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Arkansas will win the SEC in football in 2015. That’s it. That’s your lead-in. No jokes, puns, quips, or unique statistics. Just that opinion.
Either you’ve clicked out now out of rage mixed with, “This guy’s an idiot,” or you’re at least intrigued to find out why. Heck, after going on radio proclaiming it, I got a text from a friend saying he’d buy me any dinner I wanted if the Hogs won the SEC. Safe to say I now have a rooting interest.
At any rate, get ready for it, because the stars are aligning. There are reasons, too. It’s not just predictions and hyperbole.
You start with Brandon Allen, who’s had a wild career in Fayetteville. This will be his third year starting at some point, and his biggest question is keeping 98 degrees and upright on game days. You could argue, though, that aside from Mississippi State, there is no more stable quarterback situation in the conference.
Then you add in the fact that the Hogs have four returning offensive linemen from a unit that was 11th best in the nation in sacks allowed. Allen’s issue is that of those sacks, most of them were deep sacks, putting the team in unenviable position. So yeah, there’s something to get better at.
Now, on to the running game. Arkansas might have the best 1-2 punch at the position in the sport, which is no surprise seeing as the program has ostensibly become Wisconsin with better weather under Bret Bielema. Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams both return after having 1,000-plus-yard seasons last year.
We’ll skip over to the defense a bit, and that’s where you see one of the SEC’s most veteran secondaries, with three returning starters and both corners, both of whom are good. It’s not a case of, “I’m going out with her again this Friday because basically, she’s there and not busy,” as the whole “returning starter” thing can tend to become.
The program itself under Bielema has finally found the stability it has sought. Bielema looks cantankerous and comfortable, and after a sloppy first year that probably had people wondering if the ole Big Ten boy from the North could hack it in the SEC West, last year showed that he could — in spite of a 2-6 SEC record.
On the surface, it looks flat out insane to call a team to make that kind of leap. But remember, in Year One of Bielema, Arkansas was almost an unwatchable amalgam of food that shouldn’t be on the grill, but you put it on anyway just so you can use the grill.
Last year, in spite of the losses, the Hogs were close plenty of times. Save for Georgia last year, all of their SEC losses were by a touchdown or less. That’s a sharp improvement over 2013, when only two of the Razorbacks’ SEC losses (they lost every league game that season, by the way) were by a touchdown or less.
The schedule is what it is. You’re not getting through the SEC West without playing a few tough games. The kicker is, everyone has to do it. Alabama, Auburn, everyone else … they play the same teams, some on the road, some at home. Attrition will happen around the Hogs.
You figure the way the landscape is set up, you can possibly lose two in the SEC and Pac-12 and get into a playoff by winning the conference. So if you’re the big picture type, that’s what you’re looking for. The Hogs’ road tilts are daunting … Alabama, LSU, and Ole Miss from the West.
Still, the Hogs go in with one decided advantage at quarterback over all of those teams, and you typically need a guy that’s walked through the muck to win on the road. Having a stud rushing game helps, to say the least.
If there are major concerns, it has to be at the wide receiver position. Whereas that whole “Wisconsin with better weather” thing is a compliment, it’s also a curse. Wisconsin under Bielema was never able to take that next step nationally, and always seemed to struggle to get the ball down the field and make people consistently worry about something other than the rushing game.
While the receivers are veterans and Hunter Henry at tight end is a huge asset to have, it’ll be tough for the Hogs unless they develop some game-breaking stuff. Enter JoJo Robinson, who has left legal damnation for a mistake made earlier in the year. He should at least get a chance. I’m calling that he’s a name you don’t think of going into the season but can’t forget when leaving it.
So if you can wrap your mind around the reality that it won’t necessarily be Alabama or Auburn winning the SEC forever, allow yourself a chance to slip into the Hogs as a contender.
It’s happening this year. Pork isn’t just the other white meat. It’s SEC title timber.
