HOOVER, Ala. — Tornado warnings sounded outside the Wynfrey Hotel on Wednesday with Arkansas Coach John L. Smith at the dais during SEC media days.

Smith, meanwhile, created spontaneous storms of laughter with his folksy, ribbing style of humor inside the massive print media room as thunder, lightning, wind and rain lashed this Birmingham suburb on the outside.

“For y’all he’s a comedy act, but not behind the scenes,” said Arkansas tailback Knile Davis, who was making his second visit to media days. “There’s not a lot of comedy going on.”

Smith and the Razorbacks are serious about contending for a national title in 2012, but the analysts here aren’t quite sure what to make of the Hogs.

Arkansas was a darkhorse in the SEC in 2010 and a solid contender with BCS title-game participants Alabama and LSU last season.

The 2012 Razorbacks?

Nobody can seem to get an authoritative read on exactly how Arkansas will respond with Smith after the self-inflicted firing of Bobby Petrino.

“Yeah, we’re kind of like the cracker jack in the box,” quarterback Tyler Wilson said in jest before turning serious. “Everybody says that. Nothing’s changed. We’re the same team. ... I think we can win a lot of games and our goals haven’t changed, so they can continue to be intrigued, I guess.”

The Razorbacks, coming off an 11-2 season and a Cotton Bowl victory, are likely to be picked third in the SEC West by media members again today, behind the Crimson Tide and Tigers.

“I know we’re a good football team, and we would have an opportunity this year to be a great football team,” Smith said. “What we do with that opportunity is up to us.”

Arkansas brings back Wilson the All-SEC quarterback from last season, but he has a largely new set of receivers to throw to, aside from Cobi Hamilton and tight end Chris Gragg.

Davis, who returns after missing 2011 with a broken ankle, said he’s fully recovered and ready to build on his 1,322-yard season in 2010, but can he stay off the injured list this season?

And then there’s the Arkansas defense, which lost three of its top playmakers and underwent a coaching shuffle that brought in coordinator Paul Haynes, linebackers coach Taver Johnson and defensive tackles coach Kevin Peoples.

Just enough question marks to create a sense of mystery for the Razorbacks.

“I guess we are intriguing,” Davis said. “I guess that’s a compliment. I’ll take it.”

Smith said the Razorbacks are positioned to succeed, but if they’re considered a mystery to the rest of the league it’s all the better for the Hogs.

“The more we can keep people guessing, particularly the opposite coaching staff or the opposition is good,” he said. “I guess we would be intriguing a little bit.”

One opponent Arkansas needs to confuse is Alabama. The Crimson Tide have beaten the Razorbacks in early season matchups for five consecutive years, dating back to 2006.

“We’re working hard to get over that hump,” linebacker Tenarius Wright said. “You can say we have a chip on our shoulder, that we have something to prove. But it’s our goal to finish at the top of the charts.”

Arkansas has launched a publicity campaign — called ARKTD2012 — with the stated ambition of winning the national championship and receiving an invitation to visit the White House.

“We talk about this openly,” Smith said. “Our theme is ‘One Program, One Goal,’ and our goal is to win a national championship, and that’s what these players have in mind.” Davis said the Razorbacks were in Hoover to “give y’all our story.” The story? “The story is we’re back, bigger than ever and we’re ready to play. The goal is Washington, D.C.”

NEXT Texas A&M

Sports, Pages 17 on 07/19/2012