AP poll leaves Razorbacks no easy way out of November

If you were hoping Sunday’s poll would make the Hogs’ November look a little friendlier, I’ve got bad news.

The newest AP Top 25 has three of Arkansas’ last five opponents listed among the country’s best teams.

Missouri checks in at No. 23. Texas is No. 11, and LSU is No. 15.

We’ve been saying this about the back end of the schedule since about August. The voters just put numbers on it.

The two teams that didn’t make the list are the ones I’d worry about most.

Auburn and South Carolina are both coming off big wins. Back in the summer, a lot of folks penciled those two in as the easier stops.

I wouldn’t pencil anything in right now.

Missouri arrives with an odd ranking

The Razorbacks get Missouri first.

The Tigers are 5-2 and sitting at No. 23. That’s the lowest of the three ranked teams left on the schedule, and it’s the one Arkansas sees first.

Missouri blew out Florida earlier this season. Voters still have the Gators at No. 17, six spots ahead of the team that beat them.

Florida’s also got wins over Ole Miss and Texas, so I guess that counts for more than getting run off the field.

I gave up on poll math a long time ago.

Arkansas shouldn’t care much where Missouri is slotted anyway.

Anybody who can push Florida around like that can do it to you too.

Auburn, South Carolina aren’t breathers anymore

After Missouri, Arkansas gets a pair of unranked teams.

In July, that looked like the spot where the Hogs could grab a couple of wins and catch their breath.

It doesn’t look that way now.

Auburn and South Carolina have both won important games lately, and teams in this league tend to carry that kind of swagger into the next week.

Neither one is in the Top 25. That’s about the only thing working in Arkansas’ favor here.

The Razorbacks can’t spend those two weeks looking ahead to Texas and LSU.

Texas climbed fast and LSU is right behind

Then come the two ranked teams waiting at the end.

Texas jumped eight spots, from No. 19 all the way to No. 11, thanks to a win over Ole Miss.

The Longhorns let a 21-point halftime lead slip away in that one and still hung on.

Ole Miss slid to No. 12, one spot behind them. Texas is 5-2.

LSU closes it out. The Tigers are 6-2 and rank No. 15, just behind Texas Tech at No. 13 and Wake Forest at No. 14.

That’s two top-15 teams in the final two games.

Ten teams in the poll have two losses, and all three of Arkansas’ ranked opponents are in that group.

What it all means for Hogs

If the poll seems a little goofy, that’s because it is.

Alabama sits at No. 10. Tennessee handled the Crimson Tide with ease and is down at No. 16. BYU beat Notre Dame and still trails the Irish.

None of that matters much to Arkansas.

What matters is whether the Hogs can win a couple of these five, and none of them look like a gift.

The summer guesses had this stretch pegged as tough. So far, they’ve been right.

Arkansas gets its first crack at proving them wrong against Missouri.

Week 8 AP Top 25

Miami (7-0)

Ohio State (6-1)

Georgia (6-1)

Indiana (7-1)

Notre Dame (6-1)

Utah (7-0)

UCLA (7-0)

BYU (6-1)

Kentucky (7-1)

Alabama (6-2)

Texas (5-2)

Ole Miss (5-2)

Texas Tech (6-1)

Wake Forest (6-1)

LSU (6-2)

Tennessee (6-2)

Florida (5-2)

Houston (5-2)

SMU (6-1)

Boise State (6-1)

Northwestern (6-1)

Arizona (6-1)

Missouri (5-2)

Oklahoma State (5-2)

Wisconsin (5-2)