With the SEC football season just a few months away, here’s a look at how the conference’s coaches rank in 2016.
Bio: Bret Bielema joined Arkansas after a successful nine-year tenure at Wisconsin. Bielema began as a defensive coordinator and was promoted to head coach in 2006, which saw him lead the Badgers to a 68-24 (37-19 Big Ten) record and three Big Ten Conference championships.
Bielema joined the Razorbacks in 2013 and has improved his previous record each season. In 2015, Arkansas finished third in the SEC West with an 8-5 (5-3 SEC) record, including wins against Tennessee, Ole Miss and LSU — all of whom finished 2016 with a top-25 ranking.
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
|---|---|
| 1994–1995 | Iowa (GA) |
| 1996–2001 | Iowa (LB) |
| 2002–2003 | Kansas State (Co-DC) |
| 2004–2005 | Wisconsin (DC) |
| 2006–2012 | Wisconsin |
| 2013–present | Arkansas |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 86–44 |
| Bowls | 4–4 |
| Statistics | |
Reason for ranking: Bielema entered 2015 with high expectations. He talked a big game despite coming off a 7-6 (2-6) second-year at Arkansas, while the media bought into the hype, including ESPN ranking the Razorbacks No. 10 overall in its ESPN’s Preseason FPI ratings.
Despite a slow start — which saw Arkansas lose three consecutive games to Toledo, Texas Tech and Texas A&M in Weeks 2-5 — Bielema’s team won seven of its final nine games and managed to finish third in the SEC West, arguably college football’s toughest division. Not only did Bielema save his job, but he also proved his legitimacy as a top-tier SEC coach by overcoming the early adversity and finishing with a solid record. Not to mention, the Razorbacks lost tailback Jonathan Williams — one of two 1,000-yard rushers — for the entire season in fall camp and still managed to have one of the SEC’s best rushing attacks.
Bielema proved he was more than just charm and talk in 2016, but he will have a tall task this season replacing many of Arkansas’ key starters.
2016 Schedule:
| Date | Opponent | |||
| Saturday Sep. 3 |
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Louisiana Tech Bulldogs D.W.R. Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, AR |
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| Saturday Sep. 10 |
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at TCU Horned Frogs Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, TX |
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| Saturday Sep. 17 |
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Texas State Bobcats D.W.R. Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, AR |
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| Saturday Sep. 24 |
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at Texas A&M Aggies AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX |
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| Saturday Oct. 1 |
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Alcorn State Braves War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock, AR |
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| Saturday Oct. 8 |
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Alabama Crimson Tide D.W.R. Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, AR |
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| Saturday Oct. 15 |
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Ole Miss Rebels D.W.R. Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, AR |
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| Saturday Oct. 22 |
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at Auburn Tigers Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, AL |
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| Saturday Oct. 29 |
— | OFF | ||
| Saturday Nov. 5 |
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Florida Gators D.W.R. Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, AR |
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| Saturday Nov. 12 |
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LSU Tigers D.W.R. Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, AR |
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| Saturday Nov. 19 |
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at Mississippi State Bulldogs Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville, MS |
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| Saturday Nov. 26 |
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at Missouri Tigers Faurot Field, Columbia, MO |
2016 Outlook: Arkansas needs to replace its offense, as the majority of its offensive production is gone.
Veteran quarterback Brandon Allen graduated in 2016 and will be replaced by his younger brother Austin Allen. Alex Collins, who rushed for a career-best 1,577 yards in 2015, and Williams are both gone after three seasons as one of the SEC’s best rushing tandems.
Hunter Henry, who was the nation’s best tight end in 2015, also departed to embark on an NFL career this offseason. Arkansas will also need to make changes along its offensive line, which has been its best position group after adopting the Bielema-Big Ten style of play.
The Razorbacks lose three starters on their offensive line and their returning backups, freshmen Johnny Gibson, Josh Allen, Zach Rogers and Brian Wallace, played few snaps in 2015.
Arkansas will return starters on the defensive side, but still face several questions. Its rushing defense was among the best in college football, ranking 12th in the FBS with just 116.5 yards allowed per game. But its secondary faces concerns after struggling to shut down spread offenses in 2015. The Razorbacks will face two spread offenses — TCU (Sept. 10) and Texas A&M (Sept. 24) — loaded with talent at wide receiver.
Bielema could be facing another uphill battle early in his fourth season. Thus far, he’s proved to be a quality hire and has improved Arkansas’ program. But he’ll need to survive growing pains of an inexperienced roster to keep perception on his side in 2016.
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