.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
Bobby Petrino has fully embraced the high hopes and expectations surrounding Arkansas football this summer.
At booster club meetings across the state, and during a recent media appearance in Little Rock, the Razorbacks' football coach hasn't shied away from using the word ''championship.'' His assistant coaches and players have done the same, fueling the appetite for a fan base that's grown a bit fanatical after the school's first BCS bowl game last season.
Arkansas was picked to finish third in the Southeastern Conference West Division, and it's expected to be on the cusp of the top 10 when the preseason polls are released.
Petrino will have his first chance to see just how realistic his expectations are when the Razorbacks open practice on Thursday. Former Michigan State and Louisville coach John L. Smith, entering his third season as Arkansas' special teams coach, left little doubt just how high they are when speaking at a preseason golf outing last week.
''This is about as excited as I've been and around a crew about as excited as I've been,'' Smith said. ''I think we have a legit shot to win an SEC title and go to a championship game.
''... Yeah, we're fired up.''
Arkansas has 20 seniors on its roster, many who were freshmen during Petrino's first season in 2008. Arkansas finished 5-7 that season and has shown steady improvement since - finishing 8-5 in 2009 and 10-3 last season.
Offensive coordinator Garrick McGee has watched the progress first-hand.
''We came here with a plan to build our program to where we are one of the teams that's contending for the national championship,'' McGee said. ''And now we feel like we're in that position, so there's going to be a challenge to get there.
''... I'm excited about challenges that are going to come up this year.''
Record-setting quarterback Ryan Mallett, now with the New England Patriots, led the way for the Razorbacks the last two seasons. Petrino hasn't announced Mallett's successor yet, though junior Tyler Wilson is the presumed starter ahead of sophomore Brandon Mitchell.
''I expect (the competition) to be extreme,'' McGee said. ''I expect them to go after it and really compete for it.
''They know we evaluate everything ... I expect an intense battle.''
Regardless of which quarterback steps under center when the Razorbacks open the season against Missouri State on Sept. 3, they will have a wealth of playmakers surrounding them. Junior Knile Davis led SEC running backs with 1,322 yards rushing last season, averaging 147 yards per game over the final seven games of the season.
Also, four Arkansas receivers - Joe Adams, Greg Childs, Cobi Hamilton and Jarius Wright - were named to the preseason Biletnikoff Award watch list. Adams, Childs and Wright were each part of Petrino's first team as freshman, something McGee expects to pay off this season.
''We have some veteran perimeter people playing for us now, the guys that when we laid the foundation of what direction we were headed in with our program, they were the rookies at the time,'' McGee said. ''... Those guys understand what we want and what it's going to take for us to accomplish our goals.''
In addition to the quarterback competition, the Razorbacks also have questions on the offensive line, where they must replace three starters.
However, a defense that ranked fifth in the SEC last season returns seven starters. The overall product has defensive coordinator Willy Robinson excited about the possibilities.
''If we can get all three phases (offense, defense and special teams) to work, I'm not real sure who can beat us,'' Robinson said.
