Who would of thunk it...

[Al Boarland]

We have a true rival............EVERY team in the SEC is our rival.

The other team has to feel like it's a rivalry.

[Inhogswetrust]

The other team has to feel like it's a rivalry.

My point is there is no NEED for any game to be a rivalry game.

[hogsanity]

My point is there is no NEED for any game to be a rivalry game.

EXACTLY!

[parallaxpig]

My point is there is no NEED for any game to be a rivalry game.

I think especially Arkansas needs a rival game cuz a win against your rival can make a season tolerable. The way it has gone the majority of the last 25 years we need something to make it tolerable. 

[hogsanity]

I think especially Arkansas needs a rival game cuz a win against your rival can make a season tolerable. The way it has gone the majority of the last 25 years we need something to make it tolerable. 

And by "we" you mean the fans, right? This kind of goes along with the thread about how excited are you about each game. Over the last 2 decades, football fans have increasingly become dissatisfied with all but the "big" games.

Apparently gone are the days when Hog ( or any other ) fans gathered around radios or tv's to listen to or watch their teams play against whoever the opponent was. No, now if it is not a "big" name or a "rivalry" the fans just can not get excited about the game. Thank goodness the players do not feel that way or they'd only care about maybe three games a season. 

Your description is also why Texas was never a rivalry. For Texas, their season could be made well or ruined depending on the outcome of the A&M game. If Texas won that, even in a bad season, they could ride that through the winter. However, if they beat the Hogs, but lost to A&M, the season was a failure.

[parallaxpig]

And by "we" you mean the fans, right? This kind of goes along with the thread about how excited are you about each game. Over the last 2 decades, football fans have increasingly become dissatisfied with all but the "big" games.

Apparently gone are the days when Hog ( or any other ) fans gathered around radios or tv's to listen to or watch their teams play against whoever the opponent was. No, now if it is not a "big" name or a "rivalry" the fans just can not get excited about the game. Thank goodness the players do not feel that way or they'd only care about maybe three games a season. 

Your description is also why Texas was never a rivalry. For Texas, their season could be made well or ruined depending on the outcome of the A&M game. If Texas won that, even in a bad season, they could ride that through the winter. However, if they beat the Hogs, but lost to A&M, the season was a failure.

Maybe your right and it's strictly a generational thing. The town I grew up in there were two high schools and we did not like each other in any sport. I grew up with Celtics/Lakers, Chiefs/Raiders etc.... I disagree on Texas statement. A&M is their biggest rivalry but they still don't like us.....

[hogsanity]

I disagree on Texas statement. A&M is their biggest rivalry but they still don't like us.....

Did not say they liked/did not like the Hogs. But the one team they had to beta every year was A&M.

Maybe your right and it's strictly a generational thing. The town I grew up in there were two high schools and we did not like each other in any sport.

My town as well, and the two schools used to hate each other. I am talking fights when they played, police presence, all that. Now, with school choice, that's gone too. 

[Deep Shoat]

People like rivalries because they are FUN. 

That should be reason enough to put away the contrarian act in this thread.

[hogsanity]

People like rivalries because they are FUN. 

That should be reason enough to put away the contrarian act in this thread.

So playing Bama/LSU/A&M/Aub/old misses/msu/tcu isn't fun?

[HillBillyHogfan]

So playing Bama/LSU/A&M/Aub/old misses/msu/tcu isn't fun?

More fun than playing Baylor, Houston, Texas Tech, SMU

[Deep Shoat]

So playing Bama/LSU/A&M/Aub/old misses/msu/tcu isn't fun?

Of course it is.  But that in no way negates the fun of a rivalry game.

[razortrack]

Fan interest and F.U.N.= winning

[Inhogswetrust]

I think especially Arkansas needs a rival game cuz a win against your rival can make a season tolerable. The way it has gone the majority of the last 25 years we need something to make it tolerable. 

What part of every opponent we play is a rival is so hard to understand.

[Deep Shoat]

What part of every opponent we play is a rival is so hard to understand.

Oh, I'm real. Real enough to defeat *you*! And I did it without your precious gifts, your oh-so-special powers. I'll give them heroics. I'll give them the most spectacular heroics anyone's ever seen! And when I'm old and I've had my fun, I'll sell my inventions so that everyone can be superheroes. *Everyone* can be super! And when everyone's super...

no one will be"

[Sivad]

We have a true rival............EVERY team in the SEC is our rival.

Thats the way it is in a conference of powerhouses - almost every game is a high stakes barnburner.

[MJ2]

Main reason we were added to the SEC was Frank.   Other than basketball and track at the time, we didn't bring much to the table when you think of population/television base, etc.

[GoHogs1091]

Texas A&M may be our only true current rival.

After all, they are the only team we play right now on a yearly basis that we played when we were in the Southwest Conference.

[parallaxpig]

Texas A&M may be our only true current rival.

After all, they are the only team we play right now on a yearly basis that we played when we were in the Southwest Conference.

If you use the strict definition of a rival stated on this thread, the only rival we could ever have in SEC  is South Carolina, Texas A&M and Missouri.  We never had a rival in SWC ....

[plumbhog]

Win the SEC a couple times and the rivalry games will create themselves.

[Hoggish1]

After 25 years in the SEC we still don't have a true rival. Thought it was gonna be Tenner but SEC office saw different. Then we had nice thing going with LSU, but Texas A&M already pulls more weight. So here we are with Misery, lets see how long this last..........

Let's see how long this lasts? ?? 

[Hoggish1]

After 25 years in the SEC we still don't have a true rival. Thought it was gonna be Tenner but SEC office saw different. Then we had nice thing going with LSU, but Texas A&M already pulls more weight. So here we are with Misery, lets see how long this last..........

Let's see how long this lasts? ?? 

Mizzou fans HAVE to have a rival since they lost one in Kansas. We are the better program historically. It's uncanny we haven't proved it on the field against them. It is still early in our history of playing them though. Lot's of time to even that deal out.

Not really.  Beat them this year and the series "rivalry" is tied 2-2.  To me they are a nothing and we should beat them every year.

[hogtrough]

Missouri has 5 wins to Arkansas 3 wins in the all-time series. That's all that really matters to me.

[Hogtimes]

Most rivalries nation wide are created by 2 teams that are nearly the same level and in the same state. Ie....Georgia/GT  Louisville/Kentucky. Ole Piss/ Miss St. Oregon/Oregon St. and so on.

Aren't you forgetting  Army-Navy,  Michigan-Ohio State, Oklahoma-Texas, Florida-Georgia,   Notre Dame-So. Cal,  just to name a few.

[Hogtimes]

I disagree. Whorn fans and players have always had more hate for OU and TAMU than us.

Correct ....I don't think horn fans and players  hated Arkansas at all.   Probably, because they  beat us.   

[Hugo Bezdek]

All I care about is going toe to toe with our peers. If we're worth a damn our game will have extra meaning. If we're not then it won't. Yeah the SEC is tougher. We're not eight-deep in Texas schools, and nearly every game has table stakes. I don't see any value in fretting over who our one true Rival is. They're all games worth getting excited about.

[theFlyingHog]

Aren't you forgetting  Army-Navy,  Michigan-Ohio State, Oklahoma-Texas, Florida-Georgia,   Notre Dame-So. Cal,  just to name a few.

He said "and so on". If you want to name every rivalry start your own thread

[hogsanity]

Aren't you forgetting  Army-Navy,  Michigan-Ohio State, Oklahoma-Texas, Florida-Georgia,   Notre Dame-So. Cal,  just to name a few.

Ok, so? These were all started decades ago, and many were either conference or border games or both. Then of course you have the service academies, and two of the most storied programs in college football in usc/nd.

Rivalries take years, decades, to develop. You dont just say " hey we need a rivalry so the fans can get jacked up about it since playing Bama/Aub/LSU/A&M/old misses/msu/tn/fla/ just does not do it for them " and you suddenly have a rivalry. Thats not how that works.

[Hoginsavga]

Win the SEC a couple times and the rivalry games will create themselves.

So are you saying forget having a rivalry?

[jgphillips3]

LSU was about to be a rivalry.  Then A&M screwed it all up.

[Hugo Bezdek]

LSU was about to be a rivalry.  Then A&M screwed it all up.

We still play them. Every year. Plenty of rivalries don't play on Thanksgiving.

[Youngsta71701]

Correct ....I don't think horn fans and players  hated Arkansas at all.   Probably, because they  beat us.

Look at the overall record between us and TCU and you will clearly see how many more times we've beaten TCU than they've beaten us so that can't be the reason. We pretty much dominated TCU when we were in the SWC. The conference title usually came down to Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma.

http://www.winsipedia.com/tcu/vs/arkansas

[Mike_e]

Most here don't seem to recall our games with ut.

They may not have thought of us as a rival but we sure thought so of them.  Sometimes it would take us a quarter to settle in, sometimes a half.  Sometimes we never did get settled and playing our game.  Did you notice how many more games they won than we did in the series?  How many of us remember some boneheaded mistake that cost us the game because some player or other was trying to make more out of a play?

Shoot, how many remember our coaches taking gambles that they would not ordinarily take?  1969 anybody?

I bring this up to say maybe it's best if we don't have a rivalry game.  Let's just beat em all and let them all gnash their teeth.

[hogsanity]

Definition of a RIVAL: noun 1. a person or thing competing with another for the same objective or for superiority in the same field of activity."he has no serious rival for the job" synonyms:   opponent, challenger, competitor, contender; More  verb 1. compete for superiority with; be or seem to be equal or comparable to.

Definition of a RIVALRY: competition for the same objective or for superiority in the same field.

So pretty much every game, and especially SEC games are rivalry games because both teams are competing for the same objective - TO WIN THE GAME.

[kp72204]

(Field of Dreams Voice) "If you win they will hate!" I say if we win the SEC championship (or compete there 3-4x) over the course of the next 10 years, we would not be referred to as a minor in a major!!!!!! Just win and if possible win big

[Hollywood870]

By "the days when we played for national championships" you mean "over 50 years ago"

Atwater drops interception 1988.