Revisiting Hogs' bowl options

Arkansas coach Bret Bielema celebrates with players following the Razorbacks' 31-7 win over Texas in the Texas Bowl on Monday, Dec. 29, 2014 at NRG Stadium in Houston.
Arkansas coach Bret Bielema celebrates with players following the Razorbacks' 31-7 win over Texas in the Texas Bowl on Monday, Dec. 29, 2014 at NRG Stadium in Houston.

— After losing to Mississippi State last weekend, the most likely bowl game for Arkansas includes a short travel time for the fan base.

Had the Razorbacks reached eight regular season wins, they would have been in contention for one of the three SEC-affiliated bowl games in Florida. While two of those remain a possibility, indications still are that Arkansas is a strong candidate for the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee, on Jan. 2.

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A Liberty Bowl representative has been on-hand for two of the Razorbacks' last three games, including last Saturday in Fayetteville. The Liberty Bowl matches a team from the SEC against a team from the Big 12.

Chris Vernon, a popular radio host in Memphis, tweeted Wednesday that Arkansas was the top SEC team on the Liberty Bowl's wish list, followed by Tennessee and Mississippi State. Vernon said top Big 12 teams included Texas Tech, Kansas State and West Virginia.

The Razorbacks lost to Texas Tech earlier this season in Fayetteville, a game which generated news because of the comments Red Raiders coach Kliff Kingsbury made in his postgame press conference. Kansas State is 4-6 and must win-out to become bowl eligible.

Arkansas last played in the Liberty Bowl in 2009 and has played there four times overall. Nearly 63,000 attended the Razorbacks' last game there in sub-freezing conditions, making it the bowl's second most-attended matchup.

The Liberty Bowl is one of the SEC's "group of six bowls" that are likely to select from the conference's fourth through ninth best teams, assuming the SEC has at least one team make the college football playoff.

In that scenario, the league's second highest-ranked team in the college football playoff poll would represent the SEC in the Sugar Bowl. The Citrus Bowl selects the league's best team that doesn't make a college football playoff bowl.

Other group of six bowls include the Texas, Outback, Belk, Music City and TaxSlayer bowls. As of now, it appears Arkansas will be in one of those six games.

The Independence Bowl and Birmingham Bowl select after the group of six. The Birmingham Bowl is likely to select Auburn, which has six wins entering its game against No. 2 Alabama this weekend.

If Arkansas loses to Missouri and the SEC doesn't have a representative in the college football playoff, the Razorbacks could potentially slip to the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana. Arkansas last played there in 2003.

ESPN bowl projections published Monday had Arkansas in either the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Florida, or Belk Bowl in Charlotte, North Carolina, but both seem unlikely.

The Razorbacks have never played in the Outback Bowl, which has traditionally leaned toward selecting ranked teams located farther east in the SEC.

The Belk Bowl has also had a history of selecting regional teams, including Georgia last season in its first year being affiliated with the SEC.

A CBSSports.com bowl projection published Monday had Arkansas in the Texas Bowl, where the Razorbacks beat Texas last season. Arkansas hasn't played in the same bowl game in consecutive seasons since the 1980s.

Bowl games will be finalized by next Sunday.

SEC Bowl Projections

Cotton: Alabama

Sugar: Ole Miss/Mississippi State winner

Citrus: Florida

Liberty: Arkansas

Outback: Ole Miss/Mississippi State loser

Belk: Tennessee

TaxSlayer: LSU

Music City: Georgia

Texas: Texas A&M

Birmingham: Auburn

Independence: Missouri or Kentucky (if eligible)

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