HawgBeat - Arkansas sees small drop in ESPN FPI rankings
The Arkansas Razorbacks football team fell in ESPN's Football Power Index after its loss to Texas A&M
arkansas.rivals.com
Another year, another loss for the Arkansas Razorbacks against Texas A&M in the Southwest Classic.
In a putrid offensive performance, the Hogs only managed to scrounge up 174 total yards through four quarters against the Aggies in a 34-22 defeat.
Unlike the Razorbacks, Texas A&M totaled 414 yards of total offense thanks to a 210-yard and two-touchdown passing performance from starting quarterback Max Johnson.
It wasn't just the offense, though. A pick-six off of Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson and a punt-return touchdown by Ainias Smith added to the Aggies' dominance during the matchup.
Following the defeat, the Hogs fell in the rankings for the fourth time this season in one of ESPN's top predictive metrics for college football.
After elevating eight spots to No. 34 following a 34-31 loss to LSU in Week 4, the Razorbacks dropped two spots to No. 36 off the back of the ugly defeat to Texas A&M in ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) this week.
Head coach Sam Pittman’s squad now has a 5.4-6.6 projected win total with a 46.9% chance of obtaining six wins during the season. On top of that, Arkansas has just a 0.1% (0.1% decrease from last week) chance of winning the SEC West and a 0% chance of the entire SEC, according to the FPI.
After five weeks of football, Arkansas fell to No. 53 in the country in efficiency rankings after being as high as No. 40 in Week 2, according to ESPN. This includes a 41.5 (No. 83) offensive rating.
The defensive rating rose from 62.7 (No. 49) last week to 67.2 (No. 40) this week. The special teams unit also increased its rating, as it rose from 56.9 (No. 52) in Week 4 to 58.7 (No. 41) after the Texas A&M game.
Compared to the rest of the SEC, the Razorbacks come in at No. 10 (No. 10 last week) in the FPI just above Florida, South Carolina, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. The Hogs look worse in the efficiency department, slotting in at No. 12 (No. 12 last week) in the SEC above Mississippi State and Vanderbilt.
Going into a Week 6 matchup against the Ole Miss Rebels — a team that ranks No. 13 in the FPI and No. 17 in efficiency rating (81.0) — the Razorbacks will be facing a high-quality opponent for the third straight week.
Arkansas and Ole Miss are set for a 6:30 p.m. CT kickoff on Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.
