There’s widespread belief the Razorbacks will be better this fall during Bret Bielema’s third season.

Led by a senior quarterback, two 1,000-yard rushers and several playmakers on defense, Arkansas looks as good as most perceived SEC elites on paper.

But what exactly is the next step for this program and what will appease the masses? Does it take a SEC Championship Game berth or will nine-win and a finish in the upper-half of the West be enough to quench the thirst for a Razorbacks success story?

If Bielema follows the trend of several memorable Arkansas head coaches that preceded him, Year 3 could be his most memorable in Fayetteville:

Notable Arkansas head coaches in third season

  • 1960 — Frank Broyles (8-3, 6-1): Won the Southwest Conference
  • 1979 — Lou Holtz (10-2, 7-1): Southwest Conference Co-Champs
  • 1995 — Danny Ford (8-5, 6-2): Won the SEC West; only time during 5-year stint
  • 2010 — Bobby Petrino (10-3, 6-2): Highest finish in SEC West during tenure; tied for 2nd

For Bielema, nine regular-season wins with a chance at No. 10 in the bowl game places him at the top of the conversation for SEC Coach of the Year and strengthens Jeff Long’s reputation as the ‘best athletic director in the country.’

After all, it was Long who told fans and the alumni base not to panic when Arkansas suffered its worst season since 1950 after Bielema’s 3-9 face-plant two years ago.

There are several obstacles the Razorbacks must overcome to finish inside the Top 20 this fall, including the league’s second-toughest road schedule. Many considered last year’s slate the nation’s most difficult after Arkansas played seven ranked teams over an 8-game span at one point.

In matchups against ranked teams, the Razorbacks went 2-6, but their average margin of defeat during losses was just over one score (9.8) per contest including three decided in the final three minutes or later. It speaks volumes for just how far this team has come under Bielema, not even two full seasons removed from 17 consecutive SEC losses.

The Razorbacks’ resurgence spotlights the strength of the West from top to bottom when the division’s seventh-place finisher shuts out Top 25 competition over consecutive weeks.

Capturing some of that late-November momentum that spilled into the Texas Bowl in a bottle is the key for this year’s team who will take a similar bend-but-don’t-break approach defensively and pound the opposition into submission offensively with the league’s biggest wall of blockers.

We’re projecting here (since it’s that time of the year), but for the Razorbacks to be good, Brandon Allen needs to be great. Bielema’s raved about his quarterback’s leadership qualities throughout spring ball and said this week in Destin, Fla., that he’s come a long way on the field since performing as a timid, first-year starter in 2013.

As a junior, Allen’s improvement meant Arkansas had an additional threat from the pocket which increased the team’s rushing production — on average — by 10 yards per game and 17 total touchdowns by season’s end. Play-caller Dan Enos’ is another card in Bielema’s deck who will increase this unit’s propensity for big plays this fall.

If the Razorbacks can leave September unscathed in prep for a pivotal road game at Tennessee, we’ll be talking about Arkansas as a potential College Football Playoff sleeper this season.