My condolences: Arkansas Razorbacks HC (Sam Pittman) and his wife die in car crash…..

Sam Pittman did his best to give a non-answer at the SEC media days last week when someone asked about Arkansas playing four of its first five games away from Fayetteville.

He drug on about playing in Dallas and eventually went into a discussion about playing times being important and getting his athletes used to the routine at different times of the day.

Anything to avoid the actual answer to the question.

The truth is Pittman’s most honest answer is playing only one game in Fayetteville before the first weekend in October looks like a blessing, but he wasn’t about to say that.

Everyone keeps listing the Hogs’ toughest games being at home as a positive for the upcoming schedule, and technically it is, just not for the reason that is being implied.

If last season is any indicator of what to expect from these players and coaches, the Hogs’ best chance to get momentum rolling is by way of a whole month’s worth of games being away from Razorback Stadium to start the year. Everyone remembers the last time Arkansas played in Fayetteville.

It was a demoralizing 48-14 loss to a Missouri team that went on to win 11 games.

What people tend to forget is the home game before that was an even worse 48-10 loss to an Auburn team that finished with a losing record and didn’t win a game the rest of the season, including a 31-10 loss to New Mexico State and a 31-14 loss to Maryland.