The Arkansas Razorbacks still have one of the best teams in the country, but will they be able to win without Ryan Mallett under center?
The Razorbacks will take on the SEC West, home of three of the last four BCS national champions -- LSU (2007), Alabama (2009) and Auburn (2010) -- with what projects as a vastly improved defense and a collection of offensive skill talent that should rival the best in the land.
Arkansas sewed up Petrino with a seven-year deal in the off-season that includes groundbreaking, exorbitant buyout language, but he made it clear he's not sitting on last year's 10 wins and his fat contract.
While rifle-armed quarterback Ryan Mallett and dependable tight end D.J. Williams have departed, the Razorbacks bring back a 1,300-yard rusher in Knile Davis, a receiving corps that might be the nation's best -- if it can stem its occasional bouts of the drops -- and a defense that should be the best of the Petrino era.
As strange as it sounds, the veteran defense should be a steadying force for the new-look offense during the season-opening stretch of non-conference games against Missouri State, New Mexico and Troy before the Razorbacks travel to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for their conference opener on Sept. 24.
The Hogs' marquee non-conference game against highly regarded Texas A&M on Oct. 1 could improve Arkansas' national profile if it could win for a third consecutive season against the Aggies, its former Southwest Conference rival. Back-to-back road games at Ole Miss and Vanderbilt are sandwiched by SEC home games against Auburn and South Carolina, which should give a strong indication of the direction these Hogs are headed before their finish against Tennessee and Mississippi State at home, followed by a road date at LSU.
Last year's team got hot down the stretch, winning six games in a row before the Sugar Bowl, and this year's unit appears capable of pulling off the same type of feat. Petrino's Arkansas teams have been very good at winning the games they're supposed to win, but it looks like a handful of toss-up games dot the SEC portion of the schedule. The Razorbacks are likely to open the season in the top 15 or 20, so a one-loss year would seem enough to put Arkansas back in the BCS hunt.
Arkansas will be just fine without Mallett, but it is yet to be seen how far they can go.