Opening Games Usually Walk in Park Unless Other Guys Good
Maybe the best news in Saturday's opening game in Razorback Stadium against Rice is they aren't facing a ranked opponent.
Good teams early hasn't really worked out well in the past.
With the exception of a couple of openers against SMU that Danny Ford would probably not want to discuss and the infamous game against Citadel that got Jack Crowe fired in 1992, the Razorbacks have pushed over the folks they should on opening day.
Sam Pittman probably won't admit it until well after Saturday but starting the weird 2020 season against Georgia was probably not his first choice.
Since Frank Broyles took over in 1958 (starting with a loss to Baylor), the opening-day record is 48-14-1.
That's 76% of the time.
Broyles accounted for six of those losses. Only two of those teams (Baylor in 1958 and Oklahoma State in 1967) weren't very good teams.
His other losses were to one of the best teams in Ole Miss history, Stanford with a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback and national championship contender USC in 1972 and 1973.
Ken Hatfield only had a tie in his first game against Ole Miss. Only Ford and Jack Crowe had two opening-game losses.
Houston Nutt lost once. USC in 2006 came into Razorback Stadium and kicked the Hogs sideways. Arkansas then proceeded to reel off 10 wins in a row.
The Owls aren't in the discussion of being ranked. The Hogs aren't, either, but they have better players that are bigger, stronger and faster.
They also have history on their side.
