FAYETTEVILLE -- Bullies inevitably get scolded to pick on somebody their own size.
Perhaps that should go for the bullied, too.
After the SEC schedule compelled them last Saturday to pick fights with and at SEC superpowers Alabama and Georgia, Ole Miss and Arkansas pick up the pieces sizing up each other. They play today's 11 a.m. ESPN televised SEC West game in Oxford, Miss.
Alabama's nationally No. 1 Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa led Ole Miss, 35-0 before netting Alabama Coach Nick Saban's ire coasting home, 42-21.
Nationally No. 2 Georgia and its nationally No. 1 defense routed the Razorbacks, 37-0 in Athens.
Sizing up each other, Coach Sam Pittman's Razorbacks and Coach Lane Kiffin's Rebels need to remember themselves and their opponent stand bigger than the dwarfs shrunk in Athens and Tuscaloosa.
The AP voters recognized what the Razorbacks and Rebels accomplished previously and what they were up against vs. the nation's two best football teams. They only dropped then No. 8 Arkansas, now 4-1 overall/1-1 in the SEC, to No. 13 and only dropped then No. 12 Ole Miss to No. 17.
So this remains a Top 20 matchup in Oxford deserving national attention.
Kiffin, as his controversial wont, popped off about "Get your popcorn ready," before the kickoff in Tuscaloosa.
A "stupid" comment, Kiffin has confessed and for which he has been media roasted.
He's played it humble this week. Kiffin praises second-year head coach Pittman's Arkansas turnaround. It includes beating Ole Miss, 33-21 last year in Fayetteville during Arkansas' 3-7 SEC season after consecutive 0-8's in the SEC under Pittman predecessor Chad Morris.
While humble regarding the Razorbacks, Kiffin rightly expresses confidence in his 3-1 Rebels.
They composite outscored Louisville, Austin Peay and Tulane, 158-62 in their 43-24, 54-17, 61-21 start before a bye and the SEC opener against Alabama.
Regarded as the SEC's best returning quarterback, Ole Miss' Matt Corral has lived up to his billing. He's deemed a Heisman Trophy candidate off his 87 for 125 passing for 1,210 yards with 10 touchdowns vs. zero interceptions plus six rushing touchdowns.
Even against Alabama, Corral completed 21 of 29 for 213 yards with a passing touchdown and running touchdown and zero turnovers.
A far cry from Corral throwing a totally uncharacteristic six interceptions against Arkansas last year.
"I think that (Arkansas) game taught him a lot," Kiffin said. "I think it helped a little bit in this (Alabama) one when it wasn't going really well. He threw no interceptions versus six."
Arkansas shouldn't let the woe of getting marched upon by Georgia forget its euphoria dominating then No. 15 now No. 21 Texas, 40-21 and beating then No. 7 Texas A&M, 20-10.
Remember, A&M's defense preseason was deemed on par with Georgia's.
These Hogs do have much to address, especially penalties and special teams miscues survived previously but haunting them at Georgia, but they address from a stature still respected.