Why wait?
With only a minor bowl game remaining, let's get this over with and do a quick review on our preseason football predictions for the Razorbacks.
I'll go first.
FINAL RECORD 8-5
On Aug. 28, I wrote Arkansas would go 8-5 this season with a bowl win over Iowa. Arkansas finished 3-5 in league play and the Hogs still need a victory to get to eight wins overall.
This is progress?
It sure doesn't feel like it after blowout losses to Auburn and LSU and a stunning defeat to an awful Missouri team on Black Friday.
How do you lose to a last-place team with its stadium half full and a quarterback who looks like he is in the eight grade flinging passes to wide opener receivers?
"I'm just really. ... kind of disgusted right now," Arkansas quarterback Austin Allen said after the Razorbacks were outscored 21-0 in the second half.
Arkansas fans share the feeling, for sure.
KEY GAME at TCU
My reason here was simple. Arkansas entered the Top 25 rankings after winning 41-38 at TCU, but the Razorbacks didn't stay there as I had predicted.
Arkansas rose as high as No. 16 in the Associated Press poll but fell out again after losing, 56-3, at Auburn.
BEST WIN Florida
Arkansas fans can brag their team beat the SEC East champs, but it would be hard to do after losing to the worst team in the SEC East.
Still a good win, no doubt, especially after Florida went to LSU and beat the Tigers in a grudge match. Florida isn't a powerhouse like it was under Steve Spurrier, but the Gators are on the upswing under Jim McElwain.
WORST LOSS Ole Miss
Missed badly here. Beating Ole Miss was actually one of Arkansas' best wins.
You can take your pick between the losses to Auburn, LSU, Texas A&M, and Missouri.
I'll say Missouri because it absolutely kills momentum heading into the off-season.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Deatrich Wise
Wise is decent enough, but no one on the Arkansas defense should appear in the same sentence with the words "Most Valuable Player."
BREAKOUT PLAYER Austin Allen
Even with the two interceptions against Missouri, Austin Allen emerged as a top quarterback for the Razorbacks in his first season as a starter.
Not bad for a kid brother, who completed one pass in 2015.
Allen impressed Arkansas fans with his accuracy, his toughness, and his refusal to blame others when things went bad. Any optimism for improvement for the Razorbacks starts with Allen back at quarterback.
TOP NEWCOMER Devwah Whaley
Devwah Whaley arrived at Arkansas with similar credentials from high school as Alex Collins, who rushed for over 1,000 yards as a freshman.
Whaley finished strong, which should give Razorback fans a glimmer of hope for next year with Allen, Whaley and Rawleigh Williams in the backfield.
COMEBACK PLAYER Rawleigh Williams
OK, I lie. I didn't list a category in August for comeback player of the year.
But we can't close on the Razorbacks without a salute to Williams, whose career appeared in jeopardy after he suffered a serious neck injury last season. Williams rushed for over 1,200 yards, including a whopping 205 yards in the win over Mississippi State.
More than a talented player, Williams an inspiration to anyone who gets knocked down and struggles to get back up.
Sports on 11/27/2016