Sam Pittman and Arkansas became bowl eligible the old-fashioned way — by earning their sixth win of the season.
The Razorbacks went 3-7 last season but were still set to play in the Texas Bowl during a postseason significantly impacted by the pandemic. That game ended up being canceled because of positive COVID-19 tests within TCU’s program.
That was Pittman’s first year at the helm at Arkansas. His second began with four straight wins, including victories over Texas and Texas A&M, but a three-game losing streak meant bowl eligibility wasn’t guaranteed, given how tough the team’s SEC schedule is.
The Razorbacks wrapped up win No. 6 by beating Mississippi State 31-28 on Saturday.
Arkansas went to three bowls under Bret Bielema, but after Chad Morris took over they went 2-10 in back-to-back seasons. Reaching six wins is a nice benchmark in Pittman’s second year.
There are now 49 teams that are bowl eligible:
Air Force
Alabama
Alabama-Birmingham
Appalachian State
Arizona State
Arkansas
Auburn
Baylor
BYU
Central Florida
Cincinnati
Clemson
Coastal Carolina
Eastern Michigan
Fresno State
Georgia
Houston
Iowa
Iowa State
Kansas State
Kentucky
Liberty
Louisiana-Lafayette
Marshall
Michigan
Michigan State
Minnesota
Mississippi
N.C. State
Nevada
Northern Illinois
Notre Dame
Ohio State
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Oregon
Penn State
Pittsburgh
Purdue
San Diego State
SMU
Texas A&M
Texas-El Paso
Texas-San Antonio
Utah
Utah State
Virginia
Wake Forest
Wisconsin
