Arkansas Razorbacks Football: No. 83 in USA Today Countdown

 

The USA Today is counting down to their pre-season top college football team in the nation, and the University of Arkansas Razorbacks come in at No. 83.

Here is a taste of the analysis from the newspaper on the Razorbacks football team:

Bret Bielema will bring a taste of the Big Ten to the SEC, turning Arkansas’ finesse style into a punishing, physical team worthy of rolling in the mud with perennial powers like Alabama, Florida and LSU. They’re not so different, the Big Ten and the SEC: Win up front, win the game.

But remaking Arkansas’ style is just one step on Bielema’s to-do list. There’s recruiting, most of all: Arkansas needs to step up its game to keep pace in the West Division. There’s finding the right personnel in 2013. Then there’s repairing a broken team’s psyche, which might be the most difficult step of all.

GAME(S) TO WATCH

— Auburn: One of these two teams is going to finish last in the SEC West. Winner take all, sort of. Arkansas should start strong before hitting up against the most ridiculous stretch one could possibly imagine: Texas A&M, at Florida, South Carolina, at Alabama. Are you kidding me? Yes, Arkansas draws two teams from the SEC East – and they’re the Gators and Gamecocks. While the schedule does the Razorbacks no favors, such is life: Arkansas needs to beat these teams every year to reach the BCS, so get cracking.

The USA Today analysis is – six wins in a dream season. A nightmare season for the Arkansas Razorbacks? Win the first three and lose every other game on the schedule.

As a point of reference, Paul Myerberg, the writer, shares a recap of what he predicted for the Arkansas Razorbacks in 2012:

It all comes down to coaching. Arkansas was never going to beat Alabama and LSU with talent against talent – while the Razorbacks recruit well, the team’s overall talent level alone will never be enough to claim an SEC West title. It’s all about coaching; it’s about schematics, blueprints, game plans and adjustments, and it’s in these areas that Arkansas will take the steepest dive without Petrino running the show. While Smith will rally this team behind a cause, he will not give this program the sort of advantage it needs to unseat Alabama and LSU from atop the West division. Instead, Arkansas will lose not only those two games but at least one and likely two others, in my mind, taking a step back from last season’s near-climb into a BCS bowl.

Tell us your thoughts on the Razorbacks football schedule and make your prediction in the poll.

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