What's with all the Hawg love?

[TrapGame]

Weiner on 105.9 had a SEC writer from ESPN on yesterday talking up Arkansas and even saying they were his dark horse to win the West. Today Bo had on Mike Huganin and he was talking up Arkansas too.

I just don't see it. I think they'll be good but this kind of hype just doesn't make sense to me.

[thf24]

I don't understand it either. Same offense, average QB, lost a ton of production on defense. Their offense sets them up to win tough games down the stretch of the season, but I still don't see their ceiling any higher than 8-4. I'm thinking 7-5 or another 6-6.

[HancockCountyDog]

Everyone talks about their running game, but it was their defense that carried them to a winning record.

Im interested to see what their defense looks like after losing three NFL draft picks from their front seven, arguably the best DL and best LB in the conference.

[RiverCityDawg]

I don't understand it either. Same offense, average QB, lost a ton of production on defense. Their offense sets them up to win tough games down the stretch of the season, but I still don't see their ceiling any higher than 8-4. I'm thinking 7-5 or another 6-6.

I think they'll be something like 7-5 too, but they do have a new OC and are supposed to be opening things up "some". With that said, they don't have the receivers or a dynamic QB so I'm not sure how effective it will be.

[Offshore Dawg]

I think they'll be something like 7-5 too, but they do have a new OC and are supposed to be opening things up "some". With that said, they don't have the receivers or a dynamic QB so I'm not sure how effective it will be.

But, But !! didn't they beat the all world bears, I can't remember without looking it up .

[DistrictDawg92]

Weiner on 105.9 had a SEC writer from ESPN on yesterday talking up Arkansas and even saying they were his dark horse to win the West. Today Bo had on Mike Huganin and he was talking up Arkansas too.

I just don't see it. I think they'll be good but this kind of hype just doesn't make sense to me.

It's because they finished the season with shutouts over Ole Miss and Lsu and then beat Texas in the bowl game. How you close the season is what the media bases their pre season predictions on

[LC Dawg]

I think Arkansas is a West dark horse kind of by default. No one is going to pick Bama, LSU, or Auburn as a dark horse because they are the big boys. That leaves State, UNM, A&M, and Arkansas.
State lost 49 starters from last year so there is no way anyone picks us as a dark horse. The Rebels have a bunch of juniors from the best class ever signed so they can't be a dark horse, they have to be a favorite. Watching A&M nosedive from the top 10 last year because of that sieve of a defense prevents anyone from picking them as a dark horse. Arkansas played well at the end of the year last year and since you can't pick the other three Arkansas by default is the dark horse.

[RiverCityDawg]

It's because they finished the season with shutouts over Ole Miss and Lsu and then beat Texas in the bowl game. How you close the season is what the media bases their pre season predictions on

Unless you are Auburn. (Yes, I know their hype is based on Muschamp, Johnson and the return of Lawson)

[maroonmania]

It's because they finished the season with shutouts over Ole Miss and Lsu and then beat Texas in the bowl game. How you close the season is what the media bases their pre season predictions on

Granted their defense was pretty nasty at the end of last season but they lost Randy Shannon plus a lot of very good defensive players. Offensively they were still unimpressive toward the end of the year. Only scored 10 on us during the last stretch of the season where we were not playing our best. For them to do well they are going to have to find some answers on defense for sure, they are not built to outscore people.

[jumbo]

In a division where pretty much every team has a chance to win it, someone has to be the "darkhorse". It was us last year, this year it's Arky because they were "so close" in all those games last year.

[jumbo]

double post

[TrapGame]

They lost Flowers on defense and that guy was a one man wrecking machine. Allen's a decent QB but he doesn't have the mobility to be a serious threat. His OL is the only thing keeping him on his feet. The way I see it if you shut down the run and cover that big ass TE their offensive production is pretty much nothing.

[blacklistedbully]

They lost Flowers and Philon and Speights. Now some would say the same is true of us, only worse, but as far as I know, I don't think their replacements got anywhere near the same # of meaningful snaps our guys did last year.

In particular, I think they will struggle replacing the two D-linemen who created so much havoc last season.

[thf24]

They lost Flowers and Philon and Speights. Now some would say the same is true of us, only worse, but as far as I know, I don't think their replacements got anywhere near the same # of meaningful snaps our guys did last year.

I highly doubt they have the depth we do period, experienced or not.

[Maroonthirteen]

These national writers hear nothing but good things (and therefore write) about the Razorbacks because the Arkansas media is a sunshine pumping machine. That is part of it.

[WPS]

I think we should be in the 15-20 range. We return our entire offense except our RT and have a 5th year senior QB that went 20-5 last year in a division with a lot of new QBs. Basically our entire secondary comes back and 8/10 of our two deep on the DL. LB outside of Brooks Ellis is a question mark though and we haven't proven we can win on the road or win close games under Bielema yet.

The SEC west is pretty much impossible to predict but i guess going into year three of the system is why a lot of people expect us to take another step forward

[TheRef]

I think we should be in the 15-20 range. We return our entire offense except our RT and have a 5th year senior QB that went 20-5 last year in a division with a lot of new QBs. Basically our entire secondary comes back and 8/10 of our two deep on the DL. LB outside of Brooks Ellis is a question mark though and we haven't proven we can win on the road or win close games under Bielema yet.

The SEC west is pretty much impossible to predict but i guess going into year three of the system is why a lot of people expect us to take another step forward

Bret's also a decent coach who knows how he wants to run the program. Good to hear the analysis from a Hog fan though.

[Jack Lambert]

I think they feel they have to talk up someone every year and I don't have a problem with that. What I do have a problem with is when it turns out they are wrong they run from it an act like they never said it.

[codeDawg]

They lost Flowers on defense and that guy was a one man wrecking machine. Allen's a decent QB but he doesn't have the mobility to be a serious threat. His OL is the only thing keeping him on his feet. The way I see it if you shut down the run and cover that big ass TE their offensive production is pretty much nothing.

I agree with this. They lost too much on the defensive side and BB hasn't been recruiting long enough to have the guys behind the guys like have. If their defense takes a step back, the whole team will. I think we've seen the best we will see out of that offense.

[1bigdawg]

I have Hog friends through business and they all feel they finally "have the talent" to win it all.

[WPS]

I have Hog friends through business and they all feel they finally "have the talent" to win it all.

Lol that's a pretty big reach, I think 8 or 9 wins is possible though

[1bigdawg]

Lol that's a pretty big reach, I think 8 or 9 wins is possible though

I agree, it is a reach....

[codeDawg]

I have Hog friends through business and they all feel they finally "have the talent" to win it all.

I guess we'll see soon enough...

[Schultzy]

I've been predicting Beliema will not be the HC at Arkansas next year. But people are rooting for him bc he's likeable.

Some are nostalgic for that power running game and I like watching it too but it ain't enough to get it done in this offensive era.

[WPS]

I've been predicting Beliema will not be the HC at Arkansas next year. But people are rooting for him bc he's likeable.

Some are nostalgic for that power running game and I like watching it too but it ain't enough to get it done in this offensive era.

LSU, Stanford and Alabama (before Kiffin) all have had success with that style. Bama and LSU do get more talent than we do but we beat LSU 17-0 and probably should have beaten Alabama so that didn't matter last year.

Bielema won't be fired just 3 years after inheriting the mess he did on and off the field. We were in danger of sanctions because of our APR when he got here and now he has our football team with the highest GPA they have had in decades, we haven't had hardly any issues off the field and our fans love the way he runs the program and his personality. As long as we don't have any more seasons like 2013 he will still get a few more years.

[IMissJack]

It's because they finished the season with shutouts over Ole Miss and Lsu and then beat Texas in the bowl game. How you close the season is what the media bases their pre season predictions on

Beating TX is nothing special recently...

[Dawg61]

My brother graduated from Wisconsin. He and most of the Badgers fans didn't give two shits when Beliema bolted. Arkansas is very overrated this year. Predicting 7-5 for the Hogs. Tennessee is overrated too.