College Football Preseason Top 25: #22 Arkansas

Ryan Mallett opened up the Hogs’ offense in 2009 but the team lacked consistency. Al Dannity expects big improvements for Arkansas in 2010.

The schedule
Arkansas starts 2010 with two powder-puff opponents at home with Tennessee Tech and Louisiana Monroe playing the roles of the Washington Generals in the first two weeks of the season. A trip to Georgia on September 18 followed by a visit from reigning national champions Alabama will tell us a lot more about where the Razorbacks really stand.

The only non-conference game worth looking at is a game with Texas A&M in Cowboys Stadium. Even here it’s hard to rate the Aggies as a serious test for Bobby Petrino’s side. The rest of the Hogs’ SEC slate is quite favorable with a trip to Auburn the only big test facing Arkansas after September.

The players
The Razorbacks will have the bulk of the offense that exploded all over the SEC in 2009 back for more in 2010. Expect Ryan Mallett to make a big impression on Heisman voters this season. With All SEC tight end DJ Williams and All SEC wide receiver Joe Adams returning, this team could surpass the team’s 2009 average of 303.3 passing yards per game.

The Hogs defense looks quite similar to last season’s unit but this group of players will need to improve considerably if it is to make an impact on the SEC. While this is likely to be a down year in the conference, no BCS conference ever reaches a point where that level of ineptitude in the secondary is acceptable. Bobby Petrino needs to bring discipline to this group of veterans to ensure the Hogs don’t get stuck in shootout after shootout. In total the Razorbacks have 18 returning starters, including punter Dylan Breeding and kicker Alex Tejada.

The forecast
While SEC teams are famed for scheduling weak non-conference opponents, most usually include at least one big test. Instead a toothless Texas A&M team will offer the biggest test to the Razorbacks outside of the conference. That trip to Georgia is winnable but only if the secondary shows dramatic improvement. The Bulldogs have the weapons to win at home. I like Alabama to win at Arkansas as well but even with two early defeats the Hogs should still finish the regular season with at least a 9-3 record. This won’t be enough for an appearance in the SEC title game but it should send Arkansas to the Capital One Bowl.