Each time Arkansas’ attendance numbers have made the rounds on social media this season, there has been a long list of excuses for the poor turnout. Maybe it’s been the 11 a.m. kickoffs (Alabama, Tulsa and Vanderbilt) or that the opponent wasn’t attractive enough (Eastern Illinois and North Texas).

Attendance based on tickets scanned for FBS games at DWRRS this season:

  • North Texas: 44,306
  • Alabama: 49,723
  • Tulsa: 40,128
  • Vanderbilt: 41,800
  • Average: 43,989

In reality, the low attendance is mostly because the 2-7 Razorbacks aren’t any good. And yes, attendance is down at most schools across the country. But again, this is a fan base that largely wants you to believe it’s above such fickleness. If Nebraska can fill its stadium against Bethune-Cookman during a 2-7 season, shouldn’t Arkansas have better than 58 percent of its stadium full on average?

There’s not a large amount of Arkansas fans that want to admit the subpar team is what’s keeping them away, though. A strong portion of the fan base wants the nation to believe Arkansas supporters stand by the Hogs with an unwavering commitment through it all. That obviously hasn’t proven to be true this season.

However, there’s still one more chance prove otherwise this Saturday against LSU. If this fan base is as loyal as it always claims to be, and has proven to be in the past, it should be a packed house at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

The LSU kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. local time, and the opponent is a heated rival ranked in the top 10. You also won’t necessarily be missing any must-see games if you show up. The only game featuring two ranked opponents that will overlap with Arkansas-LSU is Clemson-Boston College, and Clemson is a bigger favorite than LSU.

Obviously, Arkansas didn’t magically improve by leaps and bounds during its bye week, so there isn’t a lot of realistic hope for victory against such a formidable opponent. But there’s absolutely no chance at a win if the environment isn’t heavily in the Hogs’ favor.

If you absolutely have to tell yourself Arkansas has a chance before showing up, you can find a few reasons to get yourself in that mindset.

First, the Razorbacks are significantly better than they were in Week 1. They took a slight step back against Vanderbilt two weeks ago, but there had been encouraging results leading up to that loss. That’s a good sign Chad Morris can at least get things going in the right direction even without his recruits on campus.

Speaking of Morris, it’s worth noting his SMU teams performed well as an underdog coming off a bye. The Mustangs beat Houston as a 22-point underdog after their bye in 2016 and defeated Cincinnati as a 5½-point underdog in 2017.

There are also a few somewhat random variables that could lean in the Hogs’ favor. For instance, there were oddsmakers listing the Hogs as a 2-touchdown underdog. There have been 12 games this season in which a heavier underdog pulled off an upset.

And there’s always the possibility of the post-Alabama hangover. When playing a conference game following a loss to Alabama, SEC teams are 1-2 this season. The only win was Texas A&M’s narrow 24-17 escape against the Hogs. The past two times Arkansas has beaten LSU (2014 and 2015) the Tigers were coming off a loss to Alabama. Also, if you’re into random superstitious facts, the Hogs were unranked and the Tigers were No. 9 in the AP Poll leading into Arkansas’ 2015 win. The same is true this weekend, of course.

So, Arkansas fans, it’s time to find your reason to show up at DWRRS this weekend. If you can’t, you’ll have no room to talk about being among the most loyal fans in the country.