Nate Allen

FAYETTEVILLE -  Make that 8 out of 10 instead of 7 of 10 nationally ranked football opponents the Arkansas Razorbacks face in 2020.

The Mississippi State Bulldogs, unranked in the AP preseason poll and its first poll thereafter, vaulted to No. 16 after their 44-34 stunning upset  last Saturday over the then sixth-ranked  reigning national champion LSU Tigers at the Bayou Bengals lair in Baton Rouge, La.

Mississippi State and Bulldogs Coach Mike Leach’s Air Raid offense, setting a SEC record 623 passing yards on LSU, await the Razorbacks at 6:30 p.m. Saturday in Starkville, Miss. on the SEC Network Alternate.

Arkansas opened its entirely SEC 10-game schedule losing 37-10 after a 10-5 third-quarter lead over the nationally fourth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs last Saturday at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

Arkansas’ SEC gauntlet  otherwise includes  Oct. 10 at No. 7 Auburn; Oct. 31 at No. 13 Texas A&M;  Nov. 7 hosting No. 21 Tennessee ; Nov. 14 at No. 3 Florida; Nov. 21 at now No. 21 LSU, and Dec. 5 hosting No. 2 Alabama.

Only Ole Miss, coming Oct. 17 to Fayetteville, and Missouri, hosting  Arkansas Nov. 28 in Columbia, Mo. dot Arkansas’ schedule currently unranked.