Arkansas interim head football coach Bobby Petrino could go winless the rest of the season. The Razorbacks made a switch and fired Sam Pittman after a 56-13 blow out at the hands of Notre Dame at home. The third straight loss prompted Petrino to take over for his second stint in Fayetteville. But there is trouble brewing for the rest of SEC play and Arkansas will show their true colors. The final seven games will also prove if Petrino will get a second chance at the full-time job.
Arkansas plays the No. 15 Tennessee Volunteers, No. 6 Texas A&M Aggies, Auburn Tigers, Mississippi State Bulldogs, No. 13 LSU Tigers, No. 9 Texas Longhorns and No. 19 Missouri Tigers the rest of the way.
Those opponents have a combined record of 27-6 with Texas as the only team with a non-conference loss, which came against the Ohio State Buckeyes, who is now the nation's top ranked team. Even with the changes happening, Arkansas has a difficult road ahead.
The 2025 season is likely the first point of a rebuild for the Razorbacks. However, this leaves many questions about the immediate future of the program. Will Arkansas put forth an effort to fundraise for football like they do for basketball? With revenue sharing and NIL becoming more of a significant part of day-to-day operations, what's the plan if Petrino isn't hired on a permanent basis?
Arkansas' next full-time head coach needs to push for changes and compete within the biggest conference in college sports. Petrino has already put the wheels in motion by firing three assistants. It's hard to see a majority of the staff retaining their jobs, which could lead players to hitting the transfer portal.
All of these factors could require tough work and even harder decisions, but somebody will need to step up. The Razorbacks have an opportunity to make 2026 the turning point for the future. They'll just have to limp through the rest of this year to get there.
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