In 2011, the reins were handed to Tyler Wilson after Mallett went to the NFL. Wilson picked up where Mallett left off, and Arkansas spent more than half the season ranked in the top ten. After beating Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl Classic by a score of 29–16, the Razorbacks finished with an 11–2 record and a No. 5 final ranking in the AP poll, the school's highest ranking since 1977. The eleven wins also tied a school record. The only two teams to beat the Hogs that year were Bama and LSU, the two teams that played each other for the national championship.