HawgBeat - Arkansas drops in ESPN FPI following loss to Mississippi State
The Arkansas Razorbacks moved down one spot in the ESPN FPI following their loss to Mississippi State on Saturday.
arkansas.rivals.com
The Arkansas Razorbacks (2-6, 0-5 SEC) dropped their sixth game in a row to the Mississippi State Bulldogs (4-3, 1-3 SEC) on Saturday at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
It was an inept offensive performance for the Hogs, who scored a season-low three points and gained 200 yards total through four quarters against the Bulldogs.
Mississippi State wasn't much better, as it only managed one touchdown score and 205 yards of offense. The Bulldogs actually had fewer first downs than the Razorbacks, as they had 10 compared to Arkansas' 12.
Though it lost, Arkansas continued to play good defense under first-year defensive coordinator Travis Williams. Following the matchup, the Razorbacks now rank 51st in total defense after coming in at 123rd by the end of last season.
Following the defeat, the Hogs fell in the rankings in one of ESPN's top predictive metrics for college football.
After rising one spot to No. 31 following a 24-21 loss to Alabama in Week 7, the Razorbacks dropped one spot to No. 32 off the back of the defeat to Mississippi State in ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) this week.
Head coach Sam Pittman’s squad now has a 4.5-7.5 projected win total with a 13.2% chance of obtaining six wins during the season. On top of that, Arkansas has a 0% chance of winning the SEC West and a 0% chance of winning the entire SEC, according to the FPI.
After eight weeks of football, Arkansas fell to No. 48 in the country in efficiency rankings after being as high as No. 40 in Week 2, according to ESPN. This includes a 45.9 (No. 75) offensive rating.
The defensive rating moved down from 71.5 (No. 30) last week to 67.8 (No. 34) this week. The special teams unit increased its rating, as it rose from 62.2 (No. 32) in Week 7 to 67.1 (No. 16) after the Mississippi State game.
Compared to the rest of the SEC, the Razorbacks come in at No. 8 (No. 8 last week) in the FPI just above Florida, South Carolina, Mississippi State, Auburn, Kentucky and Vanderbilt. The Hogs look worse in the efficiency department, slotting in at No. 11 (No. 10 last week) in the SEC above South Carolina, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt.
After a much-needed bye week, Arkansas will go into a Week 10 matchup against the Florida Gators — a team that ranks No. 33 in the FPI and No. 37 in efficiency rating (64.4).
Arkansas and Florida will face off on Saturday, Nov. 4 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida.
