It started after a 20-5 run by Bobby Petrino’s last two teams in 2010 and 2011. An unanswerable question was whether that would have continued because we will never have a trace of evidence either way, but that roster wasn’t deep enough or good enough for much over a 6-6 record in 2012, despite some lofty predictions.
After a knee-jerk decision led to a ridiculous hire of Bret Bielema, the course was set for the immediate future. It was never going to work with Bielema from the start and that was clear before he got to his office that first night. He didn’t have the multiple experience needed.
That led to the Chad Morris deal when a completely unqualified person made the choice. Morris recruited fairly well, but was terrible in too many ways to even start listing.
Sam Pittman was hired to clean up the mess and smooth the waters. He wasn’t hired to win championships and wanted the job. Considering the state of affairs around Razorbacks’ football program lately, that last part goes a long way.
But expectations? Even the most optimistic right now see a path to 7-8 wins for he Hogs this year. While I don’t particularly agree with their approach (too much assuming about other teams), the reality is somewhere hovering about .500.
The ranking on ESPN’s list is accurate, but rather obvious to anyone that’s been paying attention the last 10 years or so. Bringing in Texas and Oklahoma isn’t going to help the Razorbacks at all, despite what a lot of the Lunatic Fringe think about the “soft” Big 12.