Arkansas fans must be tired of hearing about the second half collapses that hindered the Razorbacks down the stretch of last season. Instead of entering the offseason with a solid 9-4 record, the Hogs are dealing with a disappointing 7-6 campaign after back to back winnable games to close out the season.

While fans may be dwelling on those results until the Aug. 31 season opener against Florida A&M, the team’s standout center Frank Ragnow believes the loss to Virginia Tech will ultimately push the program closer to its lofty goals.

“Yeah, you think about how terrible that Virginia Tech game, but I think overall, it was a blessing to us,” Ragnow said during his media availability Tuesday. “If we would have won that game, we would have feeling all happy high-tails about it. In the end, our goal is to win an SEC championship and not win the Belk Bowl, no offense to that (bowl).

“I think losing that game really opened some eyes for some players that haven’t really bought into the process and I think that’s great to see this offseason, how much of a step forward we’ve already taken. ”

The Hogs have the building blocks in place to make such a run in 2017, with the return of Ragnow, regarded by most as the league’s best center and senior Austin Allen, arguably the SEC’s best quarterback returning, Arkansas could prove to be the spoiler of the West if the defense takes a big step forward under new coordinator Paul Rhoads.

Along with the motivation the Belk Bowl loss may have provided the team this offseason, Ragnow also noted the leadership of the football program has improved this offseason — which starts with himself.

“I regret as a junior not being more of vocal,” Ragnow admitted. “Myself, and you see other guys, Austin (Allen), Kevin Richardson, Rawleigh (Williams), have really taken it personal, try to get out of your comfort zone and be a vocal leader… I think there’s more leadership, even amongst the young guys, leading by example.”

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Michael Wayne Bratton

A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com