After over a decade of waiting, EA Sports College Football 25 finally released Monday to much avail and joy in the sports world.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, it’s been impossible to escape the hype for this game that has been so long-awaited. College football fans around the country rushed home from work (or took the entire day off) to fire up the game and start dynasties with their favorite teams – or the niche mid-major school with cool uniforms they’ll lead to glory.
For Arkansas fans suffering from malaise heading into the 2024 season, the game’s release provides an opportunity to imagine a better world – one where the Hogs win more than four football games in a season.
While Arkansas users will certainly be eager to take the reins of the program themselves and turn the Razorbacks’ fortunes around, I decided to take a more hands-off look at how the Razorbacks would fare under the leadership of virtual head coach Sam Pittman. Can the Head Hog turn things around in his make or break year? Can he survive the AI coaching carousel? Let’s find out.
I ran a simulation of Arkansas’ 2024 season, with a week-by-week breakdown of how things went. For full immersion, the descriptions of these games are based on the actual box scores of the simulated games. And yes, this was the first attempt at this – I have a 10-hour trial of the game before it releases Friday, so I only had time to give this grand idea one go.
EA Sports decided not to include coaches’ likenesses in the game, which is fair enough given the fact it had to try and represent around 85 players on all 134 FBS, or bowl-eligible, teams. Because of that, I had to make due with the game’s customization options and try my best to recreate the Head Hog. It’s not perfect, but below is my creative expression of the idea of “Sam Pittman” in all his glory. You’ll notice that his job security is already listed as “hot seat” from the get-go.
So without further ado, here’s how the simulation went. At the end, we’ll take a look at how the season turned out: team record, stats, a look around the country, and of course – whether video-game Pittman survives the campaign.
Week 1: Arkansas 49, UAPB 21
And by “UAPB” I mean “FCS West.” While the game includes all 134 FBS teams, no authentic FCS schools made the cut. But anyways, the Hogs started off with a comfortable win. Taylen Green threw three touchdowns, but it was Ja’Quinden Jackson leading the charge with 124 yards and two scores on just 15 carries. Arkansas takes care of business and starts off in the win column, but allowing three touchdowns to “UAPB” might be foreshadowing for things to come.
Record: 1-0
Week 2: Oklahoma State 27, Arkansas 23
The Razorbacks’ early road test saw them come up just short in Stillwater, as the Cowboys were able to limit them to just 62 rushing yards. Oklahoma State quarterback Alan Bowman threw for 314 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Pokes to victory. Arkansas took a lead into the fourth quarter, but went scoreless in the final period and let it slip away late.
Record: 1-1
Week 3: UAB 31, Arkansas 28
Oh boy. A hungry Blazers team came into Razorback Stadium and socked Arkansas in the mouth, running up over 500 yards of total offense en route to an upset victory as the Hogs’ defense struggled against weaker competition yet again. Green threw for 318 yards and four scores, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the heroics of UAB quarterback Jacob Zeno, who went for 428 yards and four touchdowns of his own. An embarrassing home loss for Arkansas takes the fanbase’s grumblings to a fever pitch.
Record: 1-2
Week 4: Auburn 27, Arkansas 20
The SEC opener saw the Razorbacks drop their third straight game by one score, a familiar issue for Pittman’s teams. Green struggled in the hostile environment of Jordan-Hare Stadium, surrendering three interceptions to the Tigers’ defense. Auburn made it through the game without any turnovers, and walked away with the victory.
Record: 1-3
Week 5: Texas A&M 23, Arkansas 17
First-year head coach Mike Elko secures another Southwest Classic victory for the Aggies, and it’s another heartbreaking defeat for Arkansas in Arlington. The Hogs led 17-10 at halftime, but were held scoreless in the second half as Texas A&M engineered the comeback behind a solid performance from gunslinger Connor Weigman.
Record: 1-4
Week 6: Arkansas 24, Tennessee 23
Yep, you’re reading that right. The Hogs get their first SEC win of the season in unexpected fashion, sneaking out a victory against the Volunteers. Five-star phenom Nico Iamaleava struggled on the road in Razorback Stadium, tossing two interceptions, and Arkansas was able to capitalize and head into the bye week on a positive note.
Record: 2-4
Week 7: BYE (finally)
Week 8: LSU 59, Arkansas 42
The Battle for the Golden Boot was a glorious night for the people who bet on the over, as LSU outpaced the Hogs in an absolute shootout. Garrett Nussmeier did his best Joe Burrow impression for the Tigers, tossing seven touchdowns and racking up 426 yards through the air. Green’s three interceptions ended up being the difference-maker, and Arkansas dropped another one coming out of the bye week.
Record: 2-5
Week 9: Arkansas 17, Mississippi State 14
Another year, another ugly matchup between the Hogs and the Bulldogs. Mississippi State mustered less than 300 yards of total offense, and Jackson’s 94 rushing yards were enough to push Arkansas across the finish line for a second SEC victory.
Record: 3-5
Week 10: Ole Miss 55, Arkansas 21
Lane Kiffin had a field day with the Arkansas defense, putting the hurt on to the tune of 620 yards of total offense. Jackson Dart threw for 370 yards and two touchdowns and added another 93 yards and three scores on the ground as the No. 8 Rebels romped to a blowout win in Razorback Stadium. Arkansas now has to win its remaining three games to become bowl eligible.
Record: 3-6
Week 11: BYE (phew.)
Week 12: Texas 38, Arkansas 14
The Longhorns enter the SEC with a bang, and get their revenge on the Hogs from that upset three years ago. This time around, it was Texas laying a beatdown on Arkansas with a blowout win. Heisman hopeful Quinn Ewers tossed 330 yards and three touchdowns through the air as the Longhorns racked up more than 500 yards of total offense to Arkansas’ 237. A gut punch that eliminates the Hogs’ chances of a bowl game.
Record: 3-7
Week 13: Louisiana Tech 30, Arkansas 19
The floodgates have officially burst open, as the Hogs suffer a second embarrassing home loss to a Group of Five opponent. This one had the feel of the “nail in the coffin” November defeats in previous years, such as the Western Kentucky game in 2019 that spelled doom for Chad Morris. Arkansas didn’t score a touchdown until the fourth quarter, and had to settle for four field goals in the first half. Green threw three interceptions as the Bulldogs’ defense led them to an upset victory over the wounded Razorbacks.
Record: 3-8
Week 14: Missouri 44, Arkansas 42
To rub salt in the wound, the No. 13 Tigers pulled off a close victory against the Hogs – though this definitely hurt less than the knockout blow they dished out in Razorback Stadium last year. But whether by two points or 34, it’s still a mark in the loss column as Arkansas ends the season on a dismal note.
Record: 3-9
Season Stats
The Hogs finished 13th in the SEC in total offense, and, surprisingly, dead last in total defense and scoring defense. Green threw for 2,865 yards with 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Jackson led the team in rushing with 585 yards and nine scores, with Green close behind with 430 yards. Isaac TeSlaa tallied the most receiving yards on the squad with 778, with Isaiah Sategna (600) and Andrew Armstrong (579) close behind.
Defensively, it was Doneiko Slaughter that was the standout performer on the Hogs’ poor unit, leading the team in tackles with 90 on the year, as well as an interception and eight tackles for loss. Landon Jackson, of course, led the squad in sacks with six.
Looking out to the rest of the country, Ohio State brought home the national title in the first edition of the 12-team playoff. Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan brought home the Heisman Trophy after a season that saw him put up over 1,100 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns.
Alabama, Kentucky and Ole Miss finished in a three-way tie for first place in the SEC, and the Wildcats pulled off a shock victory over the Crimson Tide in the conference championship game. All three SEC heavyweights made the playoff, but it was Michigan that advanced to the final before falling short to its bitter rivals.
Arkansas tied with Vanderbilt and Oklahoma for the joint-worst overall record in the SEC, though the Hogs’ and Sooners’ conference mark of 2-6 was better than the Commodores’ miserable 0-8 campaign. Other surprises in the SEC included LSU and Tennessee’s disappointing campaigns, which ended with 6-6 and 7-5 records, respectively.
Does Sam Pittman Survive the Coaching Carousel?
As for the original question this article set out to answer – whether or not Pittman makes it through his “make or break” year – it’s complicated. A scroll through the game’s settings reveals that user coaches cannot be fired after just one year in a dynasty mode, even if the coach is technically in year five on the job in real life. I realized this when I was trying to find out how I hadn’t been launched into the sun by Hunter Yurachek after the Louisiana Tech loss.
So while it was impossible to actually get fired with makeshift Pittman, we can do some reading between the lines. When I first started up the dynasty mode, his job status was already listed as “hot seat” before the season even started – which is very akin to real life, where Pittman holds the hottest seat in the country.
Add in a year that was somehow even worse than the dismal 4-8 campaign of 2023, and his firing is almost a certainty. So to answer the question – no, virtual Pittman does not make it out of this one unscathed. Home losses to UAB and Louisiana Tech and a joint-bottom finish in the SEC made sure of that.
The Razorbacks’ mediocre on-field results in the past few years have led to some correspondingly “meh” in-game ratings – Landon Jackson is Arkansas’ lone representative in the game’s top 100 players, while most of the rest of the SEC has multiple players featured in that list.
You could even argue that the developers did Arkansas a favor by rating them as high as they did. No. 8 in the SEC by overall rating is generous given how the Hogs’ performed last year. Even then, it puts them far below the likes of the SEC’s elite – and that shows in some of the embarrassing losses the Razorbacks suffered in their simulated campaign.
Here’s to hoping that Arkansas’ 2024 season goes better on-field than it did on-screen in College Football 25. You can bet on college football at top sports books if you’re looking for the real thing.
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See more real-deal coverage of the virtual Hogs:
A look at gameplay, sights and sounds from EA Sports College Football 25:
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More coverage of Arkansas football from BoAS: