My boss wrote a good column a couple of weeks ago. It ranked the games on Arkansas’ 2008 football schedule in terms of importance.

Here’s hoping he believes imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, because I’m basically ripping off his idea. This list comes with a twist, though, not ranking the Razorbacks’ coming games in terms of which is the most important, but which is the most interesting.

Here we go, in reverse order:

12. Louisiana-Monroe. Even though this will be Coach Bobby Petrino’s debut at War Memorial Stadium, this game is sandwiched between the season-opener against Western Illinois and the first road game of the season, at a place called Texas. And let’s face it, if the Louisiana-Monroe game is competitive, it’s going to be a long season.

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11. Kentucky. Sure, it’s an SEC game, and this looks like one of Arkansas ’ more winnable conference games on paper right now. But getting geeked up for Kentucky should always be saved for basketball season.

10. Western Illinois. If it wasn’t the first game of the Petrino era, this game might be the least interesting of all. Instead, the Leathernecks (Had to Google that. ) will get a Reynolds Razorback Stadium crowd at fever pitch.

9. Mississippi State. The next-tolast game of the regular season, this game could have bowl implications. With apologies to my State friend, Reid, though, this could be just another trip to the most boring town in the SEC.

8. LSU. A lot of people will probably disagree with this choice, and considering it’s the last game of the regular season, who knows what could be on the line ?

Historically, though, this matchup has been a dud. Only five of the 16 times the two teams have met as SEC members has the final margin been less than 10 points. Plus, given the fact the last two meetings have been epics, we might be due for a snoozer.

7. South Carolina. Petrino takes the Hogs on the road for a date with Steve Spurrier and Co. Petrino and Spurrier ? Hmm, there might not be a running play all day.

6. Auburn. Again, the coaching matchup might be more intriguing than what actually happens on the field. This will be Petrino’s return to Auburn, where he coached for — and according to some, almost succeeded — Tigers Coach Tommy Tuberville. Both say those happenings are old news, but something tells me this won’t be a warm, fuzzy reunion.

5. Florida. Arkansas will be coming off a bye week for its second SEC game of the season, and staring at back-to-back road trips the next two weeks. Tim Tebow will be leading the Gators, of course, and the biggest suspense might be whether ESPN has already awarded him another Heisman Trophy yet.

4. Tulsa. Former Arkansas offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn returns to Reynolds Razorback Stadium, and there’s no doubt he’ll be calling the plays this time. It doesn’t seem much of a stretch to think this game could turn into a shootout, especially considering it comes a week after Arkansas hosts another former coach and a week before the Hogs start the stretch run.

3. Texas. Arkansas figures to have two victories under its belt when it travels to Austin, but this no doubt will be the Razorbacks’ first true test under Petrino. This game might give Arkansas fans their first glimpse of whether the Hogs can hang with the big boys this season.

2. Alabama. Regardless of what Arkansas does at Texas the week before, what it does against Alabama should set the tone for the rest of the season. That’s pretty much the way it’s been in the past, and there’s no reason to think that will change now. This one is so interesting, in other words, because it’s so important.

1. Ole Miss. Picking this game as Arkansas’ most interesting is like choosing to go on a date with either Ellen or Gisele. Seriously, can you imagine the scene when you-know-who gives that little fist pump and hop before leading the Rebels onto the field ? To borrow a word from those credit-card commercials, priceless.

Anyway, that’s the way I see the season. The good news is we’ve only got 54 more days to sweat through until we get it started.