It had to happen.
Yours truly mostly agreed with John Brummett in his assessment of the upcoming season for the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Brummett's column is a must-read whether in the newspaper or online (obviously it is not mandatory to agree with him). In one of his infamous arrow columns -- an up arrow is good, a down arrow isn't -- he gave a down arrow to Arkansas Razorbacks head football coach Bret Bielema and wrote:
"I don't believe a team can lose Brandon Allen, Hunter Henry and Alex Collins without pain. But, then, I'm no Wally Hall or Bo Mattingly or Steve Sullivan or Mary Dunleavy."
While I'm not sure about the down arrow, since Bielema can't control losing players to the NFL Draft or graduation, losing those three players is big.
Going a little deeper, the Hogs also lost three starting offensive linemen in Sebastian Tretola, Denver Kirkland and Mitch Smothers, and big, strong and aggressive O-lines are a big part of Bielema's reputation.
Plus, the Razorbacks won't have Jonathan Williams, who sat out last season because of an injury but was still drafted.
No matter how you slice it, that's a lot of losses for a team that went 8-5. Next week, however, glasses and eyeballs will be treated to a preseason rose-coloring.
That's when about 1,000 media members will descend on Birmingham, Ala., for the annual interview marathon known as the SEC football media days.
Every coach will take the podium undefeated, full of enthusiasm and positive energy. Yes, even the very likeable Derek Mason from Vanderbilt.
When Bielema takes the center stage, most likely his glass won't be half-full; it will be overflowing with potential.
On paper, the Razorbacks should have a favorable home schedule, but four of the games in Fayetteville could be brutal.
Alabama visits on Oct. 8, Ole Miss a week later. Florida comes to the mountains Nov. 5, and a week later LSU flies in.
The Crimson Tide are the defending national champions and winners of the SEC West and SEC Championship Game. Alabama is currently the most dominant program in all of college football.
The Gators won the SEC East.
Ole Miss is embroiled in controversy, but the Rebels return the best quarterback in the league and a ton of other talent. Plus, like the Tigers, they will have payback in mind as they have lost to the Razorbacks the past two years.
Not to mention LSU returns 18 starters, including early Heisman Trophy favorite Leonard Fournette, who is reminiscent of Darren McFadden, meaning he can do anything with a football.
Yet at some point, most of the media will think, at least fleetingly, "Yeah, but all those teams are visiting Fayetteville, which can be a very hostile environment."
The truth is none of those teams will be in awe, and while it seems the other SEC coaches have come to respect Bielema, there is just no disputing that this is a rebuilding year for the Hogs on the offensive side of the ball.
All the positive attitudes in Birmingham next week might present a bit of a challenge to reality, but when you have five players drafted by NFL teams, then you have taken a direct hit. Unless you are Alabama, where it is expected.
No doubt the Razorbacks will be ready and prepared for every opponent, but the Hogs have never had the luxury of continuously great recruiting classes like some of their SEC opponents.
For now, I mostly agree with Brummett about the upcoming football season.
Sports on 07/06/2016