Thanks to impressive season-opening wins over Cincinnati and South Carolina, Arkansas is ranked 10th in this week’s AP Top 25.

The Razorbacks play host to Missouri State on Saturday night and will be heavy favorites to move to 3-0 on the season.

The Bears are 2-0 and coached by Bobby Petrino, who was 34-17 as Arkansas’ head coach from 2008-2011.

Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said Wednesday during the weekly SEC coaches teleconference that he has a lot of respect for the caliber of players that Petrino has on his roster.

“I think they have really good talent,” Pittman said. “They’ve got a wideout from Central Michigan I think is fantastic. The running back from K State is a really good player. Obviously, Coach Petrino knows how to recruit. … He’s done a great job with improving his talent level at Missouri State.”

Pittman was also asked again about being ranked No. 10, and he yet again declined to offer up the coach speak that one might expect.

“I’d rather be ranked 10 more than I would 100,” Pittman said. “We’re proud of where we are today. That doesn’t mean anything for Saturday’s game. We are using it in recruiting and we’re proud of it. … If you get that high, you oughta use it for recruiting.”

Finally, Pittman talked about senior wide receiver Matt Landers.

The 6-5, 203-pound transfer from Georgia is the Razorbacks’ leading receiver so far this year with 7 catches for 88 yards.

“He’s very quiet, business-like personality, mature guy,” Pittman said. “I didn’t know him quite as well, I obviously wasn’t his position coach at Georgia, but I knew he was fast and a good person. Our relationship has grown since he’s been here. … He’s been a joy to have on the team.”

The Razorbacks and Missouri State meet in Fayetteville on Saturday night at 7 (ET). The game will be televised by ESPN+/SEC Network+.