espn never shows Arkansas any love!!

[Vantage 8 dude]

To an extent this is correct.  You're not going to get too much of a variation.  He's going to win 6-8 games per year and that's about it.  Nobody should expect anything more.

But, but, but.....if we actually win at least 8 games instantly your prediction that "we'll never lose LESS than 6 games a year" goes down the toilet. Gee...who knew

[hogcard1964]

But, but, but.....if we actually win at least 8 games instantly your prediction that "we'll never lose LESS than 6 games a year" goes down the toilet. Gee...who knew

I think you need to re-read and probably alter your post.   

[Vantage 8 dude]

Completely reasonable prediction. Defense consistently horrible.  Losing lots off an O line that was already shaky.

Obviously there's much to be seen and proven; however, when you say we're "losing lots off an O line that was already shaky" I really like your reasoning behind such. While I realize we lost Skipper, where else did we really lose in terms of experience and ability? Of course the fact that these kids are a year older, have more playing experience, and we might actually have some significant depth at many of the positions obviously doesn't fit into your slanted view of the world.

[OS2 (SW) Razor Back]

ESPN only covers 5 or 6 SEC teams, They know zip, zero, nada about us.

[Vantage 8 dude]

I think you need to re-read and probably alter your post.   

Not only do I not need to read and alter my post, but I also don't have to recalculate my math. Here's very plainly why: Yesterday in a comment you posted at 2:31:46 pm you stated "Going forward, he'll (I'm assuming you mean CBB) NEVER (emphasis mine) lose below SIX (again, emphasis mine) while he's here". So, you've clearly established a baseline of losses of a half dozen each and every year. Then this morning at 8:05:26a.m. you proceed to state "He's (again I assume that would be Bret B.) going to win 6-8 games per year and that's about it".

So if I'm understanding you correctly you do give the Hogs an outside chance of winning at least 8 games in a year. So if my interpretation is correct we have a math conundrum. We win 8 games, and assuming we're not playing for a NCS or an SECC, we will obviously very likely be playing in a bowl game. That means we will then be playing in our 13th game of the year. Even assuming we were to lose that particular matchup that leaves us 8-5. Seems to me that totally blows your minimum of six losses per year "logic" totally out the window. Then again, who the heck knew

[hogcard1964]

Not only do I not need to read and alter my post, but I also don't have to recalculate my math. Here's very plainly why: Yesterday in a comment you posted at 2:31:46 pm you stated "Going forward, he'll (I'm assuming you mean CBB) NEVER (emphasis mine) lose below SIX (again, emphasis mine) while he's here". So, you've clearly established a baseline of losses of a half dozen each and every year. Then this morning at 8:05:26a.m. you proceed to state "He's (again I assume that would be Bret B.) going to win 6-8 games per year and that's about it".

So if I'm understanding you correctly you do give the Hogs an outside chance of winning at least 8 games in a year. So if my interpretation is correct we have a math conundrum. We win 8 games, and assuming we're not playing for a NCS or an SECC, we will obviously very likely be playing in a bowl game. That means we will then be playing in our 13th game of the year. Even assuming we were to lose that particular matchup that leaves us 8-5. Seems to me that totally blows your minimum of six losses per year "logic" totally out the window. Then again, who the heck knew

"between 6-8"  i.e. "7"

13-6=7

It's a "mathy thingy".   

[The Hawg Marshal]

I'm willing to bet that we win more than 6. Any takers?

[Vantage 8 dude]

"between 6-8"  i.e. "7"

13-6=7

It's a "mathy thingy".   

Well it obviously depends on the number of wins one assumes now doesn't it? IF you didn't mean to throw out the possibility that the Hogs MIGHT actually be able to win 8 at some point then obviously you shouldn't have posted such. Otherwise it's YOU who made the mistake and need to retract/correct the comments stating such. In that instance it clearly ISN'T a "math thingy" it's a posting "thingy". ;)Sorry, can't have it both ways here.

[hogcard1964]

I'm willing to bet that we win more than 6. Any takers?

[hogcard1964]

Well it obviously depends on the number of wins one assumes now doesn't it? IF you didn't mean to throw out the possibility that the Hogs MIGHT actually be able to win 8 at some point then obviously you shouldn't have posted such. Otherwise it's YOU who made the mistake and need to retract/correct the comments stating such. In that instance it clearly ISN'T a "math thingy" it's a posting "thingy". ;)Sorry, can't have it both ways here.

It really doesn't matter.  6, 7, 8 ....   not much of a difference.

[Vantage 8 dude]

It really doesn't matter.  6, 7, 8 ....   not much of a difference.

What ever..... just a good lesson that all of us should be careful about making absolute statements.

[oldman1015]

Would make a great boys name.

[hogcard1964]

What ever..... just a good lesson that all of us should be careful about making absolute statements.

+1000

Agreed and sorry for the confusion.

[oldhawg]

It really doesn't matter.  6, 7, 8 ....   not much of a difference.

Two game difference in win total can be fairly significant.  This past year had Arkansas won its final two games of the season instead of laying down in the second half of each game, many of these current discussions would not be happening.  Same thing with the difference between six and eight wins.  Eight wins (excluding bowl game) and support for Bielema somewhat increases or at least maintains, six wins and his support dwindles.

[hawganatic]

meh...until our defense proves it has improved 6 wins is an understandable prediction.

Meh, we won 7 games last year with that horrible defense.  Why would it have to improve to avoid 6 wins?

[Pork Twain]

Calling for exactly seven wins each year, that's ballsy.

[hogcard1964]

Calling for exactly seven wins each year, that's ballsy.

It's so confusing.  Our recruiting is supposedly better, but we've gotten worse on the field. 

I've changed my mind. I'm going with 11 wins this season.   

[Pork Twain]

Our defense has regressed every year under Smith and hopefully that was rectified.  Our offense lost ton but before last year but still somehow looked solid.  This year we have much more depth at every position.  There is really no reason to expect regression.

[Al Boarland]

If you base the record in games we would be favored in right now 6 wins is about right.

[jkstock04]

6 wins would be the low end in my opinion. But ya 6-8 wins...that's what I think the team is going to be under Bielema from here on out. We go through coordinators like hot cakes and always start the year out of shape and unprepared. We've heard differently by local media and on here every offseason, but it's never happened.

When/if it happens, then I'll believe it. Football games are not won and lost on social media and talk radio. People can spin things all they want but when the final whistle blows and the score board says final...that's true judgment.

[RME]

What reason do they have to show us anything above the expected amount of "love"?

[Poker_hog]

It's so confusing.  Our recruiting is supposedly better, but we've gotten worse on the field. 

I've changed my mind. I'm going with 11 wins this season.   

We're going win so much you're going to get tired of winning.

[oldbooniehog]

Since joining the SEC in football 25 years ago, Arkansas has been somewhere between truly awful and solidly second-tier.

Even Bobby Petrino's team that finished #5 overall was 3rd in the SEC West.

Of the 3 Hog teams to reach the SEC title game, 2 got absolutely destroyed, and the most recent one blew the game in classic Arkansas fashion.

Arkansas will remain, for the forseeable future, a program somewhere between truly awful and solidly in the 2nd tier of the SEC.

Second tier programs don't get much attention or respect.

Attention and respect are for the top tier.

[rhames]

ESPN only covers 5 or 6 SEC teams, They know zip, zero, nada about us.

This is absolutely not true.


Most people, when looking at Arkansas objectively, see a team that mostly returns the worst defense in the history of the school. They also see that defense is changing to a whole new scheme. They see a returning oline, which should be better, but was still very much a work in progress even into the bowl game.  They also see a depleted wide receiver corp who will be depending on fresh faces to make an impact.


The 6 to 7 win range is a very realistic projection. 



Also, again, the 6 wins comes from their power index ranking which is all analytics. No human bias went into that as much as some of you want to believe

[TNRazorbacker]

Consistently horrible? I guess if you use a weird definition of consistent...

Losing lots? We are losing only one player from last season who wasn't even our top OL player, he was a RT who was playing LT due to his experience at the time bringing more to the OL than a multitude of other options we have that were more athletic. Those players are all more experienced this year and by all accounts, there is no reason that we should expect our OL to do anything but get better.

By consistent I mean typically bad.  In the past decade AR has produced one good defense. One. The remainder have been poor to bad consistently residing in the rear of the conference.

Concerning the O, one thing I've learned for sure is not to bet the bad will miraculously turn good purely on the merit of experience. If anything our D line this past year is a prime example of that. Last year the O line was mediocre at best. Consistently unable to keep pressure off Allen, nor produce a push when needed.  I hated seeing us inside the 5 for this very reason last year. 

[gchamblee]

It's so confusing.  Our recruiting is supposedly better, but we've gotten worse on the field. 

I've changed my mind. I'm going with 11 wins this season.   

You misspelled factually

[bennyl08]

By consistent I mean typically bad.  In the past decade AR has produced one good defense. One. The remainder have been poor to bad consistently residing in the rear of the conference.

Concerning the O, one thing I've learned for sure is not to bet the bad will miraculously turn good purely on the merit of experience. If anything our D line this past year is a prime example of that. Last year the O line was mediocre at best. Consistently unable to keep pressure off Allen, nor produce a push when needed.  I hated seeing us inside the 5 for this very reason last year.

2010 defense was not bad by any stretch and I'm assuming you are considering the 2014 defense as the one good one. Also, the hogs 2006 defense was pretty good with a top 10 draft pick from defense and a 2nd player early in the 2nd round with 4 total players drafted on defense that year, though that is just out of the decade range you list.

Well, no, you shouldn't bet for the bad to turn miraculously good, particularly if purely on the merit of experience. What you should always bet on unless the individual player has proven otherwise or the coaching staff has proven otherwise as well, is to bet on incremental improvement over time.

It is very rare for players to not get better over time. The things that get the most corrections with time are mental errors, which is what our OL made the most of last year. Further, our OL was not bad last year. They made some bad mistakes that stuck in people's memories. However, RW3 doesn't lead the SEC in rushing if we had an objectively bad OL. Allen doesn't pass for a bazillion yards against top 5 NFL draft talents with a bad OL. It wasn't great last year by any means and early in the season they wouldn't qualify as good. Maybe we are using different scales on what makes an OL good or bad. Early in the season, I'd have still taken them over a majority of other OL's in the country and definitely by the end of the season. But that's looking at the whole country. Limiting it to the SEC, I'd agree that they were well in the bottom half of the conference to start and worked up to middle of the pack by season's end. So, kinda depends on what you are comparing too. The dumbest physicist at Cern is still probably in the top 0.5% of smart people in the world kind of thing.

[Sweet Feet]

Young men are busting their collective asses in hopes to improve, yet some of you want them to fail because you don't care for their head coach.

I hope you all suffer a slow and painful death.

wishing death over football? It's not that serious dude....

[GoHogs1091]

It is entirely possible.  Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Missouri might be our only conference wins.  Coach Bielema finally figured out how to win a game against Dan Mullen, so hopefully continued success against Mississippi State will occur.

It will be tough to win against TCU.  Patterson probably has our game with them circled.

Our other 3 non-conference games should be wins.