Talking to Some Non-Hogville Razorback Fans

[NaturalStateReb]

At a NYE party the other night, I was with several non-Hogville Razorback fans, and asked them whether they were ready to see Bielema go.  I figured the answer overall would probably be a "yes," but I was surprised to see that the consensus of the group was more like a "not quite yet."

The reasons that they gave didn't have anything to do with the buyout, which is what I expected to hear next.  They said that Bielema had taken over a huge mess and had quite a bit of staff and player turnover.  Recruiting at Arkansas was hard, so when the Hogs have a bust, it hurts more than it does for other West teams.  Their expectations were not to win the West, at least while Saban was around.  They thought winning 9 games was a very solid result, and Bielema hasn't been far from that.  Missouri and VT were disappointing, and left a bad taste, but every season involves wins you steal (like TCU) and losses you give away (MO and VT). 

I was a little surprised to hear the lack of passion for Bielema's exit, but it may show that overall upset in the fanbase just isn't widespread.  Disappointment, yes, but not ready to fly the banners.

[Wildhog]

I talk to plenty of people IRL that want him gone.  Don't think there's a consensus one way or the other.

[ricepig]

That's the general tone I hear from those who don't post or call in to a show like a rambling idiot. Now, no doubt the latitude for this to continue has shortened, but I don't hear too many foaming at the mouth to fire him.

[Biggus Piggus]

If you go to any football/basketball games at all - instead of hanging out online all the time - you quickly learn that the vast majority of people (real fans who buy tickets and attend games) don't even know Hogville exists. Compare the dead-certainty of the dark rangers around here vs. the public consensus, and they are a million miles apart.

The shame is that the extremists do not have to defend their wild views against the public consensus. They face much less opposition out here on the fringe of fandom.

[Boog41]

Any message board, with anonymous posters, is very much like a large gang. When things go wrong, it turns into a rioting gang. People in those rioting gangs will do things, say things, destroy things that they would never do by themselves and if they weren't blending in with a crowd. Unfortunately, that is hogville these day.

A vocal minority of anonymous posters make it sound like the entire fan base has turned. That simply is not the case. They are certainly disappointed though.

[Wildhog]

Most of the people I talk to IRL aren't very happy with the football program.  Now whether or not they want Bielema gone, I don't know.  But the overwhelming majority of opinions I hear about Hog football right now are negative.

[Dropkick]

T shirt fans won't decide if he goes or stays.

[Biggus Piggus]

T shirt fans won't decide if he goes or stays.

[TexasRazorback]

Also We DID NOT steal a win at TCU. We won that game. We tried to give it away and pulled through to win.

[Gonzo]

At a NYE party the other night, I was with several non-Hogville Razorback fans, and asked them whether they were ready to see Bielema go.  I figured the answer overall would probably be a "yes," but I was surprised to see that the consensus of the group was more like a "not quite yet."

The reasons that they gave didn't have anything to do with the buyout, which is what I expected to hear next.  They said that Bielema had taken over a huge mess and had quite a bit of staff and player turnover.  Recruiting at Arkansas was hard, so when the Hogs have a bust, it hurts more than it does for other West teams.  Their expectations were not to win the West, at least while Saban was around.  They thought winning 9 games was a very solid result, and Bielema hasn't been far from that.  Missouri and VT were disappointing, and left a bad taste, but every season involves wins you steal (like TCU) and losses you give away (MO and VT). 

I was a little surprised to hear the lack of passion for Bielema's exit, but it may show that overall upset in the fanbase just isn't widespread.  Disappointment, yes, but not ready to fly the banners.

I don't think that's all that different from HV. Sure, there are some more boisterous voices that are ready for and calling for a change now, just as there are some boisterous voices that claim all is well at the same time. I suspect if one were to start a group conversation at the random diner/bar/office Christmas party, one would experience some of the very same voices, though perhaps a bit more polite than it is here often.

Most folks seem to be somewhere in the middle, maybe things are going ok but could be, and hopefully will be, better, or maybe things aren't quite what they should/could be but BB probably deserves a little more time before the jury is ready for final judgment.  Very similar to what you encountered.


Go Hogs!

[jgphillips3]

Heck, I don't want him fired this year.  I want coaching staff changes but not his head...yet.  I'm willing to give him next season to show improvement and just be ready to make a change when the time comes or enjoy winning if that comes instead.  If there is no substantial progress by the end of 2018, I want us to have "our guy" ready to take the job.  No knee jerk firings.  Let's be strategic and have a plan.  Now, if next year is a four win dumpster fire, well...cut our losses.

[East TN HAWG]

I think average Hogville members are more fanatic then the average fan.  They read more articles about the Hogs and the other SEC teams, so on average, Hogville posters are more informed than the average fan.

When a coach is entering murky waters, the average Hogville fan turns on them faster than the average fan.  This is the case with CBB.  You can see the movement starting here.  It will reach the average fan about a season later.  As much as I dislike HDN, he is right in saying CBB will be on the hot seat next year.   Next year is a big year for CBB.  If he doesn't win 9, he most likely will be looking for another job. 

[Hawgar The Horrible]

I know a few Hog fans in my area as well. Some are familiar with Hogville and let's just say their impressions are not good. When asked if I am a member the answer is always HAIL NO.

[code red]

If we start the season 2-2...I'd say the majority will be swayed.  I would say that the educated football fan/razorback fan would be able to see that there were fundamental flaws that resulted in losses this year.  Losses,  that should never happen in year 4.

[Dwillhog66]

I have a friend here in Houston that is a high school assistant coach. Whenever we see each other we always talk football. He's an Aggie so there is that but he's a lot more familiar with the football world than most I speak with. His school usually has 5-10 players recruited by colleges with 1-3 being recruited by D1 schools. Many coaches come to his school throughout the recruiting process and he's had the opportunity to spend time with many of them.
I've always taken the opportunity to talk with him about his opinion of the hog coaches he's met. His staff is very close with Clay Jennings and he said he felt it hurt the hogs when he left but they did get a chance to meet BB. He said his staff really likes BB and from conversations he had with other HS coaches they all seem to really like coach Beilema.
He has told me he believes BB will be more successful the longer he stays at Arkansas. He says the hogs are facing an uphill battle getting Houston kids to commit to the UA with all the competition they face but the longer he's there the better the odds will be that the hogs make some serious inroads.
His overall assessment of BB is he's a very solid coach whose in a very tough situation at the UA. He told me he's rooting for BB to succeed as are the other coaches on his staff because they like him a lot.

Just thought I would share what an outsider thinks of our coach.

[code red]

Also We DID NOT steal a win at TCU. We won that game. We tried to give it away and pulled through to win.

Funny TCU fans are saying we should have lost???  Either way we were an Eye lash away from being 4-7. 

[Torqued pork]

Mostly I just hear a lot of skepticism. The confidence level is very low, but there's not much chatter about firing him. His likability is brought up, but not as much as it was before. The Mizzou and VT wounds are still fresh.

[code red]

Mostly I just hear a lot of skepticism. The confidence level is very low, but there's not much chatter about firing him. His likability is brought up, but not as much as it was before.

That is a very valid point.  And really all that needs to be said at this point.  Time will tell.

[The OTR]

At a NYE party the other night, I was with several non-Hogville Razorback fans, and asked them whether they were ready to see Bielema go.  I figured the answer overall would probably be a "yes," but I was surprised to see that the consensus of the group was more like a "not quite yet."

The reasons that they gave didn't have anything to do with the buyout, which is what I expected to hear next.  They said that Bielema had taken over a huge mess and had quite a bit of staff and player turnover.  Recruiting at Arkansas was hard, so when the Hogs have a bust, it hurts more than it does for other West teams.  Their expectations were not to win the West, at least while Saban was around.  They thought winning 9 games was a very solid result, and Bielema hasn't been far from that.  Missouri and VT were disappointing, and left a bad taste, but every season involves wins you steal (like TCU) and losses you give away (MO and VT). 

I was a little surprised to hear the lack of passion for Bielema's exit, but it may show that overall upset in the fanbase just isn't widespread.  Disappointment, yes, but not ready to fly the banners.

were these fine people Woopiggers?

[Hogist]

I have a friend here in Houston that is a high school assistant coach. Whenever we see each other we always talk football. He's an Aggie..... He told me he's rooting for BB to succeed

Of course an Aggie fan wants BB to stay at Arkansas. He hasn't beaten his school yet.

JK JK. I know. Context and all. I couldn't resist. 

[Sed76]

Most of the casual fans I work with and see on a daily basis are pretty blah on football and basketball. Haven't heard anyone calling for coaches heads but have had quite a few make remarks about it being hard to get excited about the Hogs given the results on the field/court.

[EastexHawg]

Two of my close friends are a Texas grad and an Ohio State grad, respectively.  When talking about Bielema and Arkansas that are at first non-committal, but when asked if they would want him at their schools the answer is a resounding no.  The Texas grad joked that if UT had replaced Strong with Bielema he would have grabbed his .308 and climbed to the top of the Texas Tower.

[Hoggish1]

At a NYE party the other night, I was with several non-Hogville Razorback fans, and asked them whether they were ready to see Bielema go.  I figured the answer overall would probably be a "yes," but I was surprised to see that the consensus of the group was more like a "not quite yet."

The reasons that they gave didn't have anything to do with the buyout, which is what I expected to hear next.  They said that Bielema had taken over a huge mess and had quite a bit of staff and player turnover.  Recruiting at Arkansas was hard, so when the Hogs have a bust, it hurts more than it does for other West teams.  Their expectations were not to win the West, at least while Saban was around.  They thought winning 9 games was a very solid result, and Bielema hasn't been far from that.  Missouri and VT were disappointing, and left a bad taste, but every season involves wins you steal (like TCU) and losses you give away (MO and VT). 

I was a little surprised to hear the lack of passion for Bielema's exit, but it may show that overall upset in the fanbase just isn't widespread.  Disappointment, yes, but not ready to fly the banners.

You didn't hear it because Hogville might have the largest collection of crazies of all the fan boards.  You aren't hearing it from reasonable fans because they know he is here for at least a year.  You aren't hearing it because for the most part, with some adjustments (a new coach or to), things will get better.

Nobody with half a brain would like to start over after CBB was saddled with one of the worst personnel situations in recent history after BP and Smiley left him with the deepest of holes to get out of.

[Atlhogfan1]

Two of my close friends are a Texas grad and an Ohio State grad, respectively.  When talking about Bielema and Arkansas that are at first non-committal, but when asked if they would want him at their schools the answer is a resounding no.  The Texas grad joked that if UT had replaced Strong with Bielema he would have grabbed his .308 and climbed to the top of the Texas Tower.

Two programs Bielema has offended in the past.  Not that I think Bielema is that level of coach for an Oh St or Texas job.  Oh St has one of the top 2 coaches based on success.  Texas, well Texas likes playing down to weaker competition and thus the spread fascination.  Prima donna soft.  That and Bielema's public persona aren't fits for the white shirts of Texas.  Not surprising neither would want him. 

At a NYE party the other night, I was with several non-Hogville Razorback fans, and asked them whether they were ready to see Bielema go.  I figured the answer overall would probably be a "yes," but I was surprised to see that the consensus of the group was more like a "not quite yet."

The reasons that they gave didn't have anything to do with the buyout, which is what I expected to hear next.  They said that Bielema had taken over a huge mess and had quite a bit of staff and player turnover.  Recruiting at Arkansas was hard, so when the Hogs have a bust, it hurts more than it does for other West teams.  Their expectations were not to win the West, at least while Saban was around.  They thought winning 9 games was a very solid result, and Bielema hasn't been far from that.  Missouri and VT were disappointing, and left a bad taste, but every season involves wins you steal (like TCU) and losses you give away (MO and VT). 

I was a little surprised to hear the lack of passion for Bielema's exit, but it may show that overall upset in the fanbase just isn't widespread.  Disappointment, yes, but not ready to fly the banners.

Lots of common sense.  Perhaps a little too soft on Bielema but not unreasonable. 

[Pork Twain]

If you go to any football/basketball games at all - instead of hanging out online all the time - you quickly learn that the vast majority of people (real fans who buy tickets and attend games) don't even know Hogville exists. Compare the dead-certainty of the dark rangers around here vs. the public consensus, and they are a million miles apart.

The shame is that the extremists do not have to defend their wild views against the public consensus. They face much less opposition out here on the fringe of fandom.

My wife does not budget Hog football and basketball games in for me (I guess by that logic I am a Virginia and Virginia Tech fan), so I am not a real fan, but I do agree with you about the awareness to Hogville.  I have not lived anywhere close to our great state since 1994 and have been a melting pot since then.  During my career, I have met numerous fellow Arkansans and not one of them has ever had an account on here and for the most part, their stance is much different than the vocal minority on here.

[Hoggish1]

I have a friend here in Houston that is a high school assistant coach. Whenever we see each other we always talk football. He's an Aggie so there is that but he's a lot more familiar with the football world than most I speak with. His school usually has 5-10 players recruited by colleges with 1-3 being recruited by D1 schools. Many coaches come to his school throughout the recruiting process and he's had the opportunity to spend time with many of them.
I've always taken the opportunity to talk with him about his opinion of the hog coaches he's met. His staff is very close with Clay Jennings and he said he felt it hurt the hogs when he left but they did get a chance to meet BB. He said his staff really likes BB and from conversations he had with other HS coaches they all seem to really like coach Beilema.
He has told me he believes BB will be more successful the longer he stays at Arkansas. He says the hogs are facing an uphill battle getting Houston kids to commit to the UA with all the competition they face but the longer he's there the better the odds will be that the hogs make some serious inroads.
His overall assessment of BB is he's a very solid coach whose in a very tough situation at the UA. He told me he's rooting for BB to succeed as are the other coaches on his staff because they like him a lot.

Just thought I would share what an outsider thinks of our coach.

Thanks for this.  It's a message many on Hogville need to hear.

[Dropkick]

Two of my close friends are a Texas grad and an Ohio State grad, respectively.  When talking about Bielema and Arkansas that are at first non-committal, but when asked if they would want him at their schools the answer is a resounding no.  The Texas grad joked that if UT had replaced Strong with Bielema he would have grabbed his .308 and climbed to the top of the Texas Tower.

You might wanna get some new friends..............................

[Lanny]

At a NYE party the other night, I was with several non-Hogville Razorback fans, and asked them whether they were ready to see Bielema go.  I figured the answer overall would probably be a "yes," but I was surprised to see that the consensus of the group was more like a "not quite yet."

The reasons that they gave didn't have anything to do with the buyout, which is what I expected to hear next.  They said that Bielema had taken over a huge mess and had quite a bit of staff and player turnover.  Recruiting at Arkansas was hard, so when the Hogs have a bust, it hurts more than it does for other West teams.  Their expectations were not to win the West, at least while Saban was around.  They thought winning 9 games was a very solid result, and Bielema hasn't been far from that.  Missouri and VT were disappointing, and left a bad taste, but every season involves wins you steal (like TCU) and losses you give away (MO and VT). 

I was a little surprised to hear the lack of passion for Bielema's exit, but it may show that overall upset in the fanbase just isn't widespread.  Disappointment, yes, but not ready to fly the banners.

You were at the wrong party.

[hogsanity]

I have a friend here in Houston that is a high school assistant coach. Whenever we see each other we always talk football. He's an Aggie so there is that but he's a lot more familiar with the football world than most I speak with. His school usually has 5-10 players recruited by colleges with 1-3 being recruited by D1 schools.

1-3 d1 players at 1 hs, in some years that is about what the state of Ar produces as a whole.

[al_pigcino]

Funny TCU fans are saying we should have lost???  Either way we were an Eye lash away from being 4-7.

If that's the game we play then we were also a few quarters away from being a 10 win team. 

[Tusks]

you know that that sound is ?  It's the sound of inevitability .... BB will NEVER go 21-5 and finish ranked #5 .. NEVER.  so all the gnashing of teeth, coaching turnover, recruiting turnover or anything  else will change that.  It's inevitable.

[al_pigcino]

you know that that sound is ?  It's the sound of inevitability .... BB will NEVER go 21-5 and finish ranked #5 .. NEVER.  so all the gnashing of teeth, coaching turnover, recruiting turnover or anything  else will change that.  It's inevitable.

You're right.  Apparently finishing 7th followed by 10th is the best he can do. 

Year

Team

Overall

Conference

Standing

Bowl/playoffs

Coaches#

AP°

Wisconsin Badgers (Big Ten Conference) (2006–2012)
2006 Wisconsin 12–1 7–1 T–2nd W Capital One 5 7
2007 Wisconsin 9–4 5–3 4th L Outback 21 24
2008 Wisconsin 7–6 3–5 T–6th L Champs Sports   
2009 Wisconsin 10–3 5–3 T–4th W Champs Sports 16 16
2010 Wisconsin 11–2 7–1 T–1st L Rose† 8 7
2011 Wisconsin 11–3 6–2 1st (Leaders)  L Rose† 11 10
2012 Wisconsin 8–5 4–4 3rd (Leaders)* Rose† 23‡

[NaturalStateReb]

T shirt fans won't decide if he goes or stays.

There was one significant, although not necessarily big time, donor in the group.

[007 License To Squeal]

I was a little surprised to hear the lack of passion for Bielema's exit, but it may show that overall upset in the fanbase just isn't widespread.  Disappointment, yes, but not ready to fly the banners.

Twitter traffic says otherwise.

[NaturalStateReb]

were these fine people Woopiggers?

LOL

No.

[Inhogswetrust]

T shirt fans won't decide if he goes or stays.

How do you know Jeff Long doesn't wear T-shirts.................

[Dropkick]

There was one significant, although not necessarily big time, donor in the group.

Those are the ones that will influence the decision.

[Dropkick]

How do you know Jeff Long doesn't wear T-shirts.................

I cannot reveal my sources.....................

[NaturalStateReb]

You were at the wrong party.

Unlike lunch today.  lol

[Hog Fan...DOH!]

Over the course of time, it seems to me that the "quicker trigger" firing leads to more bad than good. 

[Inhogswetrust]

You were at the wrong party.

No kidding. At the party we host at our house every year we took up a collection to fund the buyout. We only came up about $14,999,990 short. But there was one donor missing..........................

[Inhogswetrust]

I cannot reveal my sources.....................

Sources on Hogville.................that's funny!

[ricepig]

1-3 d1 players at 1 hs, in some years that is about what the state of Ar produces as a whole.

D-I, not SEC, we produce a few more than 1-3.

[BigSexyHog]

What mess did he take over?  There was no mess here.  Heck we just went to the sugar bowl.  The only mess was that stupid *** as clown John Smith.  I am sick and tired of the excuses by hog fans.  God, some of yall are just pathetic.   Stop making excuses all the time. 

[code red]

What mess did he take over?  There was no mess here.  Heck we just went to the sugar bowl.  The only mess was that stupid *** as clown John Smith.  I am sick and tired of the excuses by hog fans.  God, some of yall are just pathetic.   Stop making excuses all the time. 

Ahhhh.  I think it was Cotton.  But yeah I am with you.

[NuttinItUp]

If we had won 1 of the last 2 games (either Missouri or Va. Tech), the tone would be much better, I think.

It just left a bad taste in a lot of people's mouth. If we can go on a winning streak next year, people will change their tune.

[hobhog]

Twitter traffic says otherwise.

Most people dont tweet. Most don't do message boards. Most don't call radio shows.

As mentioned earlier, the people who actually go to Hog games and are financial supporters are a lot less extreme than you will find on social media. Thank gawd.

[Hawgar The Horrible]

If we had won 1 of the last 2 games (either Missouri or Va. Tech), the tone would be much better, I think.

It just left a bad taste in a lot of people's mouth. If we can go on a winning streak next year, people will change their tune.

Change their tune yet again? That's called schizophrenia.

[NuttinItUp]

Change their tune yet again? That's called schizophrenia.

Welcome to college football, haha.

[Hook 'em Hogs]

I think the people at the party are spot on.  Not a good season.  Not one to be satisfied with, but if you've been fairly satisfied with the movement of the program up to this point, firing BB now would be hasty.  As I've stated elsewhere though, a less than "good" season this year puts a lot more pressure on him next year.  If he can't get to double digit wins next year, I for one will lose all confidence in him. 

I'll say this though, Bielema isn't afraid to put it on the line.  I know he ends up looking like a fool sometimes, like when he said "We'll play for 4 quarters, I guarantee it."  What I got out of that though was that he felt confident that they had addressed it over the past three weeks and that they would finish the second half strong.  He was wrong though, and he's accountable for that. 

If he did say that year 5 is our defining year, it's because he feels like it will be.  If it's not, he's accountable for that.  He doesn't mind being accountable for himself, his staff and his players.  I do like that about Bielema.