Arkansas football lost a close game to Texas A&M on Saturday evening in Dallas. The AP Poll voters punished them handily for it, too.
Arkansas football (3-1, 1-1) lost by two points to another ranked team (a previously very highly ranked team), and the voters dropped them down ten total spots to 20th overall. Meanwhile, Texas A&M climbed six spots after the win.
AP Poll voters did not take kindly to Arkansas football’s loss on Saturday. As a result, the Hogs dropped ten spots in the poll.
The Hogs were the second biggest droppers of the week. Oklahoma dropped 12 spots after their loss to Kansas State.
No one should be frustrated by the Razorbacks dropping in the latest AP Poll. Of course, it was going to happen after the loss, but how far Arkansas football dropped should be frustrating to fans and players alike.
Voters who dropped the Hogs down ten spots did not consider any of the game context. Minus a few flukes, the Razorbacks were the better team on the field Saturday night.
There are also just some head-scratching rankings. Take Baylor, for example. Baylor is now ranked #16 in the country. Baylor is 3-1 but ranked ahead of BYU (#19), who beat them earlier this season.
Baylor’s three wins are over Albany, Texas State, and Iowa State. Does the AP Poll expect us to buy that as a better resume than what the Hogs have right now? Or Texas A&M (#17), for that matter?
Or is the AP Poll just a carousel of who has won lately? If that’s the case, it might be time to get some new voters.
The current rankings, if they hold, set up a new interesting dynamic for Arkansas football. BYU is currently ranked ahead of them in the poll. So the Hogs could bolster their resume even more on October 15th if they go into Provo and beat a higher-ranked team.
Arkansas football deserves to feel disrespected by the AP Poll voters. However, it is up to Head Coach Sam Pittman to turn that disrespect into motivation.