Arkansas Vs. Kentucky: Who Will Win in 2022?

The Arkansas Razorbacks and Kentucky Wildcats are two of the best teams in the SEC, and they’re scheduled to face off in 2022. Who will come out on top?

Introduction

In 2022, the eyes of the college football world will be on two programs that have experienced very different fortunes in recent years The Arkansas Razorbacks have not won a conference championship since 2006 and have not been to a bowl game since 2015. Meanwhile, the Kentucky Wildcats are coming off back-to-back appearances in New Year’s Six bowls, winning the Citrus Bowl in 2018 and losing to Penn State in the VRBO Cotton Bowl last season.

With both programs trending in opposite directions, it’s natural to wonder which team will be better in 2022. Here’s a look at where each team stands heading into the 2022 season:

Arkansas:
-The Razorbacks have a new Head Coach in Sam Pittman, who inherits a team that went 2-10 last season.
-Pittman has been able to put together a solid recruiting class for 2020, which is ranked No. 24 nationally by 247Sports.
-Arkansas will have to replace star quarterback Cole Kelley, who announced he was transferring to SMU.

Kentucky:
-The Wildcats will be looking to replace star wide receiver Lynn Bowden Jr., who opted to enter the NFL Draft early.
-Kentucky will also have a new offensive coordinator in Liam Coen, who comes over from UCLA.
-The Wildcats’ Recruiting Class for 2020 is ranked No. 28 nationally by 247Sports.

The Case for Arkansas

It is no secret that the Eastern Conference is the most dominant conference in college football The SEC has won 10 of the last 11 National Championships with Alabama winning six of those. The other four were split between Auburn and LSU. So, it should come as no surprise that, once again, the SEC is expected to be the best conference in college football in 2020.

But, there is one team that many are high on that is not from the SEC, and that team is the Arkansas Razorbacks The Razorbacks are coming off a 2-10 season in 2019, but they have a new head coach in Sam Pittman and a lot of talent on both sides of the ball. They also have one of the most talented recruiting classes in the country coming in 2020.

With all of that being said, let’s take a look at why Arkansas could be a dark horse team to win the National Championship in 2020:

1. They Have a New Head Coach Sam Pittman is one of the most respected offensive line coaches in all of College Football He has coached several NFL offensive linemen, and he did an unbelievable job at Georgia overall during his time there. Pittman was brought in to turn around a Razorbacks program that has struggled mightily over the last few years, and many believe he is more than up to the task.

2. They Have Talent on Both Sides of The Ball: One thing that you can say about Pittman is that he knows how to recruit talented players on both sides of the ball. The Razorbacks have a ton of talent on offense, led by quarterback Feleipe Franks (who transferred from Florida) and running back Rakeem Boyd (who was electric last season). On defense, they have one of the best defensive lines in all of College Football led by McTelvin “Soupy” Agim (who was named First-Team All-SEC last season) and Jamario Bell (who was named SEC Defensive Lineman of The Year).

3. They Have One Of The Best Recruiting Classes In 2020: As previously mentioned, Pittman knows how to recruit talented players. The 2020 recruiting class for Arkansas is currently ranked No. 12 in the nation by 247Sports Composite Team Rankings, which is incredibly impressive considering how bad they have been over the last few years. This recruiting class includes five-star defensive end Bijan Robinson (the No. 1 player from Arizona), five-star wide receiver Tre’vonte Anderson (the No. 1 player from Missouri), and four-star quarterback Malik Hornsby (the No. 1 player from Texas).

The Case for Kentucky

In 2022, the Kentucky Wildcats are primed to take home the National Championship Here’s why:

-They have one of the best coaches in the country in John Calipari
-They have a top-ranked recruiting class coming in, led by five-star recruit Bam Adebayo.
-They have a balanced mix of experience and youth on their roster.
-They play in a tough conference (the SEC) that will prepare them for the rigors of the NCAA tournament

The X-Factors

In any college ball game there are a number of intangibles that can make the difference between winning and losing. When two evenly-matched teams take the field, it often comes down to who wants it more, who’s better prepared, or which team made the fewest mistakes.

In the case of the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Kentucky Wildcats there are a few key factors that will likely decide who comes out on top in their 2022 matchup.

The first is experience. Kentucky has a Number of players who have been starting for several years now, while Arkansas is still relatively young. The Wildcats will have an advantage in terms of both understanding the playbook and being able to execute on game day

Second is coaching. Kentucky Head coach Mark Stoops has proven himself to be one of the best in the business, while Arkansas’ Chad Morris is still relatively new to the SEC. Stoops will have a better game plan and his team will be better prepared than Morris and the Razorbacks.

Finally, momentum is always important in football. Kentucky is coming off a strong season in which they won 10 games, while Arkansas struggled to a 4-8 record. The Wildcats will have carryover momentum from last season while the Razorbacks will be trying to forget theirs.

All things considered, it’s clear that Kentucky has the edge heading into their matchup with Arkansas in 2022. But with football, as with anything else, anything can happen on any given day.

Arkansas’ Keys to Victory

In order to beat Kentucky in 2022, Arkansas will need to do the following:

1. Win the turnover battle: Kentucky has a +5 turnover margin this season, while Arkansas is at -1. This is a huge difference and one that Arkansas will need to close if it wants to have a chance to win.
2. Run the ball effectively: Kentucky’s rushing defense is ranked 13th in the nation, while Arkansas’ is 97th. The Razorbacks will need to find a way to run the ball effectively if they want to score enough points to win.
3.Stop the run: Kentucky’s rushing offense is ranked 14th in the nation, while Arkansas’ rushing defense is 97th. The Razorbacks must find a way to stop the run if they want to have a chance at winning.

Kentucky’s Keys to Victory

In order to understand who will win the game in 2022, one must first understand the strengths and weaknesses of each team. Kentucky’s football team has been on the rise in recent years while Arkansas has been struggling to rebuild its program. Here are three key factors that will determine who wins the matchup between these two teams in 2022:

1. Kentucky’s experience. The Wildcats have a core group of players who have been starting for several years now, and they also have a talented group of young players who have been waiting their turn. This experience will be crucial in big games like this one.

2) Kentucky’s Coaching Staff Coach Mark Stoops has done an excellent job of recruiting and developing talent, and he has surrounded himself with a great staff of assistant coaches This will give Kentucky a big advantage on the sidelines.

3) Arkansas’ struggles on offense. The Razorbacks have had trouble scoring points lately, and their lack of firepower could be their downfall against a Kentucky team that is loaded with playmakers on both sides of the ball.

The Bottom Line

Arkansas has a projected population of 3,013,825 in 2020, while Kentucky’s is estimated at 4,474,059. If these numbers hold true, Arkansas will have fewer people than Kentucky in 2022.