Bobby Petrino's ultimate goal: Make Arkansas fans remember the good times

When Bobby Petrino was fired by Arkansas in 2012, it was thought to be the sort of dismissal that could end a career. The embarrassment of the motorcycle accident and the secretly open relationship with a subordinate that he skirted university guidelines to hire would be too much for most coaches to come back from, at least to coach at a major program again.

But Petrino's ability to win football games has always made athletic directors overlook his questionable character. And now the 64-year-old has a second chance at the place that couldn't truly let him go.

Before the embarrassment, Petrino was a winner

Arkansas wants to be good at football all the time. The Razorbacks used to be very good at football. From the 1960s through the 80s, Arkansas was always in the conversation. Frank Broyles, Lou Holtz and Ken Hatfield had some squads. 

Then they became an afterthought through the 90s and most of the 2000s until Petrino arrived. He got Arkansas back in the conversation. At a time when the SEC was being run by Nick Saban and Urban Meyer, Petrino got the Razorbacks to the Sugar Bowl and Cotton Bowl in consecutive seasons. In 2011, Arkansas won 11 games and finished 5th in the final AP rankings. 

We know how it ended during that spring of 2012. The accident. The lies and the jokes that followed. But Arkansas fans never forgot the 34-17 record Petrino had in Fayetteville. They hoped Bret Bielema or Chad Morris or Sam Pittman could match that success, but they never did.

Is Petrino back for a long time or a good time?

With Pittman fired and Petrino elevated into an interim role, it remains to be seen whether Arkansas will think about Petrino as a full-time head coach or look around for another option. The Razorbacks' remaining schedule is brutal — they probably won't be favored in their final seven games this season. 

But that doesn't matter to Petrino. His career has officially come full circle. Any success he has during these final seven games will make Arkansas fans think about what could've been and Petrino hopes it will be enough for them to imagine what it could be once again.