FAYETTEVILLE – There is a moment in almost every child’s life when the realization comes: I’m not actually going to be an NFL/NBA/MLB player. It’s a disheartening moment.

That is sort of the mood in Fayetteville right now. Months of listening to the college football world proclaim Arkansas would be the darlings of the SEC have passed. Three weeks into the season the Razorbacks have losses to Toledo and Texas Tech. They sit, days before the conference opener against Texas A&M, searching for answers.

Gone are the ideas Arkansas could finish 10-2 and have a shot at the College Football Playoff. Technically that dream still exists, of course. It just isn’t realistic. A team that’s lost to Toledo and Texas Tech probably won’t get through the SEC West unscathed. And that is what would be required to make that dream a reality.

But that was always a longshot, anyway. A reasonable expectation was an 8-4 regular season and a New Year’s Day, or thereabout, bowl game. Again, losses to Mid-American Conference and Big 12 teams have put a damper on that.

Now, everything is modest. The biggest of naysayers – and there are plenty in the fan base – say Arkansas won’t win another game besides Tennessee-Martin (October 31) the rest of the year. It is likely Arkansas will not be favored by the gambling minds in Las Vegas in another game in 2015.

That doesn’t mean, though, the Razorbacks can’t win. The inverse of what’s already happened shows that. Arkansas was a 22.5-point favorite against the Rockets at kickoff according to the Westgate Superbook in Las Vegas. They were a 9.5-point favorite against Texas Tech. And even despite two mediocre, or even poor, performances, the Razorbacks head to the Metroplex this weekend as a 7-point underdog to Texas A&M.

Bret Bielema isn’t sweating it, either. He is sweating it in the sense losses mean a decrease in job security. He just isn’t panicking over two games. Bielema carried the same demeanor during his Monday press conference following the loss to the Red Raiders. In Bielema’s usual style, he even sent a joke back toward Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury.

Bielema gets credit (catches flak?) for his style. He is, undoubtedly, a salesman. Some think they were done just that – sold snake oil in the offseason. After all, the grandeur wasn’t delusional in the spring and summer. And it was coming from the source.

But he is also a true believer. The reason he says what he is says is because he buys it. As his boss, athletic director Jeff Long said Monday during a luncheon with fans and donors, Bielema “is who he is.” It is a standard statement of fact. It’s hardly anything earth-shattering. But considering Bielema’s recent remarks, it was telling in a way, too.

The turnaround rests on Bielema’s shoulders. Matching last year’s SEC win total (2) would salvage the opening disaster. It would leave Arkansas below .500, but it would, at least, signal all is not lost.