FAYETTEVILLE — With the regular season officially in the books, Arkansas’ focus will now shift to its bowl destination.
The Razorbacks should find out where they’re heading sometime after the College Football Playoff committee announces the New Year’s Six bowl selections a week from Sunday.
Sitting at No. 25 in the latest CFP rankings and beating Missouri to finish with an 8-4 record that includes a 4-4 mark in SEC play, head coach Sam Pittman is confident his team deserves a desirable bowl game.
“I certainly believe that we’ll be a choice of somebody, of a really good bowI, and I know our fans will travel,” Pittman said. “We haven’t been to one of those type bowls in awhile, at least 10 or 11 years, and I know our fans will come and support our kids.”
Where exactly the Razorbacks end up is still largely a mystery because of the SEC’s bowl selection process.
The New Year’s Six bowls - which include the national semifinals (Orange and Cotton Bowls) - get the first pick and there’s a strong likelihood that three conference foes get picked for those games.
Assuming it doesn’t get upset by Georgia Tech on Saturday, No. 1 Georgia appears to be a lock to make the playoff - regardless of its result in the SEC Championship Game against Alabama.
The Crimson Tide could sneak into the playoff if they manage to beat the Bulldogs in Atlanta. If they beat Auburn and lost to Georgia, though, they’ll still probably be strongly considered for the SEC’s automatic bid to the Sugar Bowl.
The Fiesta and Peach Bowls have at-large spots that could also be filled by Alabama, or potentially a team like Ole Miss, which beat Mississippi State on Thanksgiving to finish the regular season with a 10-2 record.
Things get a little trickier beyond the New Year’s Six.
According to the SEC’s bowl selection process, the Citrus Bowl - which is against a Big Ten school on Jan. 1 in Orlando - gets the next pick. Three teams could make an argument to get the nod, including Arkansas.
The Razorbacks would likely need some help to secure that invitation, though. Both Texas A&M and Kentucky could finish with identical 9-3 (5-3) records if they win their games Saturday.
The Aggies are 6.5-point road favorites at LSU, while the Wildcats are 3-point road underdogs at Louisville. If it can take care of business in Death Valley, Texas A&M would probably get the nod.
However, a loss to the Tigers would give the Aggies and Razorbacks matching 8-4 (4-4) records and shrink the teams’ 10-spot difference in the rankings.
Arkansas could also get the nod over Kentucky regardless of the Wildcats’ final outcome, as their 9-win season would be against the No. 24 strength of schedule - compared to the Razorbacks’ 8-win season vs. the toughest schedule in the country, according to ESPN.
If Arkansas misses out on the Citrus, it would fall into the SEC’s “pool of six” bowls. There is no set pecking order for those games. Instead, the conference - in consultation with the schools and the bowls - will assign them.
There is a general feeling around the program, though, that Arkansas would get one of the better bowls in that group, such as the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla., or the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Fla.
The other options in the “pool of six” are the Texas Bowl in Houston, Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Duke’s Mayo Bowl (former the Belk Bowl) in Charlotte and Music City Bowl in Nashville.
The two bowls with SEC tie-ins that Arkansas won’t have to worry about are the Birmingham and Gasparilla Bowls, as they get the leftovers.
Arkansas' Bowl Possibilities
Citrus Bowl (Orlando) - Jan. 1, noon CT - Big Ten opponent
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Liberty Bowl (Memphis) - Dec. 28, 5:45 p.m. CT - Big 12 opponent
Duke’s Mayo Bowl (Charlotte) - Dec. 30, 10:30 a.m. CT - ACC opponent
Music City Bowl (Nashville) - Dec. 30, 2 p.m. CT - Big Ten opponent
Gator Bowl (Jacksonville) - Dec. 31, 10 a.m. CT - ACC opponent
Outback Bowl (Tampa) - Jan. 1, 11 a.m. CT - Big Ten opponent
Texas Bowl (Houston) - Jan. 4, 8 p.m. CT - Big 12 opponent
