LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas’ 2010 football schedule is the comeuppance for Razorbacks fans who groused about the Southeastern Conference teams that played in-state this year.
None of the four brought pizzazz.
Georgia was the closest thing to a team with preseason expectations and the Bulldogs were trying to replace Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno. Auburn and Mississippi State were undergoing a facelift and South Carolina was, well, South Carolina, better known for its coach than its players.
Anthony Dixon qualifies as an All-SEC running back, but he played for Mississippi State, one of the two- or three-worst teams in the league.
Next year, three of the in-state opponents are teams the Razorbacks will have to climb over to get to the top of the Western Division. And, each will offer star power of one form or another.
Alabama is in Fayetteville on Sept. 25. The Crimson Tide is capable of beating Florida next week in the SEC Championship game and winning the national championship. Whether or not that comes about, Alabama will begin 2010 with Heisman Trophy candidate Mark Ingram, wide receiver Julio Jones and quarterback Greg McElroy.
With the return of those skill players, experts will overlook the loss of some defensive studs — including Javier Arenas — and predict a third straight banner year for the Crimson Tide. Arkansas will be the SEC opener for Alabama, which warms up with San Jose State, Penn State and Duke.
A month later, Ole Miss will be in Fayetteville. The Rebels are well on their way to winning at least nine for a second straight year, but Dexter McCluster, who had his way with Arkansas in Oxford, will be gone. So will wide receiver Shay Hodge. And, junior quarterback Jevan Snead could depart for the NFL draft.
None of that will matter to the many Arkansas fans who will target the Rebels as long as Houston Nutt is their coach.
As usual, Arkansas ends an even-numbered year against LSU in Little Rock. Year after year, the Tigers’ recruiting class is supposed to be at or near the top so LSU is always one of the favorites for the division title. Considering what happened in Oxford last week, LSU coach Les Miles could be on the spot in 2010, particularly if the Tigers lose to Arkansas on Saturday and wind up going through the motions in a lower-tier bowl game.
Sharing the bull’s-eye with Miles will be quarterback Jordan Jefferson, who barely completed 50 percent of his passes in the loss to Ole Miss and who threw for a total of 210 yards in losses to Florida and Alabama.
All told, it is an extremely attractive in-state schedule for the Razorbacks.
The schedule does include a swap-out with the nonconference opponents. At the front end, Arkansas has a preferred two-step lead-up to the SEC opener at Georgia. On the back end, the Razorbacks have only one nonconference break from league play, taking on UTEP after four straight league games and prior to LSU.
This year, Arkansas bounced back from the loss at Ole Miss by beating up on Eastern Michigan before South Carolina and Troy after the Gamecocks. Not once did Arkansas play more than three SEC teams in a row.
Melded with the schedule, the anticipation of more progress in Bobby Petrino’s third year, and the opportunity to do a weekly check on Heisman candidate Ryan Mallett, season tickets should go fast.
Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media’s Arkansas News Bureau.
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