By Harry King
LITTLE ROCK — Beyond the obvious, neither coaches nor media know what to make of the Southeastern Conference.
Voters in both of those preseason polls went big for Alabama and Florida; lukewarm for four others in the SEC. The perception that the Crimson Tide and the Gators are head and shoulders above the rest was reality in 2009 — both finished 8-0 and nine of the other SEC teams were 4-4 or worse in conference play.
Usually, five or six teams are 5-3 or better in league play.
Arkansas, LSU, Auburn and Georgia received various amounts of support from the voters, but each has enough caution flags to prevent wholehearted endorsement. In fact, none earned a spot in the top 15 in either poll. The Big 12 and the Big Ten, the other two BCS conferences most likely to have a team in the national title game, have three teams each in the top dozen. Preseason polls are only a starting point, but, loosely translated, the confusion in the SEC equals opportunity for the Razorbacks and the others.
Attrition, including Boise State vs. Virginia Tech on Sept. 4, and Alabama vs. Florida on Oct. 2, will displace some of the occupants of the Top 10.
Because of the strength of schedule, a fast start would put either Arkansas or LSU or both in a spot bumping up against the elite 10 by early October. A 4-0 September for the Razorbacks would include a victory at Georgia and an upset of likely-No. 1 Alabama in Fayetteville.
With a 5-0 start, LSU would be 3-0 in the SEC with non-conference victories over North Carolina and West Virginia, both ranked in the preseason poll.
Other than Arkansas, Georgia does not play a preseason Top 25 team until the Oct. 30 game vs. Florida. Auburn has six games against unranked opponents before Arkansas visits on Oct. 16. Both do have September games with dangerous South Carolina.
By the first of October, the poll should be top-heavy with the Big 12 and Big Ten.
Texas, Oklahoma and Nebraska populate the top eight of both preseason polls and Texas-Texas Tech on Sept. 18 is the only conference game until October.
Big Ten play begins in October and the conference’s big guns — Ohio State, Iowa and Wisconsin — take few risks in September except for the Buckeyes’ game against Miami.
Any team just outside the Top 10 that continues to win will move up in the second half of the season as the Longhorns, Sooners, Buckeyes, Hawkeyes and others take on eight straight league opponents.
For Arkansas and the other wannabe contenders in the SEC, the big picture is paramount.
Ever since Ryan Mallett said he was staying put in January, the expectations of Arkansas fans have grown exponentially. That’s not all bad, but fans and players alike need to understand that a September loss does not ruin a season.
If Georgia or Alabama or both beat Arkansas, it’s blinkers on the rest of the way.
No. 17 in AP’s preseason poll is Arkansas’ highest ranking since the Razorbacks were No. 14 in 1990. That’s a nice note, but the only thing that matters is the post-bowl rankings. Despite losing its last three games, the 2006 team finished No. 15.
A bowl victory and this group will do even better.
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Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media’s Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com.
