Arkansas Razorbacks Football

In two seasons as a head coach in the SEC, one head coach has posted a 10-15 overall record and a 2-14 record within the conference and has finished last in his division in both seasons.

That coach just got a raise that pays him more than $4 million annually and an extension through 2020. 

Sounds crazy, right?

Crazy like a Hog.

Those are the parameters for head coach Bret Bielema's extension with Arkansas, which was announced by the school on Saturday. The raise and extension pay him $4 million in 2015 and give him a $100,000-per-year raise for the life of the contract.

Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Jeff Long commented on the news in the release:

Coach Bret Bielema is not only one of the best college football coaches in the nation, he is an outstanding leader. What Coach Bielema and his coaching staff have done for our young men, on and off the field, is something that has dramatically changed the course of our program and most importantly positively impacted the lives of our football student-athletes. He is building a championship program in a way that all Arkansans can be proud of.

Basically, Bielema has been rewarded for bringing stability to an Arkansas program that's been without it for quite some time. He's also being rewarded for a couple of hot months of football in November and December that saw his Razorbacks shut out LSU and Ole Miss and then follow it up by giving up a lob wedge worth of offense (59 yards) in a win over Texas in the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl.

What's even crazier is that it was the right thing for Long and Arkansas to do.

Bielema's new contract brings him to around the same compensation as Georgia's Mark Richt, who agreed to an extension shortly after the season. It places him behind Alabama's Nick Saban, Texas A&M's Kevin Sumlin, LSU's Les Miles and South Carolina's Steve Spurrier, according to the USA Today coaching salary database.

As Joel A. Erickson of AL.com notes, it also places him behind Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn for now:

Bielema’s raise doesn’t mean he’s paid more than Gus Malzahn this year. Malzahn is scheduled to make $4.1 in 2015, Bielema $4 million

— Joel A. Erickson (@JoelAErickson) February 7, 2015

It's a little bit premature to put Bielema in that kind of company after only two seasons that were, for the most part, a struggle, save for a hot November and December in 2014. 

Will it be premature for long, though?

Arkansas was picked fourth in the nation in Sporting News' way-too-early 2015 national rankings and 17th in B/R National Lead Writer Ben Kercheval's early 2015 top 25, which was released after national signing day.

If Arkansas begins to live up to that hype next season and is dancing around the top 15 in mid-October, it'll be abundantly clear that, despite some significant roster turnover on the defensive side of the ball, Bielema has the Hogs taking another big step forward.

At that point, his compensation and extension will be well worth it, and he could be considered a bargain if he does move into the legitimate discussion for a College Football Playoff berth.

Even if he doesn't, though, Long has kicked the stability can farther down the road.

The Bobby Petrino-John L. Smith fiasco sent the program spiraling into a pit of despair, and Bielema helped bring it out. By committing to Bielema long term, Long has further stabilized the program and brought hope to Fayetteville for the first time since Petrino's ill-fated motorcycle ride.

Bielema has earned this raise and extension, and Long should be commended for being proactive and making the head coach of the Hogs happy before his price gets even steeper.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com unless otherwise noted, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports' composite rankings. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.

Arkansas has reached an agreement with head football coach Bret Bielema on an additional two-year contract extension to keep him with the program through 2020.

Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports passed along word of the deal and provided updated dollar figures:

#Arkansas has signed Bret Bielema to a two-year contract extension thru December 2020. AVG salary for the new 6yr deal: $4.25 million.

— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) February 7, 2015

The school's official athletics site confirmed the extension and included comments from director of athletics Jeff Long about the decision:

Coach Bret Bielema is not only one of the best college football coaches in the nation, he is an outstanding leader. What Coach Bielema and his coaching staff have done for our young men, on and off the field, is something that has dramatically changed the course of our program and most importantly positively impacted the lives of our football student-athletes. He is building a championship program in a way that all Arkansans can be proud of. We look forward to his continued leadership of our football program and the many successes yet to come.

Bielema spent seven seasons at Wisconsin before leaving to join the SEC school. After going 68-24 with the Badgers, he posted a 3-9 record during his first season at Arkansas in 2013.

The Razorbacks showed signs of progress this past season, though. They went 7-6, including a blowout win over Texas in the Texas Bowl to cap off the season. They did it despite playing a very difficult schedule that featured eight games against ranked teams.

Arkansas clearly believed the program made enough positive strides to warrant adding onto Bielema's contract. In an era where the coaching carousel seemingly never stops spinning, these types of extensions are mostly a measure of good faith.

Bielema still has a lot of work to do in order to get the program into a position where it's consistently competitive in the deep, talented SEC. Arkansas made some movement in the right direction over his first two years.

It will be interesting to see if that trend continues next fall.

Three years ago, Arkansas was the toast of the SEC. Former head coach Bobby Petrino was the toast of the SEC, the program had established itself as a contender in the SEC West and was being mentioned in the national title discussion heading into spring practice.

Then, Petrino wrecked his motorcycle and covered up an inappropriate relationship with a staff member, sending the program spiraling into a pit of anonymity.

It stayed there for two-and-a-half seasons, before head coach Bret Bielema—in his second season as the Razorbacks head coach—led the Hogs back into the conversation.

Part of that resurgence was quarterback Brandon Allen.

Allen completed 190 of 339 passes (56 percent) for 2,285 yards, 20 touchdowns and only six interceptions for the Hogs, and he proved that, at the very least, he can manage the game in a way that Bielema wants for the offense to be successful.

The best is yet to come.

Allen will enter his senior season as the unquestioned leader of an offense that returns star running backs Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins, four starters on the offensive line, leading receiver Keon Hatcher and versatile safety valve Hunter Henry at tight end.

He's the perfect player at the perfect time to lead Arkansas back.

"When you see a kid who's going into his senior year who has been through so many trials and tribulations and there are so many good players coming back around him, that gets me excited," Bielema told B/R. "I think he's going to be bigger, faster and stronger. I know that may not seem to carry a lot of weight with quarterbacks, but it does. He'll be more physical and allow him to take those hits through a 12-game season."

That's been the issue with Allen in the past. 

He injured his shoulder in the third game of the 2013 season diving into the end zone, and he fought through it for an entire season. Last year, Allen injured his ankle against Ole Miss in late November, which forced him out of the second half of the win over the Rebels. The next week against Missouri, Allen fought through pain and constant pressure from the Tigers to keep his Hogs in the game until the end.

His toughness is something that impresses Bielema.

"There's three things I can't wait to see come out of his senior year," Bielema said. "He's incredibly tough, he's a very smart football player, and the biggest person who wants to have success in our football program is Brandon Allen."

Success might be coming, too.

After shutting out Ole Miss and LSU in November, and following it up by holding Texas to a lob wedge worth of total offense (59 yards) in the win in the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl, Arkansas has vaulted into the SEC West discussion. 

The Sporting News went so far as to rank the Hogs fourth in the country in its way-too-early Top 10. That preseason hype is something Bielema addressed head-on when he met with the players once they returned to campus.

"There's nobody that ended the season any stronger than we did, but is that going to be our ending point? Are you happy at 7-6?" Bielema asked his players. "Their answer was a resounding 'no.'"

Allen is the most important piece of that puzzle.

He has already proven that he's resilient, tough and can manage the offense. Now, he has the weapons to transform himself from a game manager to a difference maker.

What's more, new offensive coordinator Dan Enos, while a pro-style coach, has produced 3,000-yard passers in four of the last five seasons at Central Michigan.

Don't sleep on Allen taking another massive step forward in 2014.

He has experience and continuity working in his favor, and the change to Enos should only accelerate his progression.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee. 

Arkansas had been without an offensive coordinator ever since Jim Chaney decided to take the same position on Pitt's staff, and his replacement came out of left field.

Actually, it wasn't even left field. It was from outside of the ballpark.

Central Michigan head coach—yes, head coach—Dan Enos has been tabbed as the new offensive coordinator for the Hogs.

"We are thrilled to have Coach Enos joining us in Fayetteville," said head coach Bret Bielema in a statement emailed by the school. "Dan is a great fit for our program. He runs a pro-style offense and brings expertise at the quarterback position as both a player and coach. We played against each other in college and he was a very intelligent and talented quarterback who showed great toughness and leadership."

Enos spent five seasons at Central Michigan. He led the Chippewas to three straight seasons in which they finished .500 or better overall, finished over .500 in the MAC and earned two bowl bids.

"I want to thank Bret (Bielema) for this wonderful opportunity to be part of something special at the University of Arkansas," said Enos in the statement. "The challenge of winning a championship in the SEC and developing young men at the highest level of college football is very attractive. Bret and I share many of the same philosophies and I’m excited to open the next chapter of my coaching career down in Fayetteville."

During his time at Central Michigan, Enos produced two 1,000-yard rushers—Zurlon Tipton (1,492 yards, 19 touchdowns) in 2012 and Thomas Rawls (1,103 yards, 10 touchdowns) in 2014. 

That will play well with Arkansas, which returns the dynamic duo of Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins at running back—both of whom topped the 1,000-yard mark last year for the Razorbacks.

While Enos will run a traditional pro-style offense in Fayetteville, he is willing to open things up when appropriate, and will swing the pendulum ever so slightly away from Bielema's old-school values and more toward the new era.

Player	Year	Comp. %	Yds	TDs	INTs
Cooper Rush	2014	63.6	3,157	27	13
Cooper Rush	2013	56.7	2,349	15	15
Ryan Radcliff	2012	59.5	3,158	23	9
Ryan Radcliff	2011	56.7	3,286	25	16
Ryan Radcliff	2010	60.5	3,358	17	17

In four of Enos' five years at Central Michigan, his starting quarterback topped the 3,000-yard mark through the air. Bielema has only had one quarterback throw for more than 3,000 yards in his entire head coaching career—when Russell Wilson threw for 3,175 at Wisconsin in 2011.

What's more, Enos provides a head coaching presence in a coordinator role, which is huge for the development of the offense. Instead of scrambling and finding somebody to earn that trust, Enos will walk into the meeting room and demand it.

Bielema sure does make some interesting hires.

— FootballScoop (@FootballScoop) January 22, 2015

Why the jump?

Money could be a good reason. He was only making $360,000 as Central Michigan's head coach last year, according to the USA Today coaching salary database.

According to Kurt Voigt of the Associated Press, he's getting quite a bump in pay by taking a "step down."

https://twitter.com/Kurt_Voigt_AP/status/558339939826679808

As Andrea Adelson of ESPN notes, it's not the first time a "group of five" head coach has left to become an assistant in either the NFL or a Power Five school.

Dan Enos news marks 3rd straight yr HC at Group of 5 school resigns to take assistant job. D Walker (NM St), G McGee (UAB) did same.

— Andrea Adelson (@aadelsonESPN) January 22, 2015

Central Michigan's loss is Arkansas' gain.

The Enos hire is surprising, but he's the perfect fit for what Arkansas wants to do. He's traditional, but flexible, which will pay immediate dividends for the Razorbacks.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee. 

This season, Bret Bielema helped Arkansas to its first winning season since 2011. Now, the wins on the recruiting trail are starting to roll in. 

Jalen Merrick, a 4-star offensive guard who was also considering Florida and Florida State, announced his commitment to the Razorbacks Sunday afternoon:

https://twitter.com/Jalen_Merrick/status/554398508371804160

"Arkansas is a very great place," Merrick told 247Sports' Otis Kirk. "Coach Pittman has been recruiting me an awfully long time. Coach B is a really nice guy. The fans are loyal here."

Hailing from New Smyrna Beach, Florida, Merrick is ranked as the 227th overall prospect in the 2015 class and the No. 13 offensive guard, per 247Sports' composite rankings. 

Boasting a massive frame (6'5", 295 pounds), his strength is unquestionable. He knows how to use that natural power to finish blocks, and there may never be a more perfect example than this, via The Swamp Report:

If anyone is wondering if @Jalen_Merrick is good lol http://t.co/0kK02tttTh

— The Swamp Report (@TheSwampReport) January 11, 2015

Perhaps more enticing, however, is his potential. Merrick, who also played basketball, didn't take up football until his junior season. That lack of experience means it may be difficult for him to make an immediate impact in Fayetteville, but more time on campus could help him grow into a dominant interior player. 

This addition moves Bielema's 2015 class to No. 22 in America, per 247Sports' composite system. But as he continues to beat out top programs for high-profile recruits, it doesn't take numbers to realize he has this program moving in the right direction following a rough transition from the Bobby Petrino era. 

Enjoy this one, Arkansas fans. In fact, treat the dominant Texas Bowl victory for what it is, the crowning achievement of a season that shows Bret Bielema was the right choice to turn around the Razorbacks program.

But despite what you hear during the offseason, remember this: There's still a long way to go before Arkansas is a legitimate contender in the SEC West.

By winning, 31-7, on Monday against Texas, Arkansas finished with a winning record for the first time since 2011. It helps provide momentum on the recruiting trail and gives the many integral players returning in 2015 a huge confidence boost in facing what lies ahead. NFL.com's Bryan Fischer thinks watching the game film from this win will also be a boost for the Arkansas coaches:

I suspect Arkansas coaches will enjoy watching film of this bowl game win.

— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) December 30, 2014

Just don't be fooled into thinking that the Hogs will be competing for a division title or anything so glamorous—at least not yet.

That defense that the Hogs unleashed on a helpless Texas team has been rising up since mid-October, when a blocked extra point (and not enough offensive punch) kept the team from upsetting Alabama. Since then, it has enabled the Razorbacks to end a long SEC losing streak by thoroughly dominating LSU and Ole Miss with back-to-back shutouts, earning the necessary conference wins to get into a bowl game.

It's a foundation that Arkansas can build on, but defense alone isn't going to get it done against the talent that resides in the SEC. The Razorbacks will need to become as good—if not better—on offense than what they've shown they can do defensively, and that's going to mean not being one-dimensional.

There's been a noticeable push in that direction as the season wore on, with quarterback Brandon Allen becoming a more integral part of the game plan, while dual 1,000-yard rushers Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams saw their touches remain relatively constant. Nearly every relevant offensive player should be back in 2015, so the expectation of further improvement isn't outlandish.

Yet Arkansas still seems at least a year away, especially when you look at the schedule it faces next season, particularly the conference portion.

Road games against Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss and Tennessee will make for tough sledding at every stop, not to mention another matchup with Texas A&M in Arlington, Texas. Having two-time East Division champ Missouri as its permanent crossover rival doesn't help, either.

The Razorbacks can actually look to those ahead of them in the West standings for examples of what can potentially happen in the near future, depending on how they progress. Mississippi State and Ole Miss both finished below .500 in division play last season, with the former needing to beat the latter just to make a bowl. Each won its bowl game and headed into this fall with momentum and increased hope.

Both got off to great starts, yet each eventually ran into a wall when its main deficiency was exposed.

Mississippi State had an exciting quarterback in Dak Prescott, a Heisman contender for much of the year, but when he began to struggle, the lack of a consistent defense became the Bulldogs' downfall; Ole Miss had the defense, which allowed an FBS-low 13.8 points per game, according to cfbstats.com, but without a matching offense that could be relied on to do its part every week, that defense couldn't carry the team.

Those teams now know what it will take to keep on improving and make the next step. Arkansas needs to be strong and balanced on both sides of the ball, not just one. It can be that team, but it's a process.

Instead, the Razorbacks figure to get better gradually, which will have to do. Bielema had to know this was going to be the case when he chose to leave the good thing he had going at Wisconsin—where he could annually compete for at least a Rose Bowl spot—for this major challenge.

He saw that gradual improvement this year, not just in the seven wins but also by virtue of four losses by seven points or less (after losing by an average of 21 points in SEC play the season before). The turnaround actually began late in 2013, when Arkansas' final three losses were by 10, seven and four points.

That might mean next year—when opening SEC play against A&M—instead of a narrow loss, it will result in a hard-fought victory.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.

Arkansas closed strong during the final month of the season, shutting out LSU and Ole Miss in Fayetteville to earn second-year head coach Bret Bielema his first two conference wins and give the program confidence for the first time since Bobby Petrino roamed the sidelines in 2011.

That confidence is back, and from an offensive standpoint, it shouldn't go away now that one of its biggest pieces is coming back in running back Jonathan Williams.

The 6'0", 223-pound native of Allen, Texas announced on Wednesday that he will return to the program for his senior season after exploring a decision to jump early to the NFL.

"I am very excited to return to Arkansas for my senior season and help bring the Razorback football program back to where it belongs," Williams said in a release emailed by Arkansas. "Coach [Bret] Bielema and [running backs] coach [Joel] Thomas have been very supportive of me and my family throughout this process."

His return is huge for Arkansas' hopes of not only getting the program back to respectability, but into contention in the SEC West.

Sharing the workload with fellow running back Alex Collins, all Williams did was finish the season as one of five 1,000-yard rushers in the SEC, gaining 1,085 yards and 11 touchdowns and leading the Hogs in rushing. He's a true all-purpose back that has the size to be dangerous between the tackles and speed to be a threat in space.

His return signals something very important for the Arkansas offense—continuity.

Williams and Collins will return behind an offensive line that was bigger than any college or NFL offensive line in 2014 and which loses only senior right tackle Brey Cook. Quarterback Brandon Allen showed tremendous progress this year, tossing 18 touchdowns and only five picks. He will return for his senior season with leading receiver Keon Hatcher and tight end Hunter Henry.

Assuming there are no speed bumps like unexpected roster attrition or injuries before the season, the Hogs offense should be able to hit the ground running—literally—when they host UTEP in the season opener in 2015.

Couple that with continuity in the passing game, and the offense should be scary.

The real question is on defense, where the team will look for replacements for star defensive end Trey Flowers and linebacker Martrell Spaight.

With that being said, defensive coordinator Robb Smith showed in his first season that he can get the job done in the SEC. He will also have defensive tackle Darius Philon returning and talented youngsters like Bijhon Jackson stepping into bigger roles.

That's a small hole to hop for a program that, since 2011, is used to clearing holes the size of the Grand Canyon after Petrino's unceremonious exit in April 2012. 

Arkansas will be a dark-horse pick to make some noise in the West in 2015, and Williams' return only solidifies that position in the division's pecking order. That's a stark change from where the program was a year ago, when contending for the West seemed more like something out of the fiction section at the library.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee. 

The coaching silly season is a glorious time of year that includes tracking of private airplanes, all-night stakeouts in front of million-dollar homes decked out with enough holiday lights to make Clark Griswold smile and rumors wild enough to make the hottest tabloid.

One rumor that popped up seemingly out of nowhere Wednesday involved the vacant Nebraska head coaching job.

According to FootballScoop.com, Nebraska's first choice to replace Bo Pelini was Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema. The report stated that athletics director Shawn Eichorst had a very short list and that Bielema could, in fact, be the only name on it.

Bielema took to Twitter to shoot down the rumor and then spoke with ESPN.com's Chris Low and he said he's "all Hog."

Has been a good start this week in recruiting for the future at #Arkansas

Excited to be headed to a bowl and momentum into 2015! #WoooPig

— Bret Bielema (@BretBielema) December 3, 2014

Thursday, as Nebraska announced that Oregon State head coach Mike Riley would be its new head coach, Gil Brandt of NFL.com reported that an offer to Bielema was, in fact, on the table.

Bret Bielema was offered #Nebraska job yesterday but decided to stay at #Arkansas.

— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) December 4, 2014

The fact that this was even an option to begin with indicates that Nebraska has a very skewed view of itself in the current college football landscape.

This isn't 1997. It's 2014. In 2014, the best players, coaches and exposure come in the SEC—yes, even at Arkansas, which isn't the highest-profile program in the conference.

Bielema has spent two seasons struggling for every inch of respect within the SEC, going winless for 13 straight games in the SEC before it finally clicked. When it did, it clicked in a big way. The Razorbacks shut out then-No. 17 LSU 17-0 and then throttled then-No. 8 Ole Miss 30-0 in the month of November to become bowl-eligible for the first time since 2011.

The rebuilding effort is almost complete, and now it's time for Bielema to reap the rewards.

Arkansas has a running back tandem that's second to none in college football and an offensive line that will return four starters from the offensive line that was bigger than any other in football—pro or college—in 2014. The switch to defensive coordinator Robb Smith also paid huge dividends in the month of November.

This is no longer Bobby Petrino's Arkansas program. Bielema has built it into his own, and leaving now would be crazy.

Besides, why go to Nebraska? Pelini never won fewer than nine games in a season at Nebraska—a program that, as B/R's Erin Sorensen pointed out last offseason, shifted its focus beyond the 500-mile radius. 

The reason is simple: It has to.

There were no 4- or 5-star players in the state of Nebraska in the class of 2014 and none in 2015, and there are none so far in the class of 2016. The state of Arkansas has five 4-star prospects in 2015, and all of them are currently committed to the Razorbacks.

Would he have an easier path to the College Football Playoff at Nebraska than he currently has at Arkansas? Sure. But he had the same path at Wisconsin, and he left Madison to go to Fayetteville despite that path.

Bielema has momentum and a better recruiting foundation, and he doesn't have the pressure of winning more than nine games every single year in order to stay employed.

Besides, one of the primary reasons Bielema left Wisconsin for Arkansas in the first place was the lack of money for his assistant coaches, according to Chris Bahn of ArkansasBusiness.com. In 2013, four of Arkansas' assistants were among the top 150 highest-paid assistants in the country, according to the USA Today coaching salary database. Nebraska had one.

Is it harder to win at Arkansas? Yes. It's also a much better job, and—more importantly—it's much easier to stay employed there.

Arkansas is simply a better job than Nebraska.

By a mile.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.

It seems like only yesterday when SEC Network carriage deals dominated the headlines, the 10-second rule became an issue and South Carolina was a contender.

Ah, the offseason.

As we enter rivalry weekend, both SEC divisions remain undecided, a one-loss SEC team is ranked No. 1—two spots ahead of undefeated defending national champion Florida State—and one of the best head coaching jobs in college football (Florida) is open.

Florida State's place in a sea of SEC powers, Arkansas' momentum and Florida's next step are discussed in this week's SEC Q&A.

@BarrettSallee Should Bama- w/only one Top25 opp. - be valued over an undefeated tm w/ 2 Top25, no losses,heisman QB,P5,and most NFL talent?

— Ry (@NY_CFBFan24_7) November 24, 2014

Of all of the factors you mentioned, the "no losses" part is the most important. Last season's Heisman Trophy winner shouldn't have any bearing on this season's rankings. NFL talent shouldn't have any bearing on this season's rankings.

Rankings for this season should be based on how each team looks this season based on results.

Nothing more and nothing less.

Unfortunately, they're not anymore.

One thing became abundantly clear as the weekly College Football Playoff rankings have been released on a weekly basis, and it is the worst fear of BCS proponents—like myself.

The regular season has already been devalued.

Florida State is a power-five team with zero losses and two Top 25 wins. Are either of those wins comparable to Alabama's lone Top 25 win over No. 4 Mississippi State? Of course not, but Seminoles head coach Jimbo Fisher said it better than anybody possibly could.

"How about the way everybody else hasn't finished?" he told ESPN.com's Heather Dinich on Sunday. "Our team has never not finished. The game is 60 minutes. This team hasn't lost in over two years. Everybody says 'game control.' That's something made up. As a coach, you talk about one thing: Finish. Get it done."

If a team in a power-five conference goes undefeated and has more Top 25 wins than a one-loss team from the nation's best division, that team should be No. 1.

Should Alabama be in the playoff? Absolutely. Top 3, for sure. But Florida State deserves the No. 1 spot. After all, what we're really talking about is seeding, and Florida State has done all that it can do to be seeded No. 1.

To me, though, Florida State being at No. 3 is about programming the sport. If the Seminoles beat a Florida team with a good defense and then a ranked Georgia Tech team in the ACC Championship Game handily, it should jump back to the top spot and play the fourth seed in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's night.

@BarrettSallee any chance gundy leaves for UF head coaching job Sallee?

— Jacob (@jacobsmomOG) November 24, 2014

Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy would certainly check off several of the boxes that Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley is looking for. He's a proven offensive mind who has had success as a head coach at a major program, producing double-digit-win seasons three times in the last five years.

But would he go to Florida?

According to Ryan Bartow of 247Sports, three sources have told him that Gundy is interested in the job and has made that known through backchannels.

Could that be legitimate? Yep. Could it be Gundy leveraging for a new deal? Yep. It's probably both, which would certainly explain why Pat Dooley of the Gainesville Sun has already stated that he's not a candidate.

The gap between a Top 5 job and a top-50 job, though, has narrowed tremendously over the last decade as more money has flowed into the sport.

Gundy is the 15th-highest-paid coach in the country ($3.5 million), according to the USA Today database of coaching salaries, and is currently at a program that has comparable resources to those of any top-tier program in the country.

If he wants a new challenge, sure, I could see him going to Florida. But he isn't going to go just because "it's Florida." It's a rebuilding year, but he has a good thing going for him in Stillwater with an easier path to the playoff.

It'd be difficult to leave. If he does, though, he'd be a hit in Gainesville.

@BarrettSallee do you think Arkansas will be ranked in the preseason rankings for next year (2015) because of their vast improvements?

— A. Sagar (@WarDamnEagle_) November 24, 2014

Regardless of what happens on Friday afternoon in the regular-season finale against Missouri, Arkansas will be ranked to start the 2015 season.

Back-to-back shutouts against ranked SEC opponents is very impressive, even if those rankings disappear by the end of the season. Running backs Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams should return, along with quarterback Brandon Allen, four starters on the offensive line and defensive lineman Darius Philon. 

That's a solid foundation for a program that suddenly has momentum.

Unless some really bizarre roster attrition occurs between now and September in Fayetteville, the late-season momentum combined with the stars returning should land the Hogs in the preseason Top 25 and, perhaps, some first-place votes from the assembled members of the SEC media when we predict the conference standings at SEC media days.

Look out for the Hogs, because even if they don't beat you, they'll beat you up.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of CFBStats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.

Do you hear that?

That's not the sound of Arkansas walking through the door. That's the sound of a door being kicked down, chipped and turned into mulch.

After going without SEC wins for more than two calendar years, Arkansas has announced its presence with authority in November. The Razorbacks beat LSU 17-0 in a game that wasn't as close as the score indicated last week and followed it up with a 30-0 win over No. 8 Ole Miss on Saturday in Fayetteville.

Much like last week, this week's stomping wasn't as close as the score indicated.

The Hogs defense throttled the high-octone Rebels offense to the tune of 316 yards, 63 rushing yards and just 4.45 yards per play. Ole Miss, a team that hasn't been able to run between the tackles all season long, was absolutely shut down by an Arkansas front seven that has become one of the most underrated units in the entire conference.

“It’s big time for us defensive players," defensive end Trey Flowers said in quotes emailed by Arkansas. "To put up those type of numbers and stop some pretty good teams from getting in the end zone, it's big time."

As Bo Mattingly of Sports Talk with Bo in Arkansas notes, first-year defensive coordinator Robb Smith deserves a ton of credit for this turnaround:

Arkansas DC Robb Smith might have a raise on his desk before he gets back to his office.

— Bo Mattingly (@Bo_Mattingly) November 22, 2014

It was a message to the SEC West, the SEC and the nation that these Hogs have found their groove and will not be a pushover anymore.

This was coming all season long. 

From the moment the Razorbacks went into halftime in their season opener vs. Auburn tied, it was clear that this wasn't the same team that existed under former head coach John L. Smith in 2012 and last season—Bret Bielema's first in Fayetteville.

They were confident.

They were prepared.

They were on the brink of walking through the door during the first two months of the season, and instead they decided to kick it down the last two weeks.

It took longer than Bielema imagined, but Arkansas evolved this year from a pushover to a potential power. Even when the Hogs lost this year, they made the opponent work. They're old-school in every sense of the term and have now learned a valuable lesson during the month of November: how to win.

Moving forward, what does it mean? It means that this team is going to be something to be reckoned with in 2015.

Arkansas' defense is loaded with young talent. Only one defender—Flowers—is a senior on the two-deep up front. The Razorbacks will also return four of five starters on the biggest offensive line in football (college or the NFL), quarterback Brandon Allen and talented running backs Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams.

This year's Hogs have already made a tremendous impact on the SEC West race, locking the door on Ole Miss' chances of representing the division in the SEC Championship Game for the first time ever. That will continue next season, and if the dominoes fall in the Hogs' favor, don't be surprised if they're in the SEC West title discussion in mid-November just like Ole Miss was this year.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of CFBStats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.