Six months ago, I would have told you the Arkansas Razorbacks would enter the upcoming football season ranked in the Top 10 and that Darren McFadden would be the media’s oddson favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. But a lot of water traveled under the bridge since December, and quite a bit of it was muddy. Possibly, the controversies we have all lived with the last six months clouded the national perception of the Razorbacks, or perhaps they made the picture more lucid. It’s hard to tell at this juncture. But most of the national prognosticators have the Hogs ranked outside the Top 20, and while McFadden is very much a part of the Heisman talk, quarterbacks like USC’s John David Booty and Louisville’s Brian Brohm seem to be getting equal billing with McFadden even though he was the 2006 Heisman runner-up. It seems last year’s 10-4 season is viewed as an anomaly, a high tide that now recedes. ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit may have best described the national view best when he said, “ Arkansas has a good team every three years, ” following the Hogs dismantling of Auburn last season on the road. And for the most part, Herbstreit’s analysis is on the mark. Going into his 10 th season as the Razorbacks’ head football coach, Houston Nutt has had three teams to rise to the precipice of greatness only to fall back. Every Razorback fan remembers the heartbreak of Clint Stoerner’s fumble against Tennessee in 1998 that let the Vols off the hook and led to UT’s national title. In 2003, the Razorbacks bolted into the Top 10 but could not handle the pressure that success brought. Three back-to-back losses in October leveled a promising 4-0 start that included road wins over Texas and Alabama. And then again last season, the Razorbacks won 10 consecutive games, but closed the season 0-3 when they ran the gauntlet against consecutive Top 5-caliber squads — LSU, Florida and Wisconsin. Such a history leads the national and regional media to believe the Razorbacks will fall back into the middle of the SEC pack once again this season, and until the Razorbacks have a team that breaks through, that perception won’t change. Personally, I believe this is a Razorback squad that can break through. There are question marks at quarterback and receiver on offense and defensive tackle and cornerback on offense, but there is a very good possibility the Hogs have answers for those queries. Overall depth is also an issue, but it’s a concern at most schools throughout the country.

Why do I believe this can be another 10 or even 11-win season with those questions hanging over the Hogs ?

Simple, Arkansas has an uncommon amount of talent at the skilled positions with McFadden, Felix Jones, Marcus Monk and Peyton Hillis. I believe Casey Dick will come into his own during his junior season like so many other Razorback quarterbacks have in the past. I also trust that Mike Markuson will put together another strong offensive line as he has done nearly every season since 1998, and likewise Reggie Herring and his defensive staff will whip the Razorbacks’ defense into a formidable squad by midseason if not before.

Arkansas’ schedule also makes an eight-win season almost inevitable. Every win after that will only add to the Razorbacks’ reputation on the national level.

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The fact the Hogs are just off the national radar going into the season should also be a motivating factor to a group of players who got a taste of the Top 10 last season before falling out of it in its final three games.

In the spring, the Hogs themselves spoke of returning to the SEC Championship Game, and if that’s to be the case, Arkansas can afford no more than two league losses and probably just one.

As with every season, health will play a huge factor in the Razorbacks’ fortunes, just as it did during the three-game losing streaks in 2003 and in 2006.

If the Razorbacks are playing with most or all of their bullets in November, this could be a season in which the Hogs finally earn the respect they and their fans have always wanted.

Terry J. Wood is the sports editor of the Northwest Arkansas Times.