Saturday Is Perfect Chance for Arkansas and Bret Bielema to Get First SEC Win

"The waiting is the hardest part."

They didn't know it at the time, but Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' classic 1981 song could be specifically used to describe the Arkansas football program.

Arkansas is winless in the SEC this year (0-5), lost all eight of its conference contests last season—head coach Bret Bielema's first in Fayetteville—and lost four straight SEC games to close out former head coach John L. Smith's one and only campaign in 2012.

Arkansas' 49-7 win over Kentucky on Oct. 13, 2012 was the last time the Hogs were victorious in conference play, and as Aaron Torres of FoxSports.com notes, quite a bit has happened since then, including Tim Tebow playing for two NFL teams.

Bielema knows that this week's game against LSU in Fayetteville is the perfect chance for his Hogs to get off the schneid.

"We're owning a streak here of losses that unfortunately is long," Bielema said on Wednesday's teleconference. "The part for me that's really been fun is that we are right there knocking on the door. We're going to break through it. I don't know if it's going to be this weekend, or next, or the week after, or when it's going to be."

Saturday's matchup with the Tigers is the perfect time for Bielema's crew to break through that glass ceiling.

Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press

The Hogs are fresh off a bye week after taking No. 1 Mississippi State to the edge of disaster two weeks ago in a 17-10 loss. In that game, Razorback Brandon Allen was picked off by Will Redmond in the end zone with 15 seconds to play. It was Arkansas' third SEC loss this season that was decided by one score or less—all of which have come against ranked opponents (No. 24 Texas A&M, No. 5 Alabama and No. 1 Mississippi State).

Bielema and his staff have turned those heartbreaking losses into positives. 

"Sometimes your greatest blessings come in the disguise of failure," he said.

His Hogs are catching LSU at the right time.

The Tigers are fresh off a heartbreaking defeat of their own—a 20-13 loss to visiting Alabama last Saturday night in Death Valley. Quarterback Anthony Jennings hasn't completed more than 50 percent of his passes in any game since Sept. 13 when he completed 61.1 percent (11-of-18) in a 31-0 win over Louisiana-Monroe. The running back depth LSU has enjoyed all season has taken a hit this week, with senior Kenny Hilliard's status uncertain for the showdown in Fayetteville.

"Kenny got a little practice time today," Miles told Gannett Louisiana's Glenn Guilbeau after practice on Wednesday. "But I'm not certain he's slated for duty. He's day to day."

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With forecast calling for snow on Saturday night, the combination of a "Bama hangover" for LSU and an inconsistent offense have LSU ripe for the picking.

Arkansas is fresh, at home, has the heaviest offensive line in college football and also has a "weatherproof" offense that will lean on the Tigers defense.

"Offensively, one of the reasons we go with this kind of offense is that it can play in all weather," Bielema said on Wednesday's teleconference. "It can play dry in 100-plus degrees and can play wet in freezing temperatures."

The folks in Las Vegas seem to like the Hogs. Arkansas opened as a 1.5-point favorite over the 17th-ranked Tigers and have since moved up to two-point favorites, according to OddsShark.com. Those hotels weren't built by making bad lines.

Vegas knows Arkansas is on the brink of breaking through and LSU is vulnerable. The Hogs will do so in a big way in chilly Fayetteville on Saturday night.

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.