Razorback Report: How long will Hogs manage to remain unbeaten?

How much time will Arkansas spend in Hog City before it’s handed its first defeat of 2025?

Optimistic prognosticators will say that first loss won’t come until September 27 when Notre Dame comes to Fayetteville. The pessimists, though, will say it’ll come two weeks earlier.

That’s when the Razorbacks make the trek to Oxford, Miss. for their SEC opening game against Ole Miss and that’s when CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford predicts they’ll suffer their first loss.

“The last thing Arkansas coach Sam Pittman needs is a frustrating performance in the Razorbacks' trip to Ole Miss in Week 3 given what happened during last season's face-plant against the Rebels — an embarrassing 63-31 loss,” Crawford wrote about the Razorbacks. “Arkansas should perform better this time around, but the good news for Ole Miss is that this team will already be coming off a conference game at Kentucky. Meanwhile, we're not going to know much about Arkansas after assumed wins over Alabama A&M and Arkansas State. The Razorbacks' last win in Oxford came in 2017.”

It's a safe bet to predict Ole Miss as the first team beat Arkansas. The Razorbacks play Alabama A&M and Arkansas State in the first two weeks, both of which are teams Arkansas could give the UAPB-style treatment to, before playing Ole Miss.

The Rebels do have a lot of unknowns around its team, including at quarterback where Austin Simmons will be making his first collegiate starts this season. The Razorbacks could, theoretically, end up as the favorites if the Rebels stumble or even lose of their first games of the season.

After Ole Miss, Arkansas will travel to Memphis before hosting Notre Dame. Good luck finding anyone to pick the Razorbacks to remain unbeaten after that game.

Last Time They Met

Typically in the Ole Miss vs. Arkansas football series, if there's a blowout, it's in the Razorbacks' favor. However, that wasn't the case in 2024.

It wasn't until Hogs' back-up quarterback Malachi Singleton took over in the second half after falling behind 35-10 in the first half that Arkansas made any kind of headway against the Rebels' defense. Singleton led the Razorbacks to 21 points in the final two quarters of play, but the game had long been over.

Ole Miss quarterback Jaxon Dart had already completed 25-of-31 passes for 515 yards and six touchdowns in a complete decimation of the Hogs' defensive secondary. It was the most yards he'd throw for all season, besting his 418 against Furman by nearly 100 yards.

Did You Notice?

The football team practiced all weekend long, including Sunday, and will continue to practice the next two days before finally taking a break on Wednesday.