FAYETTEVILLE – The road back is finished. Arkansas is far from a laughingstock in college football anymore. The Bobby Petrino debacle is but a memory. Heck, they’re the ones doing some laughing now, even.

In putting the cart before the horse, though, it’s kind of curious: where in the world will this train stop?

Seriously. What’s the max upside in Fayetteville with coach Bret Bielema’s style? The ground-and-pound isn’t the norm. Can it really work? More importantly, can it work at Arkansas?

Obviously the answer remains to be seen. But that’s boring.

So instead:

Yes.

It can.

Think about it. It’s the same style used at Wisconsin for several, several seasons. It was used at Wisconsin before Bielema arrived there, even. The Badgers have been one of college football’s most productive and winningest teams the last 20 years (just one losing season since 1995) with a style that hearkens back to the golden days.

And that’s in the Big Ten.

That conference was once the top of college football. But that was while ago. The SEC has laid claim to that made-up title for a good 10 years or so. And still, with Bielema and the Badgers in the Big Ten, they went to bowl game after bowl game. They had top 10 finish after top 10 finish. All with a ground-and-pound system.

Stands to reason, then, Arkansas can do the same.

The Razorbacks have the appeal of playing in the best conference in the country. Bielema prides himself on an NFL style and has put more players in the pros than almost any other coach during his tenure as head coach.

Arkansas can consider itself a possible future national champion under Bret Bielema.

The Badgers, from 2006 to 2012, never once had a top 30 recruiting class (based on Rivals.com). Once, in 2010, they signed the 88th-best class overall. Eighty-eighth. And yet Bielema went 68-24 during those seasons. The era resulted in three Rose Bowls, too, by the way, the last of which came when that 88th-ranked class were juniors.

If Bielema can produce that kind of quality (wins) with that little quality (players) in that system in Madison, why can’t he in Fayetteville? During those same seasons Arkansas scored three top 30 signing classes. The Razorbacks never had one lower than 49th and just one lower than 36th.

Certainly the schedule in the SEC is tougher. But it’s not that much tougher. It’s not as though Ohio State and Michigan were slouching in the mid 2000s. Mostly, anyway. That said, there aren’t any Illinois’ or Minnesotas in the SEC West, either. Arkansas has to maximize every game in the conference.

It probably won’t happen yet. Bielema admits the roster isn’t yet deep enough. But it’s miles better than it was upon his arrival.

Alex Collins has as much potential as any running back Bielema had at Wisconsin. And that includes two-time Heisman finalist Montee Ball. The coach calls his defensive line this year the best he’s ever had (Bielema coached J.J. Watt, as a reminder). And Bielema’s offensive lineman-and-tight end pedigree continues to grow in Fayetteville the same as it did in the Big Ten.

There are depth concerns at linebacker and talent ones at wide receiver. But those can be remedied by 2016. If a quarterback develops for that season, too, this year’s hopeful next step could be a pre-cursor to a giant run.

Could be.