Sam Pittman wasted no time touting the Arkansas football schedule as the toughest in the country once again in 2022.
Speaking at the annual SEC Media Days event in Atlanta this summer, the Razorbacks’ third-year coach reminded reporters that even after a 9-4 year that came within a point at Ole Miss from being a 10-win season, nothing would come easy.
“It’s the third year in a row that we’ve been awarded the toughest schedule in college football,” Pittman said. “All 12 of this year’s opponents made postseason play last year.”
Just a week after he made that claim, it was backed up by a third party, as ESPN’s Chris Low declared the Razorbacks’ schedule is the toughest in the Power Five.
Playing in college football’s best division, the SEC West, means Arkansas will always have a tough schedule, but the statistic mentioned by Pittman makes this year’s slate particularly challenging. In the Hogs’ case, there’s nothing remotely charming about the third time.
The Razorbacks are set to host Cincinnati, Liberty and Missouri State, plus travel to BYU. Even though none of those schools are currently members of a Power Five conference (Cincinnati and BYU join the Big 12 next year), they are among the strongest teams at their respective levels.
It’s such a daunting football schedule that one national reporter asked Pittman, one of the most likeable coaches in college football, “Who is doing this to you?” The question elicited a smile from the coach.
“Schedules are scheduled out so many years in advance,” Pittman said. “Nobody knew — maybe they did — but Cincinnati, when they were scheduled, I know they weren’t in the College Football Playoff. BYU has always been really, really a good program, but they’re at the top of their game.”
Even though he won’t get much of a chance to catch his breath during the season, Pittman said he was “excited” about the non-conference foes on the 2022 Arkansas football schedule.
However, as always, he was honest with the media about his hopes for the Razorbacks’ future slates.
“One point I’m hoping it will ease up a little bit,” Pittman said. “But right now it hasn’t.”
Printable Arkansas Football Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Location | Time (CT) | TV/Results |
| Saturday, Sept. 3 | Cincinnati | Fayetteville | 2:30 p.m. | W, 31-24 |
| Saturday, Sept. 10 | South Carolina* | Fayetteville | 11 a.m. | W, 44-30 |
| Saturday, Sept. 17 | Missouri State | Fayetteville | 6 p.m. | W, 38-27 |
| Saturday, Sept. 24 | Texas A&M* | Arlington, Texas | 6 p.m. | ESPN |
| Saturday, Oct. 1 | Alabama* | Fayetteville | 2:30 p.m. | CBS |
| Saturday, Oct. 8 | Mississippi State* | Starkville, Miss. | TBA | TBA |
| Saturday, Oct. 15 | BYU | Provo, Utah | TBA | TBA |
| Saturday, Oct. 22 | OPEN | OPEN | OPEN | OPEN |
| Saturday, Oct. 29 | Auburn* | Auburn, Ala. | TBA | TBA |
| Saturday, Nov. 5 | Liberty | Fayetteville | TBA | TBA |
| Saturday, Nov. 12 | LSU* | Fayetteville | TBA | TBA |
| Saturday, Nov. 19 | Ole Miss* | Fayetteville | TBA | TBA |
| Friday, Nov. 25 | Missouri* | Columbia, Mo. | 2:30 p.m. | CBS |
2022 Arkansas Football Schedule Preview
(NOTE: Preseason rankings for Arkansas’ FBS opponents are from the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Polls, as well as ESPN’s SP+ and Football Power Index ratings.)
Arkansas 31, Cincinnati 24
Result: Arkansas, 31-24
Date: Sept. 3
Location: Reynolds Razorback Stadium (Fayetteville, Ark.)
Kickoff Time and TV Schedule: 2:30 p.m. CT (ESPN)
Cincinnati’s Preseason Rankings: No. 23 (AP) | No. 22 (Coaches) | No. 16 (SP+) | No. 27 (FPI)
ESPN FPI: Arkansas has a 59.6% chance to win
Odds/Betting Line: Arkansas, -6.5 | O/U 54.5 (Arkansas covered + over)
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Arkansas 44, South Carolina 30
Result: Arkansas, 44-30
Date: Sept. 10
Location: Reynolds Razorback Stadium (Fayetteville, Ark.)
Kickoff Time and TV Schedule: 11 a.m. CT (ESPN)
South Carolina’s Rankings: RV (AP) | RV (Coaches) | No. 32 (SP+) | No. 44 (FPI)
ESPN FPI: Arkansas has a 74.0% chance to win (+1.8 percentage points since the preseason)
Odds/Betting Line: Arkansas, -9 | O/U 56.5 (Arkansas covered + over)
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Arkansas 38, Missouri State 27
Result: Arkansas, 38-27
Date: Sept. 17
Location: Reynolds Razorback Stadium (Fayetteville, Ark.)
Kickoff Time and TV Schedule: 6 p.m. CT (ESPN+/SECN+)
Missouri State’s Rankings: No. 5 (STATS Perform FCS Top 25) | No. 6 (FCS Coaches) | No. 9 (FCS SP+)
ESPN FPI: Arkansas has a 99.2% chance to win (-0.2 percentage points since the preseason)
Odds/Betting Line: Arkansas, -26 | O/U 60 (Missouri State covered + over)
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Arkansas vs. Texas A&M
Date: Sept. 24
Location: AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)
Kickoff Time and TV Schedule: 6 p.m. CT (ESPN)
Preseason Ranking: No. 6 (AP) | No. 7 (Coaches) | No. 8 (SP+) | No. 12 (FPI)
ESPN FPI: Arkansas has a 39.8% chance to win
Odds/Betting Line: Texas A&M, -2.5 | O/U 48.5 (FanDuel)
A shocking upset loss to Appalachian State dropped Texas A&M out of the top 10, but the Aggies responded with a win over No. 13 Miami (Fla.), so Saturday’s game against Arkansas is still a top-25 matchup.
The loss prompted a quarterback change, as Jimbo Fisher benched Haynes King and handed the keys of the offense to LSU transfer Max Johnson. Although he led the Aggies to a win over the Hurricanes, he completed only 10 of 20 passes for 140 yards and one touchdown while adding 23 yards on seven carries.
Arkansas vs. Alabama
Date: Oct. 1
Location: Reynolds Razorback Stadium (Fayetteville, Ark.)
Kickoff Time and TV Schedule: 2:30 p.m. CT (CBS)
Preseason Ranking: No. 1 (AP) | No. 1 (Coaches) | No. 1 (SP+) | No. 1 (FPI)
ESPN FPI: Arkansas has a 12.0% chance to win
Odds/Betting Line: Alabama, -14.5 (FanDuel)
It needed a last-second field goal drive to beat Texas on the road, but Alabama is off to a 3-0 start. Assuming the Crimson Tide don’t slip up against Vanderbilt, they’ll likely come to Fayetteville as the No. 2 team in the country. If Arkansas also beats Texas A&M, there’s a chance it could also be the site of ESPN’s College GameDay.
Arkansas vs. Mississippi State
Date: Oct. 8
Location: Davis Wade Stadium (Starkville, Miss.)
Kickoff Time and TV Schedule: TBA
Preseason Ranking: RV (AP) | RV (Coaches) | No. 20 (SP+) | No. 24 (FPI)
ESPN FPI: Arkansas has a 39.3% chance to win
Odds/Betting Line: TBA
Mississippi State opened the year with 26- and 22-point wins over Memphis and Arizona, the latter of which was on the road, but suffered its first loss at Death Valley. LSU held star quarterback Will Rogers to just 24 of 42 passing for 214 yards, one touchdown and one interception and beat the Bulldogs 31-16.
Arkansas vs. BYU
Date: Oct. 15
Location: LaVell Edwards Stadium (Provo, Utah)
Kickoff Time and TV Schedule: TBA
Preseason Ranking: No. 25 (AP) | RV (Coaches) | No. 25 (SP+) | No. 46 (FPI)
ESPN FPI: Arkansas has a 53.6% chance to win
Odds/Betting Line: TBA
A big win over a top-10 Baylor team shot BYU up the rankings, but the Cougars followed it up with a convincing 41-20 loss at Oregon. Before hosting the Razorbacks, BYU has home games against Wyoming and Utah State out of the Mountain West and a neutral site matchup with Notre Dame in Las Vegas.
Arkansas vs. Auburn
Date: Oct. 29
Location: Jordan-Hare Stadium (Auburn, Ala.)
Kickoff Time and TV Schedule: TBA
Preseason Ranking: RV (AP) | RV (Coaches) | No. 21 (SP+) | No. 11 (FPI)
ESPN FPI: Arkansas has a 30.1% chance to win
Odds/Betting Line: TBA
Whether or not Bryan Harsin still has a job when this game is plays remains to be seen, as he already survived a coup this offseason and isn’t off to a great start in 2022. Auburn survived a scare from San Jose State and then was blown out 41-12 at home by Penn State.
Arkansas vs. Liberty
Date: Nov. 5
Location: Reynolds Razorback Stadium (Fayetteville, Ark.)
Kickoff Time and TV Schedule: TBA
Preseason Ranking: NR (AP) | NR (Coaches) | No. 75 (SP+) | No. 76 (FPI)
ESPN FPI: Arkansas has an 84.1% chance to win
Odds/Betting Line: TBA
Led by Hugh Freeze, Liberty has had an interesting season so far. It needed four overtimes to beat Southern Miss on the road, won a tight home opener against UAB and then went on the road again and gave No. 19 Wake Forest a scare. The Flames lost that game 37-36, failing to convert a two-point conversion with about a minute left.
Something to watch leading up to this game is the health of Liberty quarterback Charlie Brewer, the former Baylor starter. He suffered a broken hand in the opener and could potentially return in time for the game against Arkansas. However, if he doesn’t, Liberty has former four-star recruit and Tennessee transfer Kaidon Salter to lean on.
Arkansas vs. LSU
Date: Nov. 12
Location: Reynolds Razorback Stadium (Fayetteville, Ark.)
Kickoff Time and TV Schedule: TBA
Preseason Ranking: RV (AP) | RV (Coaches) | No. 28 (SP+) | No. 10 (FPI)
ESPN FPI: Arkansas has a 45.8% chance to win
Odds/Betting Line: TBA
It was a disastrous start to the season for LSU, missing a potential game-tying PAT with no time on the clock to cap a wild opener against Florida State, but – after a blowout of FCS Southern – bounced back with a convincing win over Mississippi State.
Arkansas vs. Ole Miss
Date: Nov. 19
Location: Reynolds Razorback Stadium (Fayetteville, Ark.)
Kickoff Time and TV Schedule: TBA
Preseason Ranking: No. 21 (AP) | No. 24 (Coaches) | No. 9 (SP+) | No. 17 (FPI)
ESPN FPI: Arkansas has a 50.3% chance to win
Odds/Betting Line: TBA
Their schedule hasn’t been all that impressive, but the Rebels have allowed only 13 points through the first three games of the season. That includes a 42-0 road blowout of Georgia Tech.
Arkansas vs. Missouri
Date: Nov. 25
Location: Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium (Columbia, Mo.)
Kickoff Time and TV Schedule: 2:30 p.m. CT (CBS)
Preseason Ranking: NR (AP) | NR (Coaches) | No. 50 (SP+) | No. 56 (FPI)
ESPN FPI: Arkansas has a 64.6% chance to win
Odds/Betting Line: TBA
Sandwiched between wins over Louisiana Tech and FCS Abilene Christian, Missouri traveled to former Big 12 foe Kansas State and was crushed 40-12. Brady Cook won the Tigers’ four-man quarterback battle and has completed 64.7% of his passes for 626 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions, plus he leads the team in rushing with 159 yards.
ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) Preseason Projections
| Game | Arkansas’ Chance of Winning |
| vs. Cincinnati | 59.6% |
| vs. South Carolina | 72.2% |
| vs. Missouri State | 99.4% |
| *vs. Texas A&M | 39.8% |
| vs. Alabama | 12.0% |
| at Mississippi State | 39.3% |
| at BYU | 53.6% |
| at Auburn | 30.1% |
| vs. Liberty | 84.1% |
| vs. LSU | 45.8% |
| vs. Ole Miss | 50.3% |
| at Missouri | 64.6% |
Using the FPI’s game-by-game projections above, you can calculate how likely it is for Arkansas to finish with every possible record (from 12-0 to 0-12).
| Record | Likelihood |
| 12-0 | 0.016% |
| 11-1 | 0.28% |
| 10-2 | 1.95% |
| 9-3 | 7.21% |
| 8-4 | 16.42% |
| 7-5 | 24.39% |
| 6-6 | 24.25% |
| 5-7 | 16.16% |
| 4-8 | 7.07% |
| 3-9 | 1.93% |
| 2-10 | 0.30% |
| 1-11 | 0.019% |
| 0-12 | 0.00011% |
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