by WALLY HALL , Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Football magazines will be blooming like spring daffodils on Wye Mountain.

Opinions will be many, but the majority will have Florida back in the BCS championship game because the Gators return 18 starters from last year's championship team, including quarterback Tim Tebow.

Most, and this is just something of an educated guess, will have the Arkansas Razorbacks finishing fourth in the SEC Western Division behind Ole Miss, LSU and Alabama (the predicted order of finish for those three will vary).

The Razorbacks are something of a mystery team, although early bird magazine Phil Steele's College Football seems a bit enamored with the Hogs, especially quarterback Ryan Mallett.

The magazine picked Mallett as third-team All-SEC behind Tebow and Jevan Snead of Ole Miss, another school the magazine heavily favors.

It picks the Rebels to go to the SEC Championship Game, lose to Florida and go to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl.

With 14 starters back from a team that won its last six games and a favorable schedule (road games are at Memphis, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Auburn and Mississippi State), winning the West is very likely for the Rebels.

If Snead, who'll be a junior, can improve off last season when he threw for 2,762 yards, it might be his last year in an Ole Miss uniform.

The magazine ranks the Razorbacks at No. 33 in the nation and going to the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta, which isn't really likely as long as Georgia is in the SEC and not playing on New Year's Day or in a BCS game.

It lists D.J. Williams as the No. 3 tight end in the country among those who will be eligible for the NFL Draft.

Phil Steele did have Williams as first-team All-SEC, as was Michael Smith at running back.

Defensive tackle Malcolm Shepherd was named second team, and with Mallet on the third team was receiver Joe Adams and linebacker Jerry Franklin.

A major obstacle for the Razorbacks is their schedule. They play at Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and LSU, who are all picked to finish ahead of them, plus they take on Georgia (15 starters back) at home and play Texas A&M in Arlington, Texas.

The Razorbacks return 18 starters, including their top five rushers, top six receivers and top 10 defensive players by total tackles.

Which should mean improvement and a bowl game, maybe even a victory there, although the Hogs are 3-13 since 1984 in postseason play.

Nationally, Steele has Texas the No. 2 team and facing the Gators in the BCS championship game.

Williams was the only Hog to make his preseason All-America team, and he was on the third team.

Interestingly enough, Steele named Leigh Tiffin of Alabama as his fourth-team kicker, which brings up this question: Does Tiffin have tenure? Seems like he's been there a very long time.

Tebow was first-team quarterback followed by Oklahoma's Sam Bradford, Texas' Colt Mc-Coy and Michigan's Dan LeFevour, but the magazine had Mallet No. 7 among all quarterbacks eligible for the draft.

Michael Smith was the No. 32 running back, and Arkansas State's Reggie Arnold was No. 40.

The magazine had ASU finishing third in the Sun Belt behind Troy and Florida Atlantic, part of that based on the fact the Indians have a horrible schedule with only five home games.

For the first time in its nineyear football history, a Sun Belt team will host an SEC team. Mississippi State travels to Middle Tennessee on Oct. 17th.

Probably within days there will be more national football publications to whet the appetite, and on July 22, the SEC will convene in Birmingham, Ala., for football media days. Before you know it, it will be August and teams will be practicing.

It can't happen soon enough. Summer seems especially long this year.

This article was published 07/05/2009

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