Bielema's fourth season was a topsy-turvy 7–6 campaign that ended with two embarrassing defeats at the hands of Missouri in the regular season finale and Virginia Tech in the Belk Bowl. The former saw his team blow a 17–point halftime lead and the latter was a 24–point blown halftime lead, the largest for Arkansas since at least 1952. Following the season, Bielema hired Central Michigan head coach Dan Enos as the team's offensive coordinator. The Hogs went downhill from there, however, as the 2017 season finished with Arkansas going 4–8, and Bielema was fired minutes after concluding his fifth season with a 45–48 loss to Missouri.