While we applaud, and love to watch the attacking style of Mike Anderson’s offense, there is fine line between aggressive and stupid.  The young Hogs crossed it on Saturday.

The 19 turnovers were disappointing, and not really the norm for this team.  Last Tuesday, they only turned it over eight times in an up-and-down game against Vandy.

What was disturbing was watching the Hogs continually drive to the basket and either have their shot swatted away or run over somebody.  The 12 blocked shots by LSU coupled with the six charges taken, amounted to 18 additional possessions that the Hogs gave away.

Many times, once the Hogs drove and got past their initial defender, they had chances to take several pull-up, wide-open 8-10 foot jumpers in the lane, only to continue on to the basket unsuccessfully.  Driving toward the basket is not the same thing as attacking the rim — don’t confuse the two.

We know all of this is nothing more than watching a young team grow and learn how and when to pull up.  Knowing how to drive aggressively, but still be under control.  We know that.  But as the “learning opportunities” continue to mount, the chances for road wins are slipping away.

We still think the Razorbacks will make the NCAA tourney if they can secure two road wins.  Georgia, Tennessee and Auburn are all winnable games.  Nobody’s beating us at home — nobody.  But to win on the road in the SEC, you’ve got to play smarter than the Hogs did Saturday at Baton Rouge.

Earlier in the week, Baseball America – a publication that typically gives the Hogs less credit than they’ve earned — surprisingly ranked Arkansas #4 in their 2012 Preseason Poll.  The Hogs were one of six SEC teams ranked in the top 11.  On Thursday, they found themselves sitting at #8 in the recently released USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll.

Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be previewing the Diamond Hogs in depth — position by position — as they get ready to start what could be a championship season.  But one thing that has us scratching our heads a bit was the recent decision to move in the fences at Baum Stadium.

Our good friend UnderHog shared some photos with us this week showing the work going on at Baum to bring in the right field fence a reported 10 feet.

Baum Stadium Right Field Fence (Photo Courtesy of UnderHog)

It appears from his photo that reducing the fence 10 feet in the power alley (currently 375) might translate into a bit more than that around the area near the visitors bullpen.

The only reason we raise our eyebrows at the change is due to the fact that Van Horn and pitching coach Dave Jorn have assembled what could be one of the greatest pitching staffs in school history.  Why would they offset that advantage by making it easier for the other side to hit home runs?

Van Horn argues that other schools are using the current Baum Stadium dimensions, coupled with the brisk southerly winds, against the Hogs in recruiting.

“In some games it will help us and in some games it will hurt us, but it will do the same to the other team,” Van Horn said.  “This will show left-handed hitters we have them in mind.”

Current Razorback switch hitter Dominic Ficociello (.335, 4HR, 50 RBIs in 2011) might be the one player who will benefit most from the move.  Some of Dom’s team-high 15 doubles last year will definitely be home runs this season.

Keep a close eye on this change and the resulting effects as the Hogs get underway in 2012.  The Razorbacks host Villanova for a three-game series beginning February 17th.

We typically don’t write a lot of recruiting stuff here on RazorBloggers — preferring to read our favorites Richard Davenport, Dudley Dawson, Trey Biddy and Otis Kirk.  And judging by the hits on our Recruiting News links, a lot of you do the same.

But this weekend is different — our interest has gone to a new level.  Twenty recruits are scheduled to be on campus, and they include some of the highest ranked players in the nation — including the #1 national recruit in wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham (6-6, 220, 4.43).

Finishing in the top five of the polls shows you just how close the Hogs are getting to reaching the top of that mountain.  A few key commits from this weekend’s list of visitors could help escalate that climb very quickly.

Much of the focus (rightfully so) will be on Green-Beckham, who has Arkansas in his top three (Oklahoma, Texas), and could immediately help a receiving corps that will graduate three superstars to the NFL.

Three other recruits, though, who will be in Fayetteville this weekend have piqued our interest.  These guys, if they choose to be Hogs, could be difference makers at need positions.

OL Jordan Diamond (6-6, 289, Chicago, Illinois) — Rivals.com has Diamond a 4-star recruit, and when you look at his highlight video, all he does is deliver one pancake block after another.  The Hogs are battling Michigan, Ohio State and Wisconsin for this prized tackle prospect.

LB Dalton Santos (6-2, 251, 4.65, Van, Texas) — Santos is the big, inside, run-stopping linebacker that the Hogs have been missing.  Watching him run from sideline to sideline shows us why he is a coveted playmaker.  The Hogs are hoping for a flip here as Santos is currently committed to Tennessee.

Note to Dalton and his family…distance from Van, Texas to Fayetteville = 353 miles.  Distance from Van, Texas to Knoxville, Tennessee = 800 miles.

RB Trey Williams (5-8, 175, 4.4, Spring, Texas) — We can’t help it — even with all this passing — we are dazzled by elite running backs.  Williams certainly fills that bill.  A current commit to Texas A&M, Williams is ranked the #2 running back in the nation by Rivals.  He has tremendous speed, and looks very elusive in space.

National Signing day comes early this year: February 1st.  And if Coach Petrino and the staff have a good weekend, that day might turn out to be more like Christmas for Hog fans.

We thought the BCS National Championship game was going to be another slugfest, but had no idea that only one team would show up.  The Tigers acted like they could just stroll into New Orleans and pick up the trophy.

Meanwhile, Bama looked like an ultra-prepared, well coached team on a mission.  Saban gets his third, while the Tide claim their 14th National Championship.  Sidebar: the game was the lowest rated championship game (13.8 share) in the BCS era.

Oregon jumps up after their impressive 45-38 Rose Bowl win over Wisconsin.  The Ducks, with a ton of talent returning most likely will be a Top 5 team to start 2012.  Look for Oklahoma State to get some ‘protest’ first-place votes in the BlogPoll this week after their exciting 41-38 win over Stanford in the Fiesta Bowl.

The Hogs workmanlike Cotton Bowl victory over Kansas State was important – a perfect send off for a great senior class, and a tremendous spring board to recruiting and the 2012 season.  With Knile Davis’ announced return, Arkansas could be one of five SEC teams in the Top 10 to start next year.

The entire BlogPoll will be released today over at SBNation.com. Until then, here’s our final RBN ballot of the season:

In part one of our Kansas State preview, we took a look at the offensive side of the ball for the Wildcats.  Trying to figure a way to stop quarterback Collin Klein is going to keep the Arkansas defensive coaches awake at night.  Not so much though for newly hired coordinator Paul Petrino and the offense.

If there is a weakness in this Wildcats team, it is on the defensive side of the ball.  K-State ranks 73rd nationally in total defense (398.8 yards/game), primarily because it has been very vulnerable against the pass.

Kansas State ranks 104th in Passing Defense (267.3 yards/game).  The Hogs rank 13th in Passing Offense (307.8 yards/game).  You see where we’re headed here?

When you look at it, though, it’s not all on the KSU secondary.  The Wildcats have only recorded 18 sacks on the year (90th nationally), and one guy — defensive end Meshak Williams (6-2, 245) — has seven of those.

So just how much trouble have the Wildcats had in stopping passing offenses in 2011?  We went back and took a look at the five teams that K-State played that could really throw it.  Like Arkansas, the Big 12 is full of some pass-happy teams.

The A&M game is a bit deceiving given it was a four overtime game, but it was a 31-31 game at the end of regulation.  You could also argue the Aggies weren’t really a passing team — with Michael and Gray running the ball, they were pretty balanced most of the time.

If these numbers hold true Friday night, we could see Tyler Wilson holding a bunch of Cotton Bowl passing records.  Currently Graham Harrell of Texas Tech holds the records for attempts (58), completions (36), passing yards (364), and passing touchdowns (4).

The Wildcats aren’t totally void of playmakers on defense though.  Miami (Fla.) transfer linebacker Arthur Brown (6-1, 223) leads the team with 95 tackles.  Cornerback Nigel Malone leads the secondary with seven interceptions on the year.

In the return game, the kidney injury to freshman wide receiver Tyler Lockett (son of Kevin Lockett, K-State’s all-time leading receiver) during the Oklahoma State game was a big blow.  Lockett had taken two kickoffs back for touchdowns, and while his replacement, speedster Tramaine Thompson (5-7, 165) has been good, he’s not shown so far to be that breakaway threat.

Kicker Anthony Cantele (17-22 FG, Long 54) and punter Ryan Doerr (40.5 yard average) have been serviceable, however the Wildcats have suffered three blocked kicks this year.

All in all, this game comes down to the Razorback defense and their ability to stop Klein.  The Hogs are poised to score a lot of points on the fast track in Arlington as long as K-State doesn’t possess the ball (see first half of the Ole Miss game for reference), and keep Tyler Wilson on the sideline.

It should be a fun one…the RBN crew will be there to witness it.  Arkansas is favored by 7 1/2 points.

After ringing in the New Year down in “Big D”, the Razorbacks are back at practice this week, finalizing their preparations for the Cotton Bowl.  The January 6th matchup against the Kansas State Wildcats will kickoff at 7:00 and be nationally televised on Fox.

We have to say, this is one of the more intriguing bowl outings the Hogs have had in years.  While the matchup with the Wildcats is not all that flashy, the subplots are many.

• What will the loss of all three coordinators mean for Arkansas’ preparation?
• Will new Defensive Coordinator Paul Haynes be able to step in and be effective calling plays for a defense he knew nothing of three weeks ago?
• Can the Hogs defense do what they’ve had little success doing the past few seasons — stop a mobile, dual threat quarterback?

There are several things that stand out right away when scouting Kansas State — the first is how well-coached the Wildcats are.  Bill Snyder (159-82-1, 20th year) is truly a marvel — still going strong at the age of 72.  Not many people could turn around a program like K-State once, let alone twice, but Snyder has.  They are fundamentally sound in all three phases in 2011.

Kansas State is definitely multiple on offense.  What you will see is option from a lot of different formations.  From the spread formation, they will run a ton of zone read plays — and quarterback Collin Klein is reading it most of the time. From under center, in the single back or I-formation, you’ll get a combination of mid-line and speed option.

We spent some time last week detailing Klein’s gaudy numbers this year (3,122 total yards, 38 total TDs).  What grabbed our attention was the eye-popping percentage of plays (66%) that he directly participates in as a rusher or passer.

When you watch Klein (6-5, 226) play, he is a very physical runner.  And despite not being a burner, he is elusive in the open field.  As a passer, he has the ability to move in the pocket and extend the play.  The Hogs’ defense will have its hands full trying to slow him down.

When Klein does decide to hand it off, most of the time it’s to sophomore running back John Hubert (933 yards, 3 TDs).  Hubert is smallish at 5-7, but has good speed and has proven to be hard to tackle in space.  There are no Jordy Nelson‘s on this team — no wide receiver averages more than 45 yards per game.  Oregon transfer Chris Harper (536 yards, 5 TDs) is probably the best of the bunch.

If the Hogs are going to win this game, they’ve got to show they can defend the option, and not let the Wildcats possess the football.  Running quarterbacks have killed this defense in recent seasons, and minus Cam Newton, Klein might be the best runner they’ve faced.

Tomorrow we’ll take a look at how the Wildcats stack up on defense and special teams.

Despite having a 12-23-3 all-time record in bowl games, and even after losing all three coordinators off of Bobby Petrino’s staff since the end of the regular season, confidence seems high among the faithful.

Why is this?  Well, it could be because the Hogs have been installed as a 7 1/2 point favorite. Or it might be the fact that Kansas State ranks 104th nationally in passing defense (267.3 yards per game).  That’s 104th out of 120 FCS teams.  Yikes!

For Hog fans thinking this game is going to be a walk in the park, though, think again.  Allow us to take a few moments and introduce you to Wildcat quarterback Collin Klein.

Klein (6-5, 226) will remind many Arkansas fans of former quarterback Matt Jones with his length, but not necessarily his speed.  After splitting time with Carson Coffman a year ago, the fourth-year junior has exploded this year and put up some staggering numbers.

Klein leads the team in rushing yards (1,377), and rushing touchdowns (26), on 293 carries.  That’s 24+ rushing attempts per game!  In addition, he’s thrown for 1,745 yards and 12 more touchdowns.

What got our attention though was the eye-popping percentage of plays in which Klein directly participates in, either as a rusher or a passer.  Of Kansas State’s 826 offensive plays, Klein has 544 of those (293 rush, 251 pass), a 66% rate.

That’s an incredible percentage for a running quarterback — truly off the charts.  Most guys cannot hold up to that kind of punishment over a full season.  By comparison, in 2011, Taylor Martinez at Nebraska was 52% of their offensive plays; Denard Robinson at Michigan was 56%.

You can tell Klein is hard-nosed and tough-minded.  That was never more evident than during the Wildcats epic four-overtime game against Texas A&M this year, when he accounted for six touchdowns.

With the Hogs’ inability to stop running quarterbacks over the last two seasons, Klein’s skill set could wreck havoc on what has turned out to be a very average Arkansas defensive unit — ranked 51st in total defense at 371.4 yards per game.

Even though he won’t be calling the defenses at the Coton Bowl, could new coordinator Paul Haynes ability to scheme have an immediate impact on how the coaching staff game plan to stop Klein?  Stay tuned.

You can say what you want about Willy Robinson, but to a man, everyone liked and respected the guy.  And the Razorback defense did make some improvement…just not enough.

Robinson seemed to have trouble transitioning to the college game after spending the previous 12 years in the NFL.  The decision to make the change had to be a hard one for all parties involved.

One thing is for certain, though.  There are quality coaches out there who can get the Razorback defense to the next level — a championship level.

1. Randy Shannon, Former Head Coach University of Miami (Age 45, Head Coaching record 28-22 in 4 years at Miami).  Shannon is looking for a job after being shown the door last year in Miami.  Before becoming the head coach, the former star linebacker for the Hurricanes was defensive coordinator at his alma mater for six seasons.  Reportedly interviewed for the position Tuesday.  High energy, great recruiter.

2. Vic Koenning, Defensive Coordinator and Interim Head Coach Illinois (Age 51, Head Coaching record 5-29 in 3 years at Wyoming).  A former Kansas State linebacker, Koenning has spent the last year with Paul Petrino, toiling for Ron Zook at Illinois.  Previous stints as defensive coordinator at Wyoming, Troy, Clemson, and Kansas State give him an impressive resume.  One of the front runners along with Shannon.

3. Paul Haynes, Co-Defensive Coordinator Ohio State (Age 43).  In his sixth year at Ohio State, Haynes was defensive backs coach until this season when he also became Co-coordinator.  Was with Petrino in Jacksonville in 2002 as a Quality Assurance assistant.  Reportedly interviewed for the position Thursday.  Young, good recruiter, on the rise.

4. Tyrone Nix, Former Defensive Coordinator at Ole Miss (Age 39).  A former Southern Miss linebacker, Nix emerged as a candidate late Wednesday night according to KNWA sources.  He has been a coordinator at Southern Miss, South Carolina, and Ole Miss, so he has SEC experience.  Some might question his judgement to be a member of Nutt’s staff.  Ole Miss was not good in any phase this season, including defense. 

5. Mike Stoops, Former Head Coach University of Arizona (Age 50, Head Coaching record 41-49 in 8 years at Arizona).  Stoops is definitely the hot name out there right now.  It is almost a given he will go back to the coordinator ranks, which is better suited to match his fiery persona.  Ohio State, Iowa and Nebraska are also in the bidding.  Looks more likely to sign with Nebraska or Ohio State.

6. Steve Caldwell, Defensive Ends Coach at Arkansas (Age 56, 31 years coaching experience at the college level).  Caldwell is in his second year at Arkansas.  Known for his fierce recruiting skills, Caldwell was previously a coordinator at Nevada and Pacific before spending 14 years at Tennessee.  Would be a solid hire if the top names slip through the cracks.

7. Tim DeRuyter, Defensive Coordinator and Interim Head Coach Texas A&M (Age 48, 21 years of college coaching experience).  DeRuyter has a history of turning defenses around.  His 3-4, aggressive, blitzing style is high risk-high reward.  Recruited Petrino’s son at Air Force before heading to try and save the Mike Sherman sinking ship at A&M.

8. Everett Withers, Defensive Coordinator and Interim Head Coach North Carolina (Age 48, Head Coaching record 7-5).  Withers took over for Carolina when Butch Davis was let go before the 2011 season.  He has been a coordinator at four stops (Austin Peay, Louisville, Minnesota, and North Carolina) as well as an assistant in the NFL for Saints and Titans.

9. Butch Davis, Former Head Coach at North Carolina and Miami, Fla. (Age 60, Head Coaching record 63-43 in college).  The hometown favorite, Davis was let go in Carolina after a string of NCAA violations for improper benefits and inappropriate academic assistance.  Is the longest of long shots for him to get back in the coaching game as an assistant given his resume.

10. The Field.  Looks likely that one of the top 3 candidates takes this one home — but you never know.

The 75-62 loss to the defending national champion Connecticut Huskies was not unexpected.  The main thing that Hog Nation was looking for in Saturday’s contest was, “Would these young Hogs back away from a fight?”

That was answered pretty quickly, as the Razorbacks jumped out to an 8-1 lead to start the game.  You could tell…they were not afraid.  They were not intimidated by the #8 team in the nation…on the road.

That is a promising sign for the future, and a stark departure from the previous regime, whose teams would frequently lie down and have a “good bleed” in games against superior opponents.

The performance we got Saturday is exactly what we would expect from a Mike Anderson coached team.  “We competed,” Anderson said. “There are some positives that can be taken from this game.  It was a good effort, but not good enough.”

B.J. Young was absolutely fearless.  Young’s 28 points were a career-high, and it wasn’t against chopped liver.  The Uconn guards — Jeremy Lamb, Shabazz Napier, and Ryan Boatright — are three of the better guards the Hogs will see all season.

Young’s two outbursts — an 11-point barrage to end the first half, and a 17-point stretch early in the second half — kept the Hogs within striking distance.  The Razorbacks only trailed by seven points with seven minutes to play.

Devonta Abron was just as impressive inside.  Battling 6-9 Alex Oriakhi most of the game, Abron didn’t flinch, grabbing 16 rebounds and scoring eight points.  Abron was active the entire game, playing a team-high 34 minutes.  “I’m proud of Devonta for pushing and banging in there,” Anderson said.  “It was really showing the future of that young man.”

Hunter Mickelson and Rashad Madden each had four points, and combined for nine rebounds.  Madden is still a bit wild at times, but has good skills and with a little more toughness, will be a solid player.  Mickelson, for a big man, can really run the floor, as evidenced by his fast break dunk Saturday.

How nice is it to see good movement and spacing on offense again?  Anderson has the Hogs making that extra pass and sharing the basketball — a refreshing departure from the last several seasons.  Their 15.7 assists per game are currently ranked third in the SEC.

Stepping out of the “rent-a-win” non-conference season was a good thing for this team.  While they didn’t come home with a win, they competed to win.  And for fans, that is a step in the right direction.

To quote the great Norman Dale, “We are learning who we are, and what we can be.”  So far, we like what we see.

While many will call Arkansas a pretender, we still think the Hogs are worthy of a top flight ranking.  There are two great teams in 2011, and any other team would have met the same fate as the Razorbacks if they too had played LSU and Alabama.

Virginia Tech impressed us this week with their 38-0 shutout of Virginia.  The Cavs were fresh off a 14-13 win at Florida State, and were fighting to get to the ACC Championship Game.  The Hokies and Clemson should be a fun one on Saturday.

Other than the top two teams, no one is playing better football than USC down the stretch.  The Trojans followed up their upset win at Oregon with a 50-0 thrashing of their cross town rival UCLA in their season finale.  The Bruins at 6-6 will represent the South in the Pac-12 Championship Game on Friday.  If QB Matt Barkley decides to return for his senior year, USC could be a Top 5 team in 2012.

You can see the complete BlogPoll over at SBNation.com. Here’s our weekly RBN ballot:

The Good

• Well…a lot of things can be said about Friday’s performance, but one thing is for sure — the Hogs were ready out of the gate.  Their 14-0 start, given the emotional week after losing teammate Garrett Uekman last Sunday, was a testament to the coaches and their preparation.
• Senior free safety Tramain Thomas did everything he could to aid the Razorbacks cause.  Thomas was directly responsible for both turnovers (forced fumble, interception).  And his 14 total tackles, many after LSU backs were found running wild into the secondary, led the team.
• Honorable Mention:  Dylan Breeding started the game with two monster punts that put LSU inside their 10-yard line.  Breeding’s first punt, a 70-yard effort, was the longest of his career.

The Bad

• The two things we were most worried about — protecting the quarterback and stopping the LSU running game — turned out to be the difference in the game.  The Tigers had Tyler Wilson running for his life, sacking him five times.  Meanwhile, Willy Robinson’s defense allowed LSU to roll up 286 rushing yards on 46 carries (6.2 yards per carry).  Tough to watch.
• Cobi Hamilton’s third quarter 60-yard run after catch had the Hogs on the verge of tying the game at 21.  But the drive stalled on second and goal when quarterback Brandon Mitchell was inserted to run his goal-line package.  A low shotgun snap resulted in a loss of 6 yards, and after a Wilson incompletion, the Hogs were forced to settle for a Zach Hocker 29-yard field goal.
• Honorable Mention:  If we hear the words “Honey Badger” one more time….ugh.  Don’t get us started.

The Ugly

• Coach Petrino was visibly upset by LSU’s continued passing (up three scores) and final field goal that made it 41-17 with 5:08 remaining in the game.  CBS cameras caught Petrino pointing across to the LSU sideline while yelling obscenities.  While we know it was a long week, there is nobody to blame for the inability to stop LSU but the coaches and players who reside on the Arkansas sideline.

Of course, we can’t possibly mention everything that was “Good, Bad and Ugly.”  What did we leave out?

No fewer than a half dozen things had to fall right over the last two weeks to get here – and wouldn’t you know it – here we sit at #3.

Friday night the good carma started with Oklahoma State, uncharateristicly turning the ball over five times in their 37-31 double-overtime loss at Iowa State.

Then Saturday night, leading 38-14, USC‘s lead over Oregon seemed insurmountable.  The Ducks rallied, but fell short as Alejandro Maldonado’s 37-yard field goal sailed wide left as time expired.  Lane Kiffin…all is forgiven my son.  “Choke-lahoma” followed suit, as Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III was unstoppable, tossing a 34-yard TD with :08 seconds left to beat the Sooners 45-38.  Amazing.

Our team of the week is Virginia Tech.  Riding running back David Wilson for all he’s worth, the Hokies have now won six straight games after their 24-21 win over North Carolina.  Their Saturday showdown with Virginia will decide the ACC Coastal Champion.

You can see the complete BlogPoll over at SBNation.com. Here’s our weekly RBN ballot:

Two weeks ago when the Hogs were ranked #8, about a half dozen things needed to happen for Arkansas to have a legitimate path to the National Championship game.  With losses by Stanford and Clemson two weeks ago, and Oklahoma State, Oregon and Oklahoma this past weekend, the road to New Orleans is within reach.

There’s only one way to New Orleans though, and that’s through Baton Rouge.

The Razorbacks are playing their best football of the season at the right time, scoring 40+ points in three straight SEC games for the first time ever.  Their methodical 44-17 victory over Mississippi State, in which the Hogs held the Bulldogs to only 211 total yards, was a complete team effort.

Meanwhile, the Tigers were wasting their time thrashing Ole Miss 52-3.  The game proved to be one of the more lopsided SEC games we have ever seen, as evidenced by LSU mercifully taking a knee with five minutes remaining, rather than score another touchdown.  As for the Rebels, well let’s just say they packed it in long ago.

The win gave LSU a 12-game winning streak — its longest since winning 13 consecutive games during the 2006-07 seasons.  Head coach Les Miles (73-17, 7th year) has the Tigers 11-0 for the first time since 1958 and for only the second time in school history.

It all starts on the defensive side for the Tigers, who rank second nationally in total defense (247.9 yards per game).  LSU is loaded with playmakers, the best being cornerback Tyrann Mathieu (58 total tackles, 4 FF, 3 FR, 2 Ints), who doubles as a dangerous punt return man.

Up front, a pair of sophomore bookend defensive ends Sam Montgomery (10 TFL) and Barkevious Mingo (10.5 TFL) have combined for 12 sacks.  Senior linebackers Ryan Baker and Stefoin Francois are multi-year starters.

In addition to Mathieu, the Tigers secondary is solid.  Junior All-SEC cornerback Morris Claiborne leads the team in interceptions with four.  Senior strong safety Brandon Taylor leads the Tigers in tackles (61).

If the Tigers have struggled, it has been on offense.  Ranked 75th nationally (377.1 YPG), LSU has basically just tried not to lose games for its defense.  They are tops in the country in turnover margin (+1.64 per game) in large part because the offense has only turned it over six times all season.

Running back Spencer Ware (650 yards, 7 TDs) and wide receiver Rueben Randle (755 yards, 8 TDs) are their best weapons.  Early season starting quarterback Jarrett Lee has given way recently to three-year starter Jordan Jefferson (446 yards, 4 TDs).

As good as the Hogs are on offense, they are facing an uphill battle going against this defense.  Big and fast, only two teams (Oregon, West Virginia) have scored more than one touchdown against the Tigers this season.  How much have the Hogs improved since playing a similar defense in Alabama?

That said, the one true passing team that LSU has faced this year — West Virginia — rolled up 463 passing yards in a week 4 shootout.  The Tigers won that game 47-21.

If the Hogs are going to make this a game, they’ll have to stop what the Tigers want to do on offense and that is run the football.  LSU doesn’t want to put it in the hands of Jefferson or Lee.  On offense, a 100+ yard rushing effort could be enough balance to keep the Tigers honest.

The extended forecast for Baton Rouge calls for mostly cloudy skies and mid-70s for the high Friday.  LSU opened as a 12-point favorite.

Stanford‘s loss to Oregon wasn’t all that surprising, but the final margin of victory…53-30…was.  The Ducks team speed was just too much for the Cardinal, as Head Coach Chip Kelly has ‘Nike U’ playing as well as anyone in the country right now.

It is a good week for all you Boise State haters , as TCU hands the Broncos their first loss.  The gutsy, successful two-point conversion, combined with another ‘wide right’ field goal ends the perfect season on the Blue Turf.  We drop the Broncos accordingly.

Georgia is our Week 12 team of the week.  After dropping their first two games of the year (Boise St., South Carolina), HC Mark Richt and the Bulldogs have reeled off 8 straight wins.  We knew going into the season that the Dawgs schedule was more managable than any other SEC East team, and that is helping to fuel this late season surge.  Georgia will clinch a spot in the SEC Championship game with a win Saturday against hapless Kentucky.

You can see the complete BlogPoll over at SBNation.com. Here’s our weekly RBN ballot:

Just like last year, it appears that the Hogs are hitting their stride down the stretch.  Back-to-back quality outings against South Carolina and Tennessee have eased the fan furor after two near losses to Ole Miss and Vanderbilt.

Improvement in the running game has really balanced what was already a high octane offense.  The Hogs have averaged 195 rushing yards in the last two games.

The return of Tenarius Wright (forearm) along with Jake Bequette’s ever-improving hamstring has provided the defense with a shot in the arm.  The Hogs look fast off the edge once again, and they’re getting good pressure on the quarterback without relying totally on the blitz.

On special teams, two kick returns for touchdowns in the last two weeks have really contributed as well.  We’re sure Derek Dooley’s going to be a good coach in time.  But he’s still learning…as evidenced by his decision to kick to Joe Adams.  Note to self…don’t kick it to number 3.

After a tremendous 9-4 campaign a year ago that included a 52-14 Gator Bowl victory over Michigan, the Bulldogs have fallen back a bit in 2011.  This week they are coming off a 24-7 loss to Alabama, a game in which they only gained 131 total yards.

Head Coach Dan Mullen (19-16, 3rd year), like all the rest of us, got his fill of the Tide.

“I’ve got to give them credit.  They’re obviously one of the top two teams in the country…I love the way our kids played,” Mullen said.  “They played hard, physical — they always do.  They’re not going to back down.”

For the last couple of weeks, the Bulldogs have been rotating their quarterbacks.  Senior Chris Relf (1,013 passing yards, 7 TDs), who was the starter at the beginning of the season, has given way primarily to sophomore Tyler Russell (979 passing yards, 8 TDs).  Given the Hogs inability in recent seasons to defend running quarterbacks, though, look for Relf to have some sort of package this week.

Senior running back Vick Ballard looks like he’s heading for a 1,000+ yard season.  Ballard (811 yards in 2011) only has 7 touchdowns this year, though, after scoring a staggering 19 a year ago.  No Bulldog receiver averages more than 39 yards receiving per game.  Junior Chad Bumphis (337 yards, 3 TDs) is probably the best of the bunch.

On defense, State has been inconsistant after losing 2010 defensive coordinator Manny Diaz to Texas.  While MSU finds itself a respectable 40th nationally in total defense this year, they are giving up 167.4 yards per game on the ground (69th nationally).  The secondary is their strength, with junior cornerback Johnthan Banks (5 Ints) and safety Nickoe Whitley (4 Ints) leading the way.

On special teams, the kicker situation is unsettled at best.  Derek DePasquale (9-15 field goals in 2011) started well this season but has faltered of late, only making one of his last seven field goal attempts.  Backup kicker Brian Egan got a shot against Alabama, but missed his only attempt.

The Bulldogs need one more win to become bowl eligible, and will likely get that win in their last regular season game against Ole Miss.  Given that Dan Mullen is 2-11 against SEC Western division teams — with the two wins coming against Ole Miss — we’re sure he’d like nothing better than to knock off the high flying Hogs on national TV.

We doubt though the Little Rock crowd will let the Hogs have a lapse, which should set up for a fun Friday after Thanksgiving down in Baton Rouge.  The Hogs are favored over the Bulldogs by 13.

While sluggish starts have plagued the Razorbacks the last three games, their second half flurries have allowed them to dodge all three bullets.  The Hogs have outscored those opponents 64-10 in the second half, and caused a lot of angst among the faithful along the way.  How long can this trend continue?

Meanwhile Vanderbilt, led by first year head coach James Franklin, was enjoying their fourth win of the season, a 44-21 thumping of Army.  The Commodores rolled up 530 yards of total offense, as they held Army — the nation’s top rushing team — to just 270 yards on the ground.

The catalyst for Vandy’s recent surge seems to be tied to their new starting quarterback, Jordan Rodgers.  Up until recently, the redshirt junior had been known only for his famous brother — Green Bay Packers starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

That changed a few weeks ago, when Rodgers nearly orchestrated a miracle finish against Georgia, a game the Bulldogs held on to win 33-28.  Despite only completing just 43.6 percent of his passes (34-for-78, 422 passing yards), Rodgers has made plays and kept drives alive with his legs.  He has 216 rushing yards on the season, third most on the team.

“He’s done a great job these last two weeks.  He brings that versatility of throwing and running the ball.  He’s going to keep on getting better and we’re just going to build on that.” — Vanderbilt running back Zac Stacy

While Rodgers has shown flashes, the Commodore running game has been the backbone of this offense.  Junior Zac Stacy (579 yards, 5 TDs) and true freshman Jerron Seymour (315 total yards, 4 TDs) have been excellent.  Freshman wide receiver Chris Boyd (18.2 yards per catch, 4 TDs) has emerged as a big play threat.  Like his brother, Rodgers will take his share of shots down the field.

On defense, though, is where Franklin and Vanderbilt have really made strides.  The Commodores currently rank 23rd nationally in total defense (323.9 yards) — a huge improvement from 2010 (92nd nationally, 419.3 yards per game).

Senior middle linebacker Chris Marve (57 tackles, 5.5 TFL), senior cornerback Casey Heyward (28 tackles, 5 interceptions) and senior safety Sean Richardson (30 tackles) are All-SEC performers.

For Hog fans expecting the typical steamroller win over a hapless Vanderbilt team, think again.  The Hogs open as only a 10 1/2 point favorite.  James Franklin has them believing, and with a chance to make a bowl game for just the second time in the last 30 years, Vandy will be a tough out on the road.

The Commodores are 4-1 at home in 2011, and have absolutely nothing to lose versus the Razorbacks.  A dangerous combination.

The loss by the Sooners to Texas Tech not only broke their 39-game home winning streak, but delt a near death blow to their national championship hopes.  Meanwhile, Michigan State‘s answered ‘Hail Mary’ knocks the Badgers out of our top 10.

Our team of the week is Clemson. The Tigers just keep winning and winning big, and now find themselves at 8-0 for the first time since 2000.  The way junior QB Tajh Boyd is playing (2,379 PaYds, 24 TDs) the Tigers are likely to run the table until they get to the ACC Championship game and face either Virginia Tech or Georgia Tech.  Yabbo-Dab0-Do!

After stringing together some nice wins, two Big East teams – Syracuse and Cincinnati – find their way onto our ballot this week.  The Orange are fresh off a 49-23 drubbing of West Virginia, while the Bearcats are currently the only unbeaten team in conference play.

You can see the complete BlogPoll over at SBNation.com. Here’s our weekly RBN ballot:

While the Hogs were at home enjoying their newfound #9 BCS ranking, Houston Nutt (24-20, 4th year) and the Rebels were in the middle of an Alabama firestorm.  And like everyone else, they took their 52-7 whippin’ and would like to move on.

“It is hard to say this but there were things we did better.  Things like screens and draws looked good for a moment but they are so quick and so fast everything gets closed up in the blink of an eye.  They (Alabama) are a different level of team.” — Houston Nutt

The Alabama game completed a week of turmoil for the Black Bears as Nutt had to suspend four players, including star running back Brandon Bolden.  It’s pretty easy to suspend these guys against Alabama.  Look for all four to return this week against the Hogs.

The self-inflicted implosion of the Ole Miss program has been littered with suspensions and player dismissals this season.  The latest casualty is wide receiver Melvin Harris, who Nutt kicked off the team this week after a myriad of problems including a DUI arrest last November.

A few years removed from the NFL talent-laden roster Ed Orgeron had assembled, Nutt’s weak recruiting and what can best be described as a ‘junior high’ offense has the Rebels virtually last in every statistical category.

Randall Mackey, the third starting quarterback of the season, is trying to use his legs to give the Black Bears a little offense.  Mackey (433 passing yards, 2 TDs), who is completing just 47.1 percent of his passes, replaced Zack Stoudt after his five interception performance in a 30-7 loss to Vanderbilt.

The only spark on offense in 2011 has been the play of speedster running back Jeff Scott (361 yards, 6 TDs, 4.8 yards per carry), who doubles as a dangerous punt return man.  Wide receivers Ja-Mes Logan (229 yards) and Donte Moncrief (207 yards, 2 TDs) are good, but with no offensive system that can get them the ball on a regular basis, the pair are virtual non-factors.

On defense, Ole Miss was further decimated by the loss of starting senior cornerback Marcus Temple (28 tackles, 2 INTs) and senior defensive end Wayne Dorsey (22 tackles, 3 sacks) to injury in the Alabama loss.  Temple sustained a broken ankle, and Dorsey a broken arm.

Sophomore linebacker Mike Marry (55 tackles, 4.5 TFL) and cornerback Charles Sawyer (4 INTs) anchor a defense that ranks last or next to last in the SEC in total yards, rushing yards, and scoring defense.  Hotty toddy, gosh almighty!!!

So with all this negativity swirling around the team, are the Rebels doing anything right you ask?  You bet…junior punter Tyler Campbell, from Little Rock Catholic, is averaging a stellar 45.4 yards per punt with a long of 73.  Those numbers are good enough to land Campbell 10th nationally just ahead of Dylan Breeding (44.9 – 12th nationally).

The best stat of all, though, is the Rebels have lost nine straight SEC games.  If they lose their tenth in a row to the Hogs Saturday, that will be the first time that has happened in the history of the Ole Miss football program.

“There is a light at the end of the tunnel.  I really do.  I know it’s not a train coming because of the guys that are playing, especially the amount of young players that are playing.  So, to me, about hanging on, the stick-to-it-ness, the never-give-up attitude, the perseverance, all those things.  All those lessons, to me, (are) what football’s about. Everybody keep believing.” — Houston Nutt press conference - 10/17/11

Just keep on “believing” coach…the SEC just wouldn’t be the same without you.

The Hogs are favored by 17.

All three fed off of teams with weak or inexperienced quarterbacks.  The Sooners exposed Texas as a fraud, while LSU and their vaunted defense made Florida‘s youngsters look inept.

Our team of the week is Michigan.  The Wolverines erased a 10-point halftime deficit to drop Northwestern 42-24.  Head Coach Brady Hoke has really brought back a element of toughness to this Michigan team.  They are running the football and playing solid defense.  While they are still  building talent – trying to recover from the Rich Rodriguez years - they are playing hard-nosed, Michigan Football again.

After a couple of nice wins at home against Baylor and Missouri and one on the road against Miami, Fla., we welcome Kansas State (5-0) to our ballot this week.  The Wildcats are playing solid defense and doing just enough on offense for Coach Snyder.

You can see the complete BlogPoll over at SBNation.com. Here’s our weekly RBN ballot:

We saw what we expected out of the top tier teams, as Alabama, LSU and Oklahoma all enjoyed comfortable wins.  Bama’s was the most impressive this week as The Tide hold Florida to 222 total yards.

Our team of the week this week is Clemson.  The Tigers vault into our Top 10 after finishing off their third straight ranked opponent – this time dropping Virginia Tech 23-3.  The ACC Atlantic Division seems to be theirs for the taking.

Texas, Illinois and Michigan all stayed in the ranks of the unbeaten, as did Georgia Tech (5-0) which finds its way onto our ballot for the first time.  Auburn‘s upset win over South Carolina nets them a spot as well, as they make plans to visit Fayetteville Saturday.

You can see the complete BlogPoll over at SBNation.com. Here’s our weekly RBN ballot: