iamjethro

The reason that I can see is this: Do you lock up the people that watch those top 40 teams (a huge number for sure), or do you figure a way to game the sytem where you get those teams viewers, plus everyone else whose numbers help your viewing public. Even a Wake Forest fan will watch a game if a team they play againts often (maybe considered a rival) is playing. If even just to hope to see them lose. If you take away those college connections, you take away some casual viewers or fans of other teams because it does not involve them in that world anymore.

But is that not what you have said you want forever? A schedule that has names that matter, especially with half of those visiting your stadium? There is no way to make completely equal schedules in the SEC, but actually, the office did a good enough job that no one that year can say they have a schedule leagues harder or leagues easier than any other team. IT looks on paper like a really good year before injuries, etc. that every week will have a lot slugfests.

Well, just meant as of really recent history, Oregon is the most optic catching name. Icing. Who knows after Knight if they are unveiled as just a lot of spun sugar, though?

PAC 12 teams joining the Big12 immediately become more exciting to casual fans and the media, just due to the time changes in their games. At least initially. It would be up to them to maintain the interest. The luckiest group is the 4 who already signed up. Those schools still do not conjure up the "importance" of the schools leaving a P5 conference, even if they have fielded more competitive teams for a good while. The 8 remaining + the 4 corner schools + the 4 step ups, make a group that could put fun, competitive teams out in the 3 major sports, The Norhtwest schools deciding to tag along would be like adding rich icing on top of a good cake.

I had always heard it as Royal and Broyles were keen on the move and A&M was ready to go also. The SWC was fading in power and viability. The SEC would also look to the east. But, due to the issues that came up with the Texas schools getting free and FSU wanting no part of the SEC schedule, independent South Carolina was eager to take the 12th slot making the SEC eligible for a championship game.

Yeah, I was watching and cracked up. But I love that he just hops up and is like "i 'm ok. I meant to do that."

From the Arkansas side, and being ofa "more mature age", I wish the young ones had not stormed the field. Yes, rivals, but expect to win. Better image. I can understand a bit of it, though. A lot of it is Texas hatred. I came here and commented in the realignment thread that I was glad the series would be renewed. I remember SWC days clearly. Welcome in Texas, get bent. Second, and probably most importantly, it says more about where we have been and our concerns with us than it "being Texas". We have the self-inflicted wounds from the last few coaching hires that have devastated the fan base. I posted before about how this is a dismantled a feeling as I could imagine, short of the SMU death penalty. Beating a ranked team for this coach (Pittman is widely loved and respected just for the attitude and the quiet passion he shows to the Razorback) is huge. It gives us the feeling that we are progressing and there is light ahead. 3rd, I a certainly did not want to be the first SEC team to lose to you on your way into the conference. That would just be one more brick n the wall. It would be must more fitting for you to get A and M as the kickoff game in your first year in and beat them...

Responding to why Hogs win: I don't have any "reason". I think it is possible, because although Texas has higher recruiting rankings and is much higher ranked this year, it doesn't always just go that way. Arkansas is better than they have been in some time. i am not sure that, outside the SMU death penalty, anything has hurt a program quite as deeply as the "Smile" year, the fall of Beliema and the Morris years did. The emotional health of the Razorbacks was completely gutted. Pittman has started the rebuild with attitude and pride. AND IT ABSOLUTELYHAD TO START THERE. Pittman grew up a Hog fan and can understand the old ARK/TEX dynamic. I do not know if any player on either team can do that. So, personal opinion, Arkansas may be out talented but they will not quit. If Texas cannot distance themselves from us and it goes late with a close score, the Hogs will have a slugger's chance. And this board will either be complaining that they are not what the first week suggested and the world is ending (hey, it is what forums do) or complaining that a lesser team beat them and looking to find excuses. Barring an Auburn ending from last year, if the Hogs lose I will say that we are not there yet, but light years ahead of 2 years ago and this is a mid-term grade in a rebuild to see how well we are progressing. If we win, I am hoping at least a few of the people here will acknowledge we are just found a way to outplay you and make a win happen.

UCLA cheerleaders today remind us that they, along with Oregon cheerleaders and USC Song Girls, demand that some aspects of the PAC must survive re-alignment.

I would have to think that realistically, baseball is where Texas can be immediately in the mix. It seems baseball can spin on a year's notice anyway, and Texas already has a good team. But, as said above, almost all of the teams in the SEC can brag on baseball teams. It is the best of the best. Basketball may show success early as quick turnaround teams with portal, etc. Beard is a good coach, but SEC is underrated most years. The Big12-SEC challenge should show it is solid without the fanfare other leagues get. We have been seen as an "athletic" league. But look at Kentucky on most years, Arkansas (who beat Beard in the tourney this year), LSU with their talent, Alabama if they can sustain what they did this year, Florida usually, and a few others, it is not necessarily a given for Texas to come in an be great immediately. Football. I believe Texas will be ok, at least eventually, but will need to shore up recruiting on offensive and defensive lines. However, you hired a coach who has seen what the program needs to be built for sec success. Just depends on if he can do what he knows needs to be done.

Mr. Kevin, if your male appendage is actually swollen and of a burnt orange pigment in coloration, I would offer for your own health you should seek a physician's opinion of treatment.

How about "So? "

See, even most Razorbacks don't get mad at that. Colleges are supposed to be fun and poke a little at each other. Sad to say, but in today's world a lot of that is lost. Too many hurt feelings and too much money to guard.

Don't think so. That is what contributes to SEC stability. All paid the same from the get go and you do not have exit fees if you want to leave. Just say I am gone and everyone would wave goodbye. But I would ask Georgia Tech before I ever left. Getting voted back in seems to be a little difficult. Nebraska, Maryland, etc. faced less pay entering the B1G.

I think (which means nothing People on forums do not make league policy.), SEC will have to go to 9 games to work some kind of seeing non-divison teams more than once in a lifetime. so 3 non-conference games is a safe working point for now. It seems a little silly to have teams you never see if it would stay at 8. RE: Recruiting for AandM specifically being hurt. When Mizz and AandM came in, it specifically hurt Arkansas in recruiting. We were the closest team for many kids in Texas that wanted to play in the SEC. People on message boards griped a bit, but officially and for public consumption, Arkansas said "Come on in, guys.". This move COULD bring recruiting back to where it was before. Slight benefit for Razorback, slight hit for AandM.

The schedule was better that year, but did you see the coaching we had that year? 😱 When North Texas, and Western Kentucky and and any other Sunbelt equivalent team can laugh at you from the rout they left, it is real bad.

Protection of power last year for sure. When it was decided SEC only schedule, a lot of people thought it would be your schedule for that year and then move in the next 2 scheduled to come on your schedule. But, in an almost comically obvious action, all of the sudden it was completely revamped and you would play your schedule plus whoever was "randomly" assigned as 2 extra games. So since Arkansas was expected to be painfully bad following Aggie Chads years, somehow we were awarded the top 2 teams from the East, Florida and Georgia. Missouri somehow got to see Alabama and LSU. Didn't work out as well the offices hoped, we were a fair bit better and didn't look like keystone cops, even though we were not gonna take down Bama, Gators and Georgia. But most people who rank schedules said we had the toughest and will have the toughest this year also. Most years our schedule is ranked among the toughest. It is part of the reason (see also Aggie Chad above) that we have looked so inept on field in the last few years.

Did you see the schedule they stuck us with last year? We are used to good teams in successive weeks.

Indeed and, embarrassingly, he owns lifetime scoreboard on you. It was just poking Troph. It is ok though, we have embarrassing things to live down, also.

Bret Bielema says hi. Glad to have this kind of board fun back in my life. It is like professional wrestling promos. Like I said, in case some of your members are not actual UT people but folks who take everything literally and think you have to pull a knife if a person asks if their off-orange shirt was bought from a street corner hawker, Respect and dislike (and board messages) can co-exist. And by the way, that Texas team was stout.

We know we won't get kids you want. We know, unless it is a rare exception, we won't get kids OU wants. But now, with both of you in our conference and raised visibility in your state, kids still good enough to add real value we have better chances to get over TT, Baylor, TCU, etc. if they don't have the same conference appeal and especially if they wind up in AAC or MWC type leagues.

I prefer to look at the overall last few times we played.

Arkansas did not like you, and you bloodied our noses more than we did yours, but we didn't back down from you and we got our licks in on occasion. Respect and dislike can co-exist.

42-11 in 1981 might be the fav or our series that I witnessed live. 😜

Indeed, it has. The news about y'all coming, and the melt on SECRant by Aggies has been something.