Auburn football can help Hogs make hotly anticipated coaching change among Arkansans

Auburn football has an FCS squad (Alabama A&M), the state of New Mexico's lesser Division I team (UNM Lobos), and Cal on their schedule before Arkansas comes to town on September 21. The Tigers could well propel themselves to 4-0 after beating the Razorbacks ahead of their season's home highlight: a Week 5 date with Oklahoma, which will be playing its first road game in the SEC at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

The Hogs don't have an early easy slate by any stretch. Facing Oklahoma State Week 2 in Stillwater makes for a brutal matchup and UAB is a sneaky AAC team that could be due for a major second-year leap under Trent Dilfer.

After Auburn, it gets exponentially tougher for Arkansas. A road matchup at Texas A&M before hosting Tennessee and LSU is a brutal stretch that can spell the end for Sam Pittman.

Especially if there's a loss to AU that precedes it.

If that's the Razorbacks' reality come late October, something Arkansans are waiting for will follow: Bobby Petrino becoming the Hogs' head coach once again after two New Year's Six bowl game appearances following the 2010 and 2011 seasons.

Sam Pittman on the hotseat and Bobby Petrino is already linked to Arkansas' head coaching job

Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger officially linked Petrino to Pittman's Arkansas head coaching job on August 16.

"On the cusp of a firing last December, Pittman, like Aranda, is getting an extra year to show improvement," Dellenger prefaced before saying, "That might hinge on his new offensive coordinator, Bobby Petrino, the former Arkansas head coach who many believe could replace Pittman in a return to the big chair."

Pittman is in the same position Bryan Harsin was in on the Plains two years ago. He's a lame duck with minimal confidence from the fanbase and program's brain trust. Arkansas at least has its backup plan, something Auburn didn't have as they prepared to pull the band aid off of Harsin's Tigers tenure.