Finally game time for eager Hogs

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -For months, the Arkansas Razorbacks have embraced the expectations that they will make a run at their first Southeastern Conference championship.

The 17th-ranked Hogs will finally get started. The open the season Saturday against Tennessee Tech.

Arkansas is led by quarterback Ryan Mallett, a fashionable choice in the early Heisman Trophy discussion. The team hasn't been ranked this high in the preseason since 1990, when they still played in the Southwest Conference.

Arkansas went 8-5 last season, scoring 40 or more points seven times. Mallett finished with 30 touchdown passes and only seven interceptions.

The question mark is on defense, though Arkansas is expected to easily handle Tennessee Tech of the Ohio Valley Conference.