Arkansas Football: What a Win Over Alabama Would Mean For Ryan Mallett

In their first SEC game of the season, top-ranked Alabama has to make a difficult road trip to Fayetteville  to face No. 10 Arkansas, one of this season's big surprises thus far.

A win over the Alabama Crimson Tide would mean more for Arkansas Razorbacks QB Ryan Mallett than for anyone else.

Already projected as a top five pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, Mallett has dramatically improved since last year, when he put up 3,627 yards and 30 touchdowns in his first season with coach Bobby Petrino at Arkansas.

Through three games, Mallett is the only QB in the country to hit 1,000 yards. In each of his three starts—including a huge comeback win at Georgia last Saturday—he has thrown for more than 300 yards and made three touchdown passes.

Where Mallett has improved most this season is his accuracy, which is at 70% on the season, up from 55.8% from a year ago.

Last year in Tuscaloosa, Mallett had a dismal performance. He went 12-35 for 160 yards, and had one touchdown and one interception, in a 35-7 loss. But things are different this time around, with the Razorbacks being at home, and Mallett having become a better player.

Mallett may be the best pure passer in the country, but flashy performances by Michigan's Denard Robinson and Ohio State's Terrelle Pryor have kept him from getting as much Heisman Trophy hype.

But a big win and a strong performance against the top team in the country could make him the favorite to win the Heisman. He would be the first Razorback in history to do so.

In addition, a win over the Crimson Tide on Saturday could make Mallett the favorite to be the top pick in the 2011 NFL Draft—especially after University of Washington QB Jake Locker's lackluster efforts this season. Locker looked terrible against Nebraska, and has only a 51.1% completion percentage in 2010 for the 1-2 Huskies.

If you judge draft status on the success of a player's final season in college, Mallett is off to a great start.

But Mallett plays in the SEC, the conference with some of the toughest defenses in the country. This game will be the first true test for Alabama's revamped defense, which lost nine starters from the championship team of a year ago.

Mallett will need to be at his best and play a nearly perfect game to help Arkansas pull off the big upset at home. But if the Razorbacks' offensive line can protect Mallett, and the defense finds a way to contain Alabama's running attack, they have a very good chance to pull out the win.

And if the Razorbacks win the game, Ryan Mallett's career will never be the same.

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