It wasn't a bad football season; it just was not what fans expected.
Although when you lose three veteran offensive linemen -- two to the NFL -- two running backs and the best tight end in the country, there is going to be a drop-off in most programs.
It didn't help that there was a hefty ticket price increase and an expansion of the stadium that was announced and started. Those developments usually mean more entertainment bang for your buck.
The defense, with nine starters returning, was hyped as the heart of the team starting way back in the spring.
That didn't materialize. The unit's performance put enough pressure on defensive coordinator Robb Smith that after the loss to Missouri -- the last-place finisher in the East Division of the SEC -- Coach Bret Bielema was asked whether he was considering any staff changes.
No, he said quickly.
Friday's unlikely loss to Missouri was the bitterest of pills to swallow in a season that could have ended on a high note with an 8-4 record, but it finished 7-5 and 3-5 in league play.
The Razorbacks will get invited to a bowl game for the third consecutive year, and that is good.
However, Friday was the seventh time this season the Razorbacks were outscored in the second half.
Twice they won. TCU outscored the Hogs 28-15 in the second half before overtime, but the Razorbacks won in the second overtime.
They built a 38-14 halftime lead against Mississippi State and were outscored in the second half 28-2o.
Obviously, the other five were their losses, and they were outscored 108-23 in the second half of those five games.
Yes, 108-23. Missouri and Auburn tossed second-half shutouts of 21-0 and 28-0, respectively, and LSU held the Razorbacks to a field goal.
In the all-important SEC play, the Hogs outscored two opponents in the second half -- Ole Miss 14-10 and Florida 10-3 -- and they won both those games.
Defensive play, especially in the second half Saturday, was a big part of the disappointment this season.
Although the offensive line was tinkered with numerous times, the offense was pretty good, led by two good running backs, a group of good receivers and a quarterback who answered all the questions that lingered before the season.
Austin Allen took a beating at quarterback but kept getting up and fighting until the finish.
The Hogs lose four senior starters on offense, including two receivers and a tight end, and five on defense.
This was a team that started the season 3-0 and was ranked, but after losing to Texas A&M in the fourth game of the season, it didn't put together consecutive wins again.
Fans for the most part seemed appeased going into Friday's regular-season finale with the Tigers. Yet getting outscored 21-0 and giving up 212 yards in the air in the second half closed the season with almost as many questions as there were back in August.
The upset did two things: brought some joy to a beleaguered football program and took a step into making this more than a borderline rivalry. Upsets help make rivalries.
Now comes bowl season, and the Hogs are bowling as the fifth-place team in the West.
It would seem that any chance at a Florida bowl was lost in the second half Friday. Now, the Hogs are probably looking at the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tenn., or the Texas Bowl in Houston, although nothing is definite. It could be Shreveport or Birmingham, Ala., but at 7-5 any bowl is a good bowl.
Sports on 11/27/2016