It was another nice finish to an up-and-down season for Bret Bielema and Arkansas.

The Razorbacks capped off a 7-5 regular season with a 28-3 victory over Missouri on Friday in Fayetteville.

After the season, Bielema celebrated winning back-to-back trophy games against LSU and Mizzou and the Hogs’ improvement during his three seasons. After going 3-9 (0-8 in the SEC) in 2013, Bielema’s teams have gone 7-6 (2-6 SEC) and now 7-5 (5-3 SEC) going into a bowl game.

But is 7-5 really cause for celebration for the Hogs? Not that Bielema went overboard after the victories over LSU and Mizzou, their closest SEC rivals.

No doubt, the Hogs had some nice victories. They beat Tennessee in Knoxville and Ole Miss in Oxford, showing amazing staying power in the latter victory.

But those victories left a few early-season debacles perhaps harder to stomach. It’s hard to explain losing home games to Toledo and Texas Tech and a game in Arlington, Texas, to Texas A&M to start 1-3.

And the late-season overtime loss to Mississippi State was a heartbreaker, preventing the Razorbacks from taking a six-game winning streak into the postseason.

Over the last two seasons, the Hogs have shown that Bielema’s physical style is effective late in the season when players are banged up and the weather is more likely to effect the passing game.

Next season, the Hogs need to find a way to win from the start. And it won’t be easy. Their second game is at Texas Christian. In Game 4, they return to Arlington to play Texas A&M. Two weeks later, it’s Alabama followed by Ole Miss.

Quarterback Brandon Allen, who had a fantastic senior season, is gone. Bielema indicated he thought RB Alex Collins, who’s produced three straight 1,000-yard-plus seasons, would leave for the NFL.

So Arkansas will have some new faces. Ricky Town, a highly recruited transfer from Southern Cal, might be an instant star. His adjustment may play a major role in how well the Hogs fare early, especially against TCU.

The Hogs lose only two starting linemen — plus Allen and probably Collins — on offense and two defenders.

If the Hogs can get through their first seven games of 2016 at 5-2 or better, they’ll be in good position for the stretch run and a season Bielema can really celebrate.