CBS Sports college football analyst Aaron Taylor said Arkansas has been a topsy-turvy team in 2016.
The Razorbacks (7-4, 3-4 SEC) started 3-0, but since beginning SEC play Sept. 24 against Texas A&M, they have not won two consecutive games or lost two in a row.
"One week, they look great. The next week, they don't," Taylor said.
Taylor was the guest speaker at the Little Rock Touchdown Club's final luncheon of the fall Monday afternoon at the Embassy Suites in Little Rock. He spoke about college football, his life growing up in California before being an offensive lineman at Notre Dame (1990-1993) and in the NFL (1994-1999) with the Green Bay Packers and San Diego Chargers.
Arkansas won at Mississippi State 58-42 on Saturday, as running back Rawleigh Williams rushed for 205 yards and 4 touchdowns on 16 carries. But the Razorbacks' defense allowed 533 yards, which is part of why Taylor believes Arkansas isn't as consistent as Coach Bret Bielema would like.
"Even when they have a nice win, there's a lot to like and a lot not to like, especially with the way their defense gave up so many yards," Taylor said. "They're a tough group of committed guys to the team. There's humility. They seem to work together. They're what Bret Bielema wants. But they need to produce that on the field a little bit more."
One player Taylor said he has been impressed with is Razorbacks quarterback Austin Allen. Allen has completed 203 of 331 passes for 2,804 yards with 22 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this season. Taylor said Arkansas' offense has taken the identity of Allen to heart.
"He reminds me of Brett Favre a little bit with his toughness," said Taylor, who played with Favre in 1994-1997 with the Packers. "It's clear he has the respect of those guys in the huddle. The way he started this year, he instantly galvanized that team. They were behind him early this season with the way he played in critical moments. I'm really impressed with him."
On a national level, Taylor discussed his College Football Playoff top four after Monday's meeting. Taylor said his top four teams going into today's rankings announcement would be Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Taylor has three Big Ten teams in his top four. He said he has been impressed with Wisconsin, whose losses are to Ohio State and Michigan.
"They're a good football team with a great defense," Taylor said. "They're not flashy offensively, but they're built like a team that's played consistent. There's nobody in the country that would want to play Wisconsin. They have a lot of ways to hurt you. They play good defense and we know historically you have to do that to win championships."
Taylor calls Alabama the favorite.
"They have the least amount of warts," Taylor said. "They play consistently. Nick Saban gets mad when they win by 30 points. They've got a true freshman quarterback, so you have to keep your eye on him. But with that defense, they make a lot of things right. You saw that in the LSU game.
"They're the team to beat."
Sports on 11/22/2016