Advertisement
football Edit

Hogs get slight bump in 2022 post-spring preseason SP+

Arkansas is just outside of the top 25 in the latest SP+ ratings.
Arkansas is just outside of the top 25 in the latest SP+ ratings. (Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports)

NOT A SUBSCRIBER? SIGN UP TODAY FOR ACCESS TO ALL OF HAWGBEAT'S PREMIUM CONTENT AND FEATURES

College students, get a year of HawgBeat coverage for just $11.95! Request details via email from your school account (.edu) to andrewhutchinson413 (at) gmail (dot) com.

Advertisement

Arkansas is knocking on the door of the top 25 in Bill Connelly’s post-spring SP+ preseason projections for 2022.

After refreshing his numbers to account for transfer portal movement since his initial ratings back in February, Arkansas moved up two spots to No. 26 in the metric.

The bump further illustrates the Razorbacks’ upward trend under head coach Sam Pittman. When he took over following the 2019 season, Arkansas was at No. 108.

Prior to his first two seasons at the helm, the Razorbacks checked in at No. 76 and No. 41 in the preseason SP+ ratings.

In each of those years, Arkansas managed to finish better than its preseason slot. It ended the 2020 season at No. 57 and last season at No. 22 — a jump of 19 spots each year. A similar increase would put the Razorbacks in the top 10 at the end of 2022.

One reason for the slight jump in the updated ratings could be the Razorbacks’ work in the portal. Since February, they’ve landed Jordan Domineck, Terry Hampton and Matt Landers, while not losing many players with significant experience. That resulted in their “returning production” statistic going from 62% to 64% and moving from 79th to 69th in the FBS.

Connelly will update the preseason SP+ ratings in August, when more transfers, injuries and other things can be factored in, but you can click here (ESPN+ subscription required) to view the complete rankings as of Monday.

(NOTE: The SP+ is not a resume-based ranking, but rather a “predictive measure of the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football” — which include returning production, recent recruiting and recent history for the preseason version.)

**JOIN THE CONVERSATION WITH ARKANSAS FANS ON THE TOUGH, HAWGBEAT'S PREMIUM MESSAGE BOARD**

Advertisement