How can Razorbacks fans best get their football fix in Week 0?

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.

They can smell it in the air.

That slight mix of leather, soda and barbecue smoking in the distance.

For Arkansas fans, the scent of football is faint.

However, while the Hogs don't play during Week 0, there are still opportunities to get a slight hint of football much in the way small towns do when the local high school team schedules a jamboree against a nearby town.

In this case, the definition of Week 0 is being extended to mean everything that happens before the official opening day of Aug.

30.

At first glance, the selection of games available to to help pass the time until the Hogs kick off the season against Alabama A&M looks a little bleak.

However, there are enough hidden loose ties to Arkansas to string together just enough interest for Razorbacks to survive.

Let's take a look at the most intriguing Arkansas adjacent games on the docket so fans can plan their last weekend without Razorbacks football efficiently.

When Bobby Petrino arrived, he took a quick stab at trying to land Fayetteville quarterback Drake Lindsey, a potential Razorback legacy player with tremendous upside.

However, since he had been largely ignored by the previous offensive staff, Lindsey stuck with the program that had shown him love all along Minnesota.

After a year of impressing head coach PJ Fleck with his ability to pick up the offense, Lindsey takes over as a red shirt freshman after completing 4-of-5 passes last season for 50 yards and a touchdown.

This will be a good opportunity for Razorbacks fans to watch and try to imagine Lindsey's game functioning in a modern Petrino offense.

They may conclude he would have been a perfect fit and lament the missed opportunity or see that while he would have functioned well in an early 2010s Petrino offense, his game doesn't fit as well with the 2020s Petrino style.

In that case, they may adopt him as someone to cheer and check in on throughout the season while maintaining good piece of mind.

People seem obsessed with trying to convince others Auburn is back as a contender in the SEC.

However, this game will go a long way in telling the story as to whether that's true.

Hugh Freeze appears to be determined to play his top three quarterbacks in this game regardless of how things play out.

That is a huge red flag that offers favor toward Razorbacks fans' hopes that Arkansas can claim wins in three out of the past four seasons.

Baylor is expected to be a middle of the pack Big 12 school, so this game will offer so much in regard as to whether the Tigers are going to be a threat this season.

If they lose to the Bears, that is a horrible omen for how the year is going to unfold on The Plains.

This could be the beginning of a gigantic mess at Auburn or it could be a clear sign that everyone should take the Tigers seriously this year.

Arkansas fans won't know if they don't watch.

There is concern that the Tigers might not be as strong as they have been over the past few years largely because Eli Drinkwitz is stuck between two quarterbacks, neither of whom present a full package.

Arkansas fans will get to see first hand whether there is anything to this because Missouri has announced both quarterbacks, Sam Horn and Beau Pribula, will play against UCA.

Things have changed since NIL became a factor as there was once a time the Bears could make a Division I team possibly pay a price for using a game against them for a glorified practice/tryout session.

Still, Hogs fans will have a clear team for which they can cheer without regret against a team that Arkansas has no trouble wanting to see lose.

Factor in they get a chance to see if there is a new Luther Burden in the works who can cause the Razorbacks trouble at season's end and this is almost borderline must-see on a Thursday night.

If Hogs fans are looking for a little taste of Arkansas, look no further than App State.

In addition to being coached by former Razorbacks assistant Dowell Loggains, the Mountaineers feature former Hogs Dylan Hasz, Rashod Dubinion, Davion Dozier, Sam Mbake and Brooks Yurachek.

There are four reasons to include this game on the list: 1) It's the first game of the season.

2) It includes two teams which are prime candidates for bowl opponents for the Razorbacks come season's end.

3) Dublin is absolutely beautiful this time of year.

It's mesmerizing how deeply green the grass is there in late August.

4) It features two ranked teams.

There's not a lot of other reason to get up and watch this one.

However, those are four very compelling excuses to get something on the grill and take in a little football..

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