FAYETTEVILLE — New Coach Bobby Petrino and his staff are solidly in place, the grass at Reynolds Razorback Stadium is dazzlingly green and the Arkansas football team reports today before opening practice Monday.

Football is in the air again in Northwest Arkansas and around the country.

Expectations for Petrino’s first edition of the Razorbacks are running low in most quarters. In fact, many observers pick Arkansas, which lost a bevy of veteran skill players on both sides of the ball, to finish last in the SEC West.

Of course, that won’t deter the Razorbacks’ plans to contend in the most rugged conference in college football.

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With two-a-days on the way, here are six of the most-pressing questions facing the Razorbacks:

Who will Casey Dick be throwing to this year ?

We know tight ends D. J. Williams, Andrew Davie, Ben Cleveland and company will be frontline targets based on spring drills.

Camp workouts will go a long way toward determining whether veterans London Crawford, Carlton Salters, Lucas Miller, Reggie Fish, Rod Coleman, Crosby Tuck and Marques Wade can be productive members of the receiving rotation. If the freshman class — led by Joe Adams, Greg Childs, Chris Gragg and Jarius Wright — is as good as advertised, some of them are likely to make the top mix.

And, of course, running backs will factor heavily into the passing game in the Petrino system.

Will the Hogs have enough linebackers to go around ?

One defensive coach after another vowed last week that depth at linebacker will not be an issue. Yet the depth chart behind projected starters Elston Forte, Jerry Franklin and Ryan Powers looks mighty sketchy.

Wendel Davis is coming off knee surgery and faces a felony charge after a traffic altercation. Freddy Burton will miss the first two games because of suspension, and the rest of the talent here, save for Jermaine Love, is pretty raw.

An opening exists for Tenarius Wright and Jelani Smith to be impact freshmen.

How will injuries affect the early season ?

We know camp will start with several veterans at less than 100 percent health.

Linebacker Wendel Davis will need time beyond camp to fully rehab from knee surgery.

“It’ll be down the road before he can jump in there and feel good,” linebackers coach Reggie Johnson said. “Obviously he has to feel comfortable with the leg and the knee to get out there and push yourself, so I’ve been preparing as though I won’t have him.”

Defensive lineman Ernest Mitchell has experienced some swelling on his surgically repaired knee, so caution will be the watchword for him. Cornerback Jerell Norton isn’t completely back from hamstring surgery.

“It’ll probably be the middle of two-a-days before he’s back going full,” cornerbacks coach Lorenzo Ward said.

Running backs Michael Smith (sports hernia ) and Brandon Barnett (knee arthroscopy ) had off-season surgery but should be close to full strength to open camp. Sophomore kicker Alex Tejada suffered a partially dislocated left kneecap in May, but he should be good to go.

Can some of the signees break into the playing rotation ?

Many analysts think some of them must be contributors this year for Arkansas to stay competitive in the SEC West.

Running backs De’Anthony Curtis, Dennis Johnson and Albert Gary come with speed and solid credentials and could be factors. The receiving corps will be dotted with freshmen like Adams and Wright, who will need seasoning but have a chance to accelerate into key roles right away.

On defense, Tenarius Wright and Jelani Smith at linebacker and defensive backs like Jerico Nelson and Tramain Thomas could be suited for duty this year. Thomas will enter camp with a slight groin pull.

What’s a best-case scenario for the Hogs ?

At the very core of this team, the strength can be found on the offensive line and the defensive front.

That’s a good thing for many reasons.

Solid play from the likes of Jonathan Luigs, Adrian Davis, Mitch Petrus, Malcolm Sheppard, Antwain Robinson and Jose Valdez could help the Razorbacks keep their footing if the transition to Petrino’s offense is a major shock to the system for an offensive roster laden with players recruited for another system.

The veteran lines also will help the Hogs wear on opponents and potentially give Arkansas a fourthquarter edge in tight games.

Casey Dick might now be in full “underrated” status after years of mostly handing off in Arkansas’ Ground Hog attack. Dick ranked fifth in efficiency rating in the SEC last year, with a decent 18-to-10 touchdown-to-interception ratio, and the Petrino system has its share of high-percentage passes.

Hold no illusions. It’ll take an extraordinary effort and good fortune for Arkansas to battle with the SEC titans for the long haul this season.

However, if the skill talent rises up among ball carriers, pass catchers and in the secondary, and the linebacking corps takes no hits in the injury department, the Razorbacks could be formidable in Petrino’s debut season.

Can the Razorbacks stay on track against a brutal schedule ?

Obviously, it’ll take all season to answer this one, but after the opener against Western Illinois, the gauntlet begins.

Phil Steele rates Arkansas ’ schedule No. 2 in the country, and it is not for the faint of heart.

After a critical five-game stretch against Texas, Alabama, Florida, Auburn and Kentucky, the Hogs welcome Ole Miss (and Houston Nutt, their former coach ) to Razorback Stadium.

It’s going to be crazy.

Then, in November, Tulsa comes to town with former Arkansas assistant Gus Malzahn, and the Razorbacks face defending national champion LSU, which will be out for blood after last year’s triple-overtime upset.