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A team that finished the season last year at number 12 will certainly have big expectations at the start of the next season. That’s true for Arkansas and fans of the team making their 2011 college football predictions. The team has experience in a lot of areas, but also young players and inexperienced players in others, making for an interesting mix. Not to mention they have to deal with the crazy stacked SEC week after week. Here’s what to think about as you make your 2011 Arkansas football predictions.

Bobby Petrino led the Razorbacks to a 10-3 record in 2010, including a 6-2 record in the SEC. That’s not too shabby at all, but the Razorbacks were dwarfed in their own conference, in their own division, the SEC West, by undefeated juggernaut and eventual national champion Auburn. This season, the Razorbacks want to build off their success from last year and leap past some of the traditional powers that rule the SEC.

That’s not an easy thing to do, and many people will have different opinions of how they will fare with that mission as they make 2011 college football predictions. Consider that Arkansas will have to play at Alabama and at LSU, and those are two of the top five teams in the country. It’s going to be exceedingly tough to get a win at either of those two venues, with the talent those two teams have this year.

They also have to play Auburn, South Carolina and Mississippi State, three other really solid teams. South Carolina is actually ranked as one of the top 10 teams in the country, which is a surprise to some. So building on last season and bettering last year’s record is going to be a real tough challenge, and not everyone making 2011 Arkansas football predictions thinks that the team can get the job done.

It’s also more difficult when you lose your star starting quarterback to the NFL. Ryan Mallett left school early to be drafted into the big time, and new quarterback Tyler Wilson will be taking the reins. He’s never started a college football game, and he will have to play all of those tough teams and that vicious SEC schedule. It’s not an easy thing to do for anyone, and that’s why many people have already downgraded the Razorbacks to a middle of the pack squad with their 2011 college football predictions, even after the strong 2010 campaign.

However, before you do that as well, consider that Arkansas has some talented recruits coming in, and the team is really all set with Petrino’s system and style of play now. Plus, senior linebacker Jerry Franklin is a true beast in the middle of the field, and he’ll be looking to anchor that defensive unit and hold opponents at bay. What should your 2011 Arkansas football predictions be? It seems like an impossible task to make their way out of the SEC West and into the SEC championship, but a few lucky bounces or big game performances could shake the entire conference, and world of college football, up in an instant.

Check out the expert Mississippi State Football Predictions by World Champion Handicapper Vernon Croy.

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