Arkansas Look Dangerous After Finally Shaking Off Their September(t) Blues

There's a good chance that you didn't spend much of last November thinking about Arkansas football. The Razorbacks weren't in the College Football Playoff race, but this was certainly the best team you know nothing about.

After a slow start last year, Arkansas beat LSU and Ole Miss in consecutive weeks. The Razorbacks also had the most efficient offense in the country by the end of the season, according to Football Outsiders. This was a New Year's Six bowl-caliber team by the end of the season, if only it weren't for SeptemBERT.

What is SeptemBERT? It's the tendency for Arkansas teams coached by Bret Bielema—affectionately known as Bert by much of the internet—to come into the season woefully unprepared. It is the opposite of NovemBERT, in which Bielema and Arkansas wreck everyone.

In 2014, the Razorbacks lost to both Auburn and Texas A&M in SeptemBERT before straightening things out and making their first bowl game since Bielema arrived in Fayetteville. Last year was worse. Arkansas started the season 1-3, with losses to the likes of Toledo and Texas Tech, before going 7-2 the rest of the way, including the wins over LSU and Ole Miss in NovemBERT.

But this year, SeptemBERT hasn't come. It seemed likely, as the Razorbacks barely beat Louisiana Tech, 21-20. Surely, SeptemBERT would arrive in an even tougher test, at No. 15 TCU, right?

But instead of rearing its ugly head, SeptemBERT stayed away from Fort Worth. With a little bit of luck, including a blocked field goal at the end of regulation, Arkansas stunned the Horned Frogs in double overtime, 41-38, to move to 2-0 on the season. They'll be ranked next week, and with that in mind, it's time to start wondering whether Arkansas is a legitimate contender to make some noise in the SEC.

We know the Razorbacks get better as the season goes on, and projections look good for this year, with a new quarterback (Austin Allen) and a mostly-new backfield. Allen proved how good he can be in the win against TCU, throwing a beautiful touchdown pass in the first overtime and running through the entire TCU defense to win the game in double-OT.

The offense likely won't be as efficient as it was last year—that is, not No. 1 in the country good—but the SEC is far worse than last year. And for the first time since Bielema arrived in Fayetteville, the Razorbacks won't have dug themselves a major September hole.

NovemBERT is coming — it's coming with a talented quarterback, and underrated offense and a team that has seemingly avoided a terrible, SeptemBERT start. Be afraid, SEC. Be very afraid.