Arkansas football predicted to finish near the bottom of SEC in preseason media poll

Expectations can’t get much lower for the Arkansas football team and its upcoming campaign in the SEC.

The Razorbacks were picked to finish 14th in the 16-team league, according to a preseason poll of media covering SEC Football Media Days. Only Mississippi State and Vanderbilt were picked to finish lower in the standings. Georgia is predicted to win the league, with SEC newcomer Texas picked to finish second.

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Arkansas is coming off a 4-8 season in 2023, including a 1-7 record in the SEC. The Hogs’ lone conference victory came on the road against Florida, and five of their seven league losses came by one score.

The struggles a season ago led to the firing of offensive coordinator Dan Enos, and Sam Pittman replaced Enos with the former Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino. KJ Jefferson and Raheim Sanders both transferred out of the program.

Additionally, there was just one Razorback voted to the Preseason All-SEC Team. Defensive lineman Landon Jackson was a second-team selection.

Jackson led Arkansas in tackles for loss (13.5) and sacks (6.5) while making a career-best 44 total tackles as a junior in 2023. Jackson had his best collegiate game last season at Alabama, making a career-high 11 tackles to go with a career-best 3.5 sacks. He was named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week and Bednarik Award Player of the Week.

The Razorbacks open the 2024 season in Little Rock against UAPB. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. (ESPNU) on Thursday, Aug. 29. They have SEC home games this season against the Longhorns, LSU, Ole Miss and Tennessee. Arkansas will hit the road to face Auburn, Mississippi State and Missouri, with a neutral-site game against Texas A&M.

Below is the full predicted order of finish.

SEC Preseason Media Poll

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Where is Arkansas football predicted to finish in SEC media poll?