 12 in the SEC, ahead of only the Missouri Tigers, Vanderbilt Commodores, Kentucky Wildcats and Mississippi State Bulldogs.

One challenge facing the Razorbacks is their demanding schedule. Athlon Sports' Kyle Wood noted that Arkansas has one of the toughest schedules in the SEC, ranking it as the fifth-most difficult in the conference.

Wood highlighted the challenging road games against Ole Miss, Tennessee, LSU and Texas. Additionally, the Razorbacks will host tough opponents, including Texas A&M, Auburn and Missouri.

Furthermore, Arkansas has a challenging non-conference matchup against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, which complicates its chances of achieving seven wins, as it did last season.

The Razorbacks will kick off their season against the Alabama A&M Bulldogs at 4:15 p.m. ET on Aug. 30.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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