TDArkansasOhmy
10-30-2006, 07:44 PM
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
By Bob Holt
FAYETTEVILLE - Beating Ole Miss 38-3 and Louisiana-Monroe 44-10 the previous two games didn’t improve Arkansas’ spot in the Bowl Championship Series standings.
The Razorbacks (7-1, 4-0 SEC) are still 13th in the BCS standings released Sunday. They also were 13th two weeks ago when the first BCS standings were released.
Arkansas is ranked 12th in the Associated Press and USA Today polls and has climbed steadily in both polls since debuting at 17th and 23rd on Oct. 8 after a 27-10 victory at Auburn.
But the Razorbacks still rank behind three SEC schools - Florida, Auburn and Tennessee - in the BCS standings and AP and USA Today polls despite being the only SEC team without a conference loss.
Arkansas figures to move - up or down - in the BCS standings and national polls in November thanks to a challenging stretch run that begins Saturday night at South Carolina.
Then the Razorbacks play Tennessee in Fayetteville, at Mississippi State and against LSU in Little Rock.
The Gamecocks, Vols and Tigers are a combined 18-6. Beat those teams and the Razorbacks should get past 13th in the BCS standings and move into the top 10. Lose and they’ll fall.
“We have to get better and better and that starts today,” Nutt said on Sunday when he reviewed the Louisiana-Monroe game. “You don’t have to tell our players very much.
“They know they are back in the conference and we are playing four of the toughest teams in the conference and it starts this week in Columbia, S.C.”
Auburn is No. 6 in the BCS standings, and the AP and USA Today polls, despite its 17-point home loss to the Razorbacks on Oct. 7.
“You can’t worry about it,” Nutt said. “We beat a good team down there that day.
“I think it helped us and kind of ignited us. But all that’s going to work out if we keep winning.”
Nutt said his message to the Razorbacks on Sunday was the same as it’s been all season - to ignore the talk of polls and bowls and focus on the next game.
“I told our team from the first day when we walked into the meeting room in August that bowls and polls mean nothing before the season - and during the season,” Nutt said. “It’s nice to be recognized, but it’s the [polls] at the end [that matter.]
“And now in November with these four quality teams we’re playing, we’ll find out [how good the Razorbacks are].”
Nutt reiterated how much Arkansas has to play for in November as the Razorbacks stand alone atop the SEC West and hold the tiebreaker advantage against Auburn.
Arkansas was picked to finish fourth in the West in most preseason polls behind Auburn, LSU and Alabama.
Nutt said he’s stressing to the Razorbacks that no one picked them to win the West before the season, so they shouldn’t pay attention to the polls now.
“Don’t worry about it. You just take care of one game at a time,” Nutt said. “You go to practice. You go to work. You roll up your sleeves.”
By Bob Holt
FAYETTEVILLE - Beating Ole Miss 38-3 and Louisiana-Monroe 44-10 the previous two games didn’t improve Arkansas’ spot in the Bowl Championship Series standings.
The Razorbacks (7-1, 4-0 SEC) are still 13th in the BCS standings released Sunday. They also were 13th two weeks ago when the first BCS standings were released.
Arkansas is ranked 12th in the Associated Press and USA Today polls and has climbed steadily in both polls since debuting at 17th and 23rd on Oct. 8 after a 27-10 victory at Auburn.
But the Razorbacks still rank behind three SEC schools - Florida, Auburn and Tennessee - in the BCS standings and AP and USA Today polls despite being the only SEC team without a conference loss.
Arkansas figures to move - up or down - in the BCS standings and national polls in November thanks to a challenging stretch run that begins Saturday night at South Carolina.
Then the Razorbacks play Tennessee in Fayetteville, at Mississippi State and against LSU in Little Rock.
The Gamecocks, Vols and Tigers are a combined 18-6. Beat those teams and the Razorbacks should get past 13th in the BCS standings and move into the top 10. Lose and they’ll fall.
“We have to get better and better and that starts today,” Nutt said on Sunday when he reviewed the Louisiana-Monroe game. “You don’t have to tell our players very much.
“They know they are back in the conference and we are playing four of the toughest teams in the conference and it starts this week in Columbia, S.C.”
Auburn is No. 6 in the BCS standings, and the AP and USA Today polls, despite its 17-point home loss to the Razorbacks on Oct. 7.
“You can’t worry about it,” Nutt said. “We beat a good team down there that day.
“I think it helped us and kind of ignited us. But all that’s going to work out if we keep winning.”
Nutt said his message to the Razorbacks on Sunday was the same as it’s been all season - to ignore the talk of polls and bowls and focus on the next game.
“I told our team from the first day when we walked into the meeting room in August that bowls and polls mean nothing before the season - and during the season,” Nutt said. “It’s nice to be recognized, but it’s the [polls] at the end [that matter.]
“And now in November with these four quality teams we’re playing, we’ll find out [how good the Razorbacks are].”
Nutt reiterated how much Arkansas has to play for in November as the Razorbacks stand alone atop the SEC West and hold the tiebreaker advantage against Auburn.
Arkansas was picked to finish fourth in the West in most preseason polls behind Auburn, LSU and Alabama.
Nutt said he’s stressing to the Razorbacks that no one picked them to win the West before the season, so they shouldn’t pay attention to the polls now.
“Don’t worry about it. You just take care of one game at a time,” Nutt said. “You go to practice. You go to work. You roll up your sleeves.”