FAYETTEVILLE -- The University of Arkansas established a modest program best on Tuesday night when the Razorbacks were slotted at No. 21 in the third edition of the College Football Playoff rankings.
For the first time in program history, the Razorbacks made it into the CFP rankings in back-to-back weeks while achieving their highest spot in the rankings compiled by the CFP selection committee. Arkansas was No. 25 last week and in its only previous appearance in the rankings on Nov. 8, 2016.
Arkansas, riding a three-game winning streak, faces No. 2 Alabama on Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
The Razorbacks are the fourth-highest three-loss team in the rankings, behind No. 15 Wisconsin, No. 16 Texas A&M and No. 20 North Carolina State. They are ranked higher than three-loss Utah at No. 23, as well as unbeaten Texas-San Antonio, which is No. 22 with former Razorback running backs coach Jeff Traylor as head coach and ex-Arkansas quarterback and assistant coach Barry Lunney Jr., as offensive coordinator.
No. 25 Mississippi State (6-4) is the only four-loss team in the rankings.
Arkansas has a 2-2 record against teams in the rankings, with wins over Texas A&M and Mississippi State and losses to No. 1 Georgia and No. 12 Ole Miss.
Morgan a finalist
Super senior linebacker Grant Morgan was named Tuesday as a finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy for the second consecutive year.
Morgan joined Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett and Troy linebacker Carlton Martial as the three finalists selected from a list of 10 semifinalists. The Burlsworth Trophy, named after former Arkansas All-American Brandon Burlsworth, has been given annually every season since 2010 to the top player in college football who began his career as a walk-on.
Morgan, of Greenwood, was also a finalist last season when he posted 111 tackles along with BYU receiver Dax Milne and Pittsburgh center Jimmy Morrissey, a four-year starter and two-year team captain who won the award.
"I'm excited," Morgan said. "That's something that I'm working for and looking forward to that ceremony and being there in person. That was one of of my goals in coming back this year and being able to have the opportunity to be able to try to win that award again."
The Burlsworth Trophy award ceremony will take place Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. at Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville.
'Slush' moves
Sophomore safety Myles Slusher has two interceptions and growing confidence in his four games as a starter since Jalen Catalon was lost for the year with shoulder surgery.
"It's been real good," Slusher said. "At first it was tough, but I've adjusted to it kind of well and I'm being more vocal. So it's coming along."
Senior linebacker and defensive captain Grant Morgan said Slusher wasn't a "young buck" anymore and that he told linebackers coach Michael Scherer something about Slusher on Tuesday.
"The way he's progressed in the games that he's played since Catalon has been out, you wouldn't really know that we're missing somebody back there," Morgan said.
Personnel report
Tailback Raheim "Rocket" Sanders was back in a green no-contact jersey for Wednesday's practice as he was last week. Coach Sam Pittman said he was "beaten up a little" with an undisclosed injury. Safety and punt returner Nathan Parodi was also in green Wednesday.
Left tackle Luke Jones, who along with defensive tackle Isaiah Nichols made huge blocks on Reid Bauer's 23-yard run on a fake field goal last week, was working as second-team left tackle.
Sophomore safety Zach Zimos posted a picture of himself in recovery from right knee surgery on social media Tuesday.
Tailback Josh Oglesby has entered the transfer portal, according to Rivals.com. Oglesby, a two-sport star who earned a football scholarship, had 19 yards on four carries this season.
Taking on No. 2
Arkansas will play the No. 2 team in the country for the second time this season Saturday at Alabama, following a 37-0 loss at then-No. 2 Georgia on Oct. 2. The Bulldogs (10-0) have since risen to No. 1 in every set of rankings.
The Razorbacks are on a five-year streak of playing the nation's No. 1 team, including twice in 2019, when they lost 48-7 at then-No. 1 Alabama on Oct. 26, then fell 56-20 at No. 1 LSU on Nov. 23 before the Tigers captured the CFP national championship.
Arkansas has played the No. 1 team 27 times with a 4-23 record in those meetings. The Razorbacks have a much better record and much fewer meetings with No. 2, as they sport a 5-7-1 record in those matchups.
Prior to the loss at Georgia, Arkansas won its last game against No. 2, a 27-10 victory at Auburn in 2006.
The Hogs' most famous win over No. 2 came in a 31-6 romp over Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl following the 1977 season.
Bama dings
Alabama Coach Nick Saban announced sophomore tailback Roydell Williams has a knee injury that requires surgery and will be out for Saturday's game against Arkansas.
Additionally, receiver JoJo Earle, who was injured in the Tide's 59-3 win over New Mexico State last Saturday, will also be out against the Razorbacks though he does not require surgery.
The loss of Williams, who ranks second on the team with 284 rushing yards behind Brian Robinson's 823 yards, leaves Alabama with two scholarship running backs in Robinson and Trey Sanders (39 carries, 195 yards, 2 TD).
The Crimson Tide have worked wide receiver Christian Leary and linebacker Demouy Kennedy at running back in recent weeks to help with depth at the spot.
"Those guys are functional at the position," Saban said. "Probably will look for someone else on our team that maybe we could sort of develop into being a functional player from an emergency standpoint."
'Don't care'
Arkansas junior wideout Treylon Burks did not make the 10-man semifinalist list for the Biletnikoff Trophy, which goes to the top receiver in college football.
Burks was asked his thoughts on that situation on Tuesday, saying, "I really don't care. I don't care what nobody thinks. I just play football for my family and my teammates."
Pick patrol
Montaric "Busta" Brown notched his fourth interception of the season last Saturday to thwart LSU's overtime possession and rise a notch in the Arkansas record books.
The senior from Ashdown has the highest single-season interception total for the Razorbacks since safety Tramain Thomas posted five in 2011. Thomas also led the team with four interceptions in 2010. His 2010 and 2011 seasons had been the only years in which an Arkansas player had four-plus interceptions between 2007 and 2021.
Correction
Razorback coverage in Tuesday's editions contained a passage which said Arkansas had a 2-2 record against these common opponents with Alabama: LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Texas A&M. The Razorbacks have a 3-1 record against those opponents.
Bowl projections
CBSSports.com's Jerry Palm foresees an Arkansas matchup against Penn State in the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tenn., on Dec. 30 in his latest projection.
247Sports also has Arkansas slotted for the Music City Bowl in its projections this week, but matched up against another Big Ten team, Wisconsin.
College Football News slated the Razorbacks to the Texas Bowl to face Iowa State of the Big 12 on Jan. 4. Arkansas had accepted a matchup against TCU in the Texas Bowl last year before covid-19 issues inside the Horned Frogs' program led to a cancellation. Athlon Sports also projected the Hogs to the Houston-based bowl to face Kansas State, a team Arkansas had a 2-0 record against in bowl games in the 2010s.
The Action Network projected Arkansas to the Duke's Mayo Bowl, formerly the Belk Bowl, on Dec. 30 against North Carolina in Charlotte, N.C. The Razorbacks' last postseason game was a 35-24 loss to Virginia Tech in the Belk Bowl after the 2016 season.
SI.com this week projected an Arkansas-Texas Tech matchup in the Liberty Bowl on Dec. 28.