Hogs probably won’t journey significantly for bowl match

By:

Tom Murphy

Posted: Sunday, December 20, 2020

FAYETTEVILLE — The University of Arkansas secured the ninth position in the SEC bowl pecking get Saturday and will determine its bowl location, most likely between the “pool of six” bowls with SEC tie-ins, these days.

Generally the SEC, the bowls and the universities arrange bowl berths in a collaborative style soon after the Faculty Soccer Playoff, New Year’s Six and Citrus Bowl choices have been created.

This calendar year, mostly because of to the coronavirus pandemic, supplying SEC systems bowl picks that make the most sense to faculty officials geographically and for group and admirer travel things to consider is the tactic. So Arkansas Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek, in consultation with Coach Sam Pittman and college officials, need to get to make his choice after the very first eight SEC groups are off the board.

The Razorbacks are virtually particular to wind up in a bowl within just an 81/2-hour travel of their Fayetteville campus. The Liberty Bowl in Memphis and the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Value are the closest postseason sites, adopted by the Audio Metropolis Bowl in Nashville, Tenn., and the Texas Bowl in Houston.

“ESPN will have a bowl mania display, and that’s when the public will obtain out where by we’re likely,” Pittman stated on his radio present Wednesday evening. “I really do not know exactly where we’re heading suitable now. But I’ll know some time early afternoon on Sunday, and I’ll be operating proper with Hunter Yurachek on which a person we’d like to go to or which one features us a place.”

The Razorbacks (3-7) earned the ninth spot in the SEC by virtue of their head-to-head get around Tennessee (3-7), which shed 34-13 to Texas A&M on Saturday. LSU self-imposed a bowl ban and is out of the bowl mix.

“In all my conversations, I assume the conferences and their bowl associates are going to toss the pre-recommended range order out the window a little bit and make matchups that make a small additional geographic sense,” Nick Carparelli, the govt director of Bowl Year (formerly the Soccer Bowl Association) stated on a teleconference very last 7 days. “Just to help you save on journey time, vacation charges and to make it all as harmless as feasible. I completely expect you are going to see a large amount extra regional matchups in bowl video games than you typically do.”

The SEC is positioned to have a few or four groups in the Higher education Football Playoff and the New Year’s 6 bowl game titles. SEC West winner Alabama (10- getting into the SEC title video game) and runner-up Texas A&M (9-1) appear assured for that mix. SEC East winner Florida (8-2 coming into the SEC title recreation) and runner-up Ga (7-2) are also contenders.

Florida’s functionality towards Alabama in the SEC Championship Match late Saturday will have a bearing on regardless of whether the Gators’ postseason spot is a New Year’s Six match or the Citrus Bowl, whose slot is assured to the SEC Championship Activity loser.

If the Gators and Ga both engage in in New Year’s 6 game titles, Auburn or Missouri would be in line to obtain the Citrus Bowl berth.

Following Auburn (6-4) and Missouri (5-5), Kentucky (4-6) and Ole Miss (4-6) will get their bowl assignments prior to the Razorbacks, with Mississippi State and South Carolina to comply with. Winless Vanderbilt (-9) is not expected to go bowling.

Pittman reported on nationwide early signing working day Wednesday that his preference would be a bowl destination where a contingent of Arkansas admirers could quickly vacation.

“Obviously [the] Liberty sticks out mainly because we’re close,” he mentioned. “Texas sticks out due to the fact we recruit that point out. Nashville sticks out simply because it’s 8 hours from here, whichever, 8-and-a-50 percent, nine hrs.

“All people bowls are found properly. We just want to go, and when we go, we want to earn it. So whichever just one we can go in there and enjoy effectively and gain, which is the just one we’d like to go to.”

The Razorbacks opened bowl tactics for a generic opponent Thursday and will include three additional opponent-precise practices this 7 days prior to breaking for Xmas.

The Liberty Bowl is scheduled for Dec. 30, while the Armed Forces, New music Metropolis and Texas bowls are all slated for Dec. 31.

The Audio City Bowl pits an SEC opponent vs. a team from the Major Ten. The Armed Forces Bowl functions an SEC vs. Pac-12 matchup. The Liberty and Texas bowls pit an SEC software vs. a Major 12 group.

Matt Jones of WholeHogSports contributed to this report