No. 21 Oklahoma | No. 23 Boise State | Top 25
No. 22: Arkansas
Last Season: 7-6 (2-6 SEC West)
Razorbacks looking to shake things up
Are the Razorbacks good enough to win the SEC West? Probably not. But are the Razorbacks good enough to make life miserable for everyone else inside college football's most bunkhouse stampede-like division? Absolutely. How? By returning to the program's Frank Broyles run-the-damn-ball roots. It's no secret that Bret Bielema's first two seasons were spent trying to reconstruct the bulldozer offenses he worked with as a lineman at Iowa and the head coach at Wisconsin. Now he has the horses to do it, as Arkansas returns the nation's only pair of 1,000-yard rushers, Mack truck impersonator Jonathan Williams (1,190 yards) and his sports car partner Alex Collins (1,100). They will be fronted by four returning starters along the line and handed the ball by fifth-year senior QB Brandon Allen, who spent spring and August practices working with new offensive coordinator Dan Enos on another Bielema favorite: the home run deep ball that has been set up by all those carries. -- Ryan McGee
Arkansas appears well-positioned to build on last year's late-season success with a dominant offensive line that returns four starters along with two 1,100-yard rushers and veteran signal-caller Brandon Allen, who should be in for a fine senior season after throwing for 20 TDs last year. The Hogs face the gauntlet of the SEC West as well as Tennessee and Missouri out of the East, but this is clearly Bret Bielema's most talented team in Fayetteville.
Arkansas' chances to win each game
09.05 vs. UTEP: 98.7%
09.12 vs. Toledo: 91%
09.19 vs. Texas Tech: 85.3%
09.26 vs. Texas A&M: 48.4%
10.03 @Tennessee: 45.8%
10.10 @ Alabama: 35%
10.24 vs. Auburn: 65.7%
10.31 vs. Tennessee-Martin: 99.9%
11.07 @ Ole Miss: 41.3%
11.14 @ LSU: 36.6%*
11.21 vs. Miss. State: 78.5%
11.27 vs. Missouri: 76.8%
*BROCK HUARD, ESPN analyst: Arkansas' lack of playmakers and top-end speed outside will be noticeable in LSU's hostile home stadium.
SHARON KATZ, ESPN Stats & Info: FPI expects the Tigers' offense to be one of the most improved units in the nation and too much for the Razorbacks' D to handle.
With two robust lines in the trenches and a more pass-friendly offensive mindset, the Razorbacks will be a tough out in the SEC, bullying their way to a 8-4 season. -- Edward Aschoff
Bret Bielema's team continues on its upward trajectory, but a schedule loaded with tough road games -- at Tennessee, Alabama, Ole Miss and LSU -- will leave the Razorbacks with an 8-4 record at the end of the regular season. -- David Ching
Not double-digit win ready yet (we'll say 8-4) but still improving with a deep, but largely unknown defense and plenty of offensive returnees; expect a good season from QB Brandon Allen to pair with the already elite running game. -- Sam Khan Jr.
Arkansas is being tabbed as a darkhorse contender in the West, but with a brutal road schedule, 7-5 is more reasonable for the Razorbacks. -- Greg Ostendorf
The hype is real. Arkansas is indeed heading in the right direction under Bret Bielema, but without a difference-maker at QB, the Razorbacks won't survive the West unscathed, finishing 8-4. -- Alex Scarborough
No. 21 Oklahoma | No. 23 Boise State | Top 25
