OK. We talked about moral victories, but come to think of it, the Alabama game last Saturday just might be Arkansas’ final moral victory under head coach Sam Pittman. That’s because the No. 25 Hogs look to stay ranked when they host Missouri on Friday and then, provided a victory there, a very nice bowl game follows before the final chapter to this incredible season is written.

Both of those final 2 contests are games in which the Razorbacks should be considered to win, or at least be on equal footing with their opposition.

Then heading into next season, the same applies. Arkansas will no longer enter as underdogs. They will no longer play the role of Homecoming opponent. They will be looked upon as a team that can win any SEC game, whether it’s Georgia, Alabama, or any other conference opponent.

What does that mean? It means no more moral victories. It means the Razorbacks have arrived. It means Arkansas gets a seat at the table, no longer to be overlooked.

The Razorbacks are 2-touchdown favorites to beat Missouri on Friday. Get used to that. Arkansas will be favored as often as not in future games, and yes, I’ve taken a glance at next year’s schedule. It’s brutal. Point is, the expectation for winning football games has returned to Fayetteville, and as such there are no more moral victories, only real ones.

It starts Friday when the Hogs look to wrap the 2021 regular season with a giant bow, an 8-win season, and the security in knowing that they’ve earned the right to play in a pretty nice bowl game – probably on either New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day.

Razorbacks’ stock is on the rise and a victory Friday not only would reinforce that but also be expected. That’s what happens when you elevate your program as Pittman has done to a level nobody could have expected in this short of time. No, the days of moral victories are over. Pittman has raised the level of this program to equal terms with just about every other in the SEC.

Missouri comes to town on a 2-game winning streak, having earned impressive victories – both at home – over South Carolina and Florida, sending Dan Mullen packing. The Tigers are also bowl eligible at 6-5 and would like nothing more than to enter the postseason with their 3rd consecutive victory.

But the Tigers are just 1-3 on the road this season. Their only victory away from Faurot Field was a 37-28 decision at Vanderbilt.

Conversely, Arkansas can close out the season 6-1 at Razorback Stadium with a win on Friday. The only home loss was the 38-23 setback against Auburn. Home victories this season include triumphs over Texas and Mississippi State, among others.

The Hogs are looking to break a 5-game losing streak to Missouri. Their last win was the 2015 game, a 28-3 victory at Razorback Stadium. The teams have played 12 times with Missouri holding a decided 9-3 advantage.

The teams have 2 common opponents. Neither had any success against No. 1 Georgia, but then nobody else has either. While Arkansas dropped a 37-0 game, Missouri was subdued by the same margin, 43-6. But they had very different results against Texas A&M. The Razorbacks turned away the Aggies, 20-10, in Arlington early this season. Missouri got crushed at home, 35-14, by the Aggies back in October.

Although they’ve shown signs of life over the past 2 games, the Tigers still rank next-to-last in the SEC, ahead of only Vanderbilt, in scoring defense; yielding an average of 34.7 points per game. What’s more, Missouri has not stopped the run this season, ranking last in the SEC allowing an average of 236.36 yards per game. The Razorbacks should be able to take advantage. They are 2nd in the SEC in rushing, churning out 222.27 yards per game

Missouri rests its hopes on the broad shoulders of running back Tyler Badie. The senior leads the SEC with 1,385 yards. Badie needs 194 more yards to break Devin West’s single-season school record (1,578).

He’s averaging 125.91 yards per game and will provide a major challenge to an Arkansas rush defense that yields an average of 147.64 yards per game.

That’s not to say the Tigers can’t or won’t throw the football. They do and they will, having averaged 247.4 passing yards per game, on the arm of sophomore quarterback Connor Bazelak. Arkansas is yielding 228.7 passing yards per game. That includes the 559 yards that Alabama quarterback Bryce Young threw for on the Hogs last Saturday.

So, there are some intriguing matchups ahead of Friday’s rivalry game. That’s why they play them. Arkansas will be tested, but that’s to be expected in any SEC game.