25 seasons in the Southeastern Conference

[DeltaBoy]

It's been Brutal most the last 25 years.

[Bubba's Bruisers]

It is not a 1000% tougher. That's ridiculous.  Now Alabama has changed the entire conference. But to outright dismiss what Petrino and Nutt had to face is foolish.

I agree for BP in particular, but I believe Nutt faced measurably less competition in the SECW during his tenure.  Now the SECE was a different matter.

[Hogwild]

Is this a "Rehire Houston Dale Nutt" thread? 
Because, um...NO!
:razorback:

It was time for him to go.  I remember driving to New Orleans after his last game, where we just beat the #1 team in the nation, thinking what Arkansas football would be post Nutt.
Had you told me that our conference record would be 29-43 in the 9 seasons after his departure, I wouldn't have believed you.

Under Petrino in SEC: 19-13 (59%) His conference record was 17-15

Under John Smith in SEC: 2-6  (25%)

Under Bret Bielema in SEC: 10-22 (31%)

[Oklahawg]

I think Biggus' post should be stickied at the top of the forum, and whiny bitchfest posts are automatically purged with the poster sent to BIggus' post.

QED as they say

[DLUXHOG]

We won how many SWC championships?

A ton....  actually we had a winning historical record (many were by significant margins) against every SWC member except Texass....

[hog.goblin]

TN was a common opponent from the East from 1992-2002 so we played them eight times in the 90's.  Went 2-6 with wins in '92 and '99.

Thanks for jogging my memory.

[Jek Tono Porkins]

I'm ready for people to quit punishing Bret Bielema for being willing to take over our dumpster fire. That 0-8 first season at Arkansas -- maybe a pure genius coach might have done better, but I doubt it. That was an incredibly tough schedule. Arkansas lost to four SEC opponents that finished with double-digit wins. You go back and look at home many times in the history of the world that Arkansas or any other team played four 10- to 12-game winners in a conference schedule. It's rare.

That was a bad Arkansas football team. We have covered it many times. Bad team. Inescapably bad.

A lot of the illogic on this board wheels off of Bielema's so-called slow start in SEC play, but it was FRIGGIN' DESTINED YOU GODDAMNED MORONS. We hired a darned Big Ten championship coach to rebuild our disaster. RE. BUILD. FROM A TRAIN WRECK. OR HARLEY WRECK.

Our football program went into the ditch. The springtime firing of our head football coach was followed by a season in limbo with a temporary coach who did nothing but tend to his personal financial disaster. Some of the talent we had on hand was wasted because of that. It all but ruined an entire recruiting cycle, and we hired a coach who had to reassemble not just a coaching staff but an entirely new recruiting process in mostly unfamiliar territories.

OF [CENSORED] COURSE HE LOST A LOT OF SEC GAMES IN HIS FIRST TWO SEASONS. WHY DO YOU KEEP MAKING THAT MEANINGLESS POINT?

STOP IT. STOP. STOP NOW. Admit your idiocy and stop.

Yes. So much yes.

[atekido]

SEC wasn't nearly as strong during Nutts time. 

[Locutus_of_Boar]

Going back to Broyles' days our record against SEC teams has been less than 50%.
Think about that.

True but most of Franks SEC games came in bowl games and three of those SEC teams were undefeated entering the game.

Date   Opponent   Result
Jan 1 1962   Alabama   Loss Sugar Bowl, first Bryant NC
Jan 1 1976    Georgia   Win Cotton Bowl, Frank's last bowl game
Jan 1 1969    Georgia   Win Sugar Bowl, UGa entered the game 8-0-2
Jan 2 1960    Georgia Tech   Win Gaytor Bowl when Tech was still an SEC member
Jan 1 1966 LSU   Loss Cotton Bowl w/NC on the line.
Jan 1 1970    Ole Miss   Loss Sugar Bowl after the Big Shootout
Jan 1 1963    Ole Miss   Loss Sugar Bowl, Ole Miss finished undefeated but not NC due to segregation issues
Dec 20 1971 Tennessee Loss, Preston Watts nuf said

No excuse for these regular season games except JFB caught Vought's Rebs at the peak of their program history as he was trying to build Arkansas:

Oct 25 1958   Ole Miss   Loss
Oct 24 1959   Ole Miss   Loss
Oct 22 1960   Ole Miss   Loss
Sep 23 1961   Ole Miss   Loss

[lasthog]

I'm ready for people to quit punishing Bret Bielema for being willing to take over our dumpster fire. That 0-8 first season at Arkansas -- maybe a pure genius coach might have done better, but I doubt it. That was an incredibly tough schedule. Arkansas lost to four SEC opponents that finished with double-digit wins. You go back and look at home many times in the history of the world that Arkansas or any other team played four 10- to 12-game winners in a conference schedule. It's rare.

That was a bad Arkansas football team. We have covered it many times. Bad team. Inescapably bad.

A lot of the illogic on this board wheels off of Bielema's so-called slow start in SEC play, but it was FRIGGIN' DESTINED YOU GODDAMNED MORONS. We hired a darned Big Ten championship coach to rebuild our disaster. RE. BUILD. FROM A TRAIN WRECK. OR HARLEY WRECK.

Our football program went into the ditch. The springtime firing of our head football coach was followed by a season in limbo with a temporary coach who did nothing but tend to his personal financial disaster. Some of the talent we had on hand was wasted because of that. It all but ruined an entire recruiting cycle, and we hired a coach who had to reassemble not just a coaching staff but an entirely new recruiting process in mostly unfamiliar territories.

OF [CENSORED] COURSE HE LOST A LOT OF SEC GAMES IN HIS FIRST TWO SEASONS. WHY DO YOU KEEP MAKING THAT MEANINGLESS POINT?

STOP IT. STOP. STOP NOW. Admit your idiocy and stop.

As usual sir, nail hit squarely on the head.


How many SEC games did Lou Holtz win at SC his first year?

NFL wins for JJ in his first season at Dallas?

[rzrbaxfan]

It was time for him to go.  I remember driving to New Orleans after his last game, where we just beat the #1 team in the nation, thinking what Arkansas football would be post Nutt.
Had you told me that our conference record would be 29-43 in the 9 seasons after his departure, I wouldn't have believed you.

Had you told me that one single motorcycle wreck would be the first event in a year long debacle that would break things down so bad that it would require a foundation-up rebuild, I wouldn't have believed you.

[IntegrityHog]

Given our disadvantage in recruiting and the high tide of the SEC-W that CBB has had to face, his record is actually pretty salty.  Until Saban has been retired a few years, things aren't going to change much.  Wiinning 7 or 8 games against this schedule is a big accomplishment with our talent. 

[Dominicanhog]

25 years of pushing forward and being positive still didn't change the 96-102-2 record.


Facts are facts.

31 years and counting for personal razorback heartache.

agree about facts.. though, those numbers did look a lot better before Hurricane Harley.. we were over .500 and picking up some steam, maybe we're on the verge of another push... as Biggus stated we were punched and did't get up for a couple years....

our mindset has changed about playing SEC football over the 25 years.. now more than then, we feel we can beat Tenn,  UGA, AU, LSU and maybe even UF... we feel we can compete with equal physicality, where as before, we knew we were over matched, they knew it as well..

[Hawghiggs]

Had you told me that one single motorcycle wreck would be the first event in a year long debacle that would break things down so bad that it would require a foundation-up rebuild, I wouldn't have believed you.

Did it? Or is the coach we hired to do the rebuild job just an average coach with more in common with a Houston Nutt than a Bobby Petrino.  I know that hindsight is 20/20. But would Butch Davis been any worse?

[DLUXHOG]

agree about facts.. though, those numbers did look a lot better before Hurricane Harley.. we were over .500 and picking up some steam, maybe we're on the verge of another push... as Biggus stated we were punched and did't get up for a couple years....

our mindset has changed about playing SEC football over the 25 years.. now more than then, we feel we can beat Tenn,  UGA, AU, LSU and maybe even UF... we feel we can compete with equal physicality, where as before, we knew we were over matched, they knew it as well..

We not only feel it, but we have done it......   times are changing...........

[lutherheggs]

History is cyclical (guess it hasn't helped that much to know history).... the future is unknown...   (try to make one of your posts a positive one in lieu of 100% negative)

It is interesting to me that you consider the original post in this thread to be negative. I did not make a single statement in it. All it consists of is statistical facts of the Arkansas Razorback football program's performance in conference play since joining the SEC a quarter of a century ago. I thought it interesting given that it is the 25 anniversary season since joining the SEC. That is a long time and not just some temporary blip on the radar.

Obviously you see these facts in a negative light, which tells me you have a predisposed negative attitude toward the Razorback football program's performance.

[lutherheggs]

That answer is only obvious if you can in fact win in that conference.

The SEC season W-L record that Arkansas has hit the most in its 25 years in the SEC: 2-6. Six times in 25 years. I do not have a problem being the Vanderbilt/South Carolina/Ole Miss/Miss St of the SEC. We have company. It is comical that every year the same people think that Arkansas should do better than they do. The expectations are through the roof relative to what the Razorbacks have EVER achieved. Folks on here, Wilsonhog included, have these over-the-top expectations pre-season then end up blowing a gasket at some point in the season (see Auburn and Missouri games) only to regret it, post a mea culpa that states once again that the Hogs are just a mediocre program and that is all they ever will be in the SEC.

[lutherheggs]

I agree.  Here is the tough part. A huge chunk of our revenue ($34 million) comes from the SEC.  I'm not sure what the payouts are like in other conferences but I'm not sure if it is touching that amount.

The other SEC schools get that too so relative to rest of the SEC, that huge payout does nothing to give Arkansas any edge or advantage over the rest of the SEC programs. If some believe that Arkansas and its head  coach can do more with less, the logical conclusion would be to go to a conference where they all get less.

[lutherheggs]

I think Biggus' post should be stickied at the top of the forum, and whiny bitchfest posts are automatically purged with the poster sent to BIggus' post.

QED as they say

Thus removing the right to state facts. That's how democrats think: it's their way or the highway and you're wrong if you do not agree.

[rzrbaxfan]

Did it? Or is the coach we hired to do the rebuild job just an average coach with more in common with a Houston Nutt than a Bobby Petrino.  I know that hindsight is 20/20. But would Butch Davis been any worse?

If we are judging a coach by his ability to build a program, Nutt and Bret shouldn't even be in the same sentence.  Bret has taken a program from smoldering ashes to 3 straight bowl games.  Have there been head scratching losses?  Yes.  Every non-Saban coached team experiences those.  Bret has also made changes to improve things.  We may not like them (and I admit I'm confused at the lack of fire in changing our defense after this year), but the evidence is there that he is not one to be stubborn and keep doing things the same way when they just aren't working.  That is a complete contrast to Nutt.  Two of his best 3 years in coaching were when he was coaching players he didn't recruit. He left 2 programs in quite a mess when he was fired. His offense was so stale that fans cheered incomplete passes, just because it was not another running play. 

I know I sound like a Bret defender.  Maybe to a certain degree I am.  I do think a large chunk of our fanbase has quickly forgotten how bad of a coach Nutt was and just how much damage was done to the program as a whole in the 2012 calendar year.  I remember a time when it was sinking in just how bad things were and seeing folks predicting 3-4 years of not being good enough to get to a bowl.  Here we are in our 3rd consecutive bowl with the potential of seeing a coach win 3 bowls in a row for the first time in program history.

Could Butch have fared better?  Who knows.  I believe his D would be better in year 4 than what we saw this year, but I'm not so sure the win total would have been that much better.

[hogcard1964]

It's sad to admit and have to face it, but we're no longer a good football program.

[hogsanity]

Did it? Or is the coach we hired to do the rebuild job just an average coach with more in common with a Houston Nutt than a Bobby Petrino.  I know that hindsight is 20/20. But would Butch Davis been any worse?

The thing with BP is he never sticks around long enough anywhere to see if he can actually build something.

[lutherheggs]

I am agnostic toward the Arkansas head coaches. I have neither liked nor disliked any of the 4 primary head coaches since Arkansas joined the SEC. (I don't include Crow/Kines and John Smith)

All I look at is win %. Of the 4, Bielema has, by far, the worst 4 year SEC win %. He has had a losing SEC record in 3 of his 4 years and had a 2 win drop this season: 5-3 in '15 to 3-5 in '16 and 4 of the 5 losses were embarrassing: A&M, Alabama (at home), LSU (at home), Auburn and Missouri.

Most here who take the time to comment about it give BB a pass because of one bad season under Smith. How does one bad season translate to BB's poor overall record 4 seasons past that and never any overall record greater than 7-5? Will you say the recruiting was bad under Petrino the 4 years prior to Smith's single year as head coach? Okay. So how long does it take a head coach to have his own team and have an overall record in one season of better than a very mediocre 7-5/3-5?

[lutherheggs]

agree about facts.. though, those numbers did look a lot better before Hurricane Harley.. we were over .500 and picking up some steam, maybe we're on the verge of another push... as Biggus stated we were punched and did't get up for a couple years....

our mindset has changed about playing SEC football over the 25 years.. now more than then, we feel we can beat Tenn,  UGA, AU, LSU and maybe even UF... we feel we can compete with equal physicality, where as before, we knew we were over matched, they knew it as well..

The problem is now that the Hogs cannot compete consistently due to lack of depth. They can beat Florida 31-10 one week but the very next they lose to Auburn 56-3. Or they can beat Miss St (finally, after 4 straight losses to them) but lose the next week to the worst team in the SEC after having a 17 pt halftime lead.

So to say they can compete against all of those teams you list is sort of misleading. They can do anything on a given Saturday, including lose a large lead without scoring in the 2nd half to a horrible team and losing 56-3.

[HamSammich]

I'm ready for people to quit punishing Bret Bielema for being willing to take over our dumpster fire. That 0-8 first season at Arkansas -- maybe a pure genius coach might have done better, but I doubt it. That was an incredibly tough schedule. Arkansas lost to four SEC opponents that finished with double-digit wins. You go back and look at home many times in the history of the world that Arkansas or any other team played four 10- to 12-game winners in a conference schedule. It's rare.

That was a bad Arkansas football team. We have covered it many times. Bad team. Inescapably bad.

A lot of the illogic on this board wheels off of Bielema's so-called slow start in SEC play, but it was FRIGGIN' DESTINED YOU GODDAMNED MORONS. We hired a darned Big Ten championship coach to rebuild our disaster. RE. BUILD. FROM A TRAIN WRECK. OR HARLEY WRECK.

Our football program went into the ditch. The springtime firing of our head football coach was followed by a season in limbo with a temporary coach who did nothing but tend to his personal financial disaster. Some of the talent we had on hand was wasted because of that. It all but ruined an entire recruiting cycle, and we hired a coach who had to reassemble not just a coaching staff but an entirely new recruiting process in mostly unfamiliar territories.

OF [CENSORED] COURSE HE LOST A LOT OF SEC GAMES IN HIS FIRST TWO SEASONS. WHY DO YOU KEEP MAKING THAT MEANINGLESS POINT?

STOP IT. STOP. STOP NOW. Admit your idiocy and stop.

Year 4. Mizzou.

I don't do excuses.

[lutherheggs]

It's sad to admit and have to face it, but we're no longer a good football program.

I tend to agree with that generally but it is relative: we are no longer a good football program because we are in the SEC and in the SEC, the Hogs consistently finish in the 3rd quadrant (roughly 8th or worst out of 14). By definition that is considered "not good". But put the Hogs in the Big 12 and this program likely has a far better record over the past 25 years.

[Hawgar The Horrible]

The other SEC schools get that too so relative to rest of the SEC, that huge payout does nothing to give Arkansas any edge or advantage over the rest of the SEC programs. If some believe that Arkansas and its head  coach can do more with less, the logical conclusion would be to go to a conference where they all get less.

Your whole premise is illogical. Arkansas is a Top 25 program playing in the toughest league in the Country. Joining the Sun Belt and stomping a mud hole in them year in and year out does not make Arkansas a better program regardless of W-L records.

What it would say is Arkansas is a bunch of candy azzes more than anything else.

[gchamblee]

I am agnostic toward the Arkansas head coaches. I have neither liked nor disliked any of the 4 primary head coaches since Arkansas joined the SEC. (I don't include Crow/Kines and John Smith)

All I look at is win %. Of the 4, Bielema has, by far, the worst 4 year SEC win %. He has had a losing SEC record in 3 of his 4 years and had a 2 win drop this season: 5-3 in '15 to 3-5 in '16 and 4 of the 5 losses were embarrassing: A&M, Alabama (at home), LSU (at home), Auburn and Missouri.

Most here who take the time to comment about it give BB a pass because of one bad season under Smith. How does one bad season translate to BB's poor overall record 4 seasons past that and never any overall record greater than 7-5? Will you say the recruiting was bad under Petrino the 4 years prior to Smith's single year as head coach? Okay. So how long does it take a head coach to have his own team and have an overall record in one season of better than a very mediocre 7-5/3-5?

[lutherheggs]

Your whole premise is illogical. Arkansas is a Top 25 program playing in the toughest league in the Country. Joining the Sun Belt and stomping a mud hole in them year in and year out does not make Arkansas a better program regardless of W-L records.

What it would say is Arkansas is a bunch of candy azzes more than anything else.

Your statement is illogical and extreme. Arkansas would never end up in such a low level conference. Most people would not interpret what I said to mean that the Hogs would ever drop down to such a conference. Extremism is the default for many like you.

[DLUXHOG]

It's sad to admit and have to face it, but we're no longer a good football program.

1909, 1910, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1917, 1923, 1924, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1937, 1959, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1982, 1985, 1988, 1989, 2011 are the only seasons (that's 29 seasons out of 122 seasons (24%) total since program inception) that Arkansas experienced only 1, 2, or no losses in that season.    We had a long draught between 1937 - 1959 and from 1989 - 2011...   Simply put, Arkansas Razorbacks, on average, sniff the top of the pile once every 4 years.....

[Hawgar The Horrible]

Your statement is illogical and extreme. Arkansas would never end up in such a low level conference. Most people would not interpret what I said to mean that the Hogs would ever drop down to such a conference. Extremism is the default for many like you.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You would prefer to join a dying Big XII and become Texas' bitch again.

[gchamblee]

It's sad to admit and have to face it, but we're no longer a good football program.

[Pudgepork]

I'm going to exhibit a ray of optimism and relax, let this coaching staff prove that they know what they are doing.   It does no good for anyone for me to bash them and the program.   I do feel that this is a make or break year.   The Cubs won the World Series.   Anything can happen

[Bubba's Bruisers]

BB is a decent, respected coach who wants to be here.  A 2nd tier program.  I'll take him.

[lutherheggs]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You would prefer to join a dying Big XII and become Texas' bitch again.

I did not say that. Re-read my post if you think you can read it with comprehension a second time.

I do not prefer anything. I simply state that the Hogs' performance is relative. If they were in the Big 12, they would have done better than they have done in the SEC. More like a Baylor, OU, TCU, Okla St. Less like an Ark, Ole Miss, SC, Miss St, KY.

To take what you state, my thought is that being Texas' bitch seems no different than being Alabama's bitch (we play Bama every year in case you are not aware and have lost to them 10 years in a row), or A&M's bitch (lost to them 5 years in a row now). So really no difference. And given that Texas is not what it once was, Texas would more likely be the bitch.

[Hawghiggs]

Your whole premise is illogical. Arkansas is a Top 25 program playing in the toughest league in the Country. Joining the Sun Belt and stomping a mud hole in them year in and year out does not make Arkansas a better program regardless of W-L records.

What it would say is Arkansas is a bunch of candy azzes more than anything else.

It doesn't bother Oklahoma. They play in a P5 conference.  It shouldn't take dropping down that far to make a difference.

[Razorback_Mack]

I'm ready for people to quit punishing Bret Bielema for being willing to take over our dumpster fire. That 0-8 first season at Arkansas -- maybe a pure genius coach might have done better, but I doubt it. That was an incredibly tough schedule. Arkansas lost to four SEC opponents that finished with double-digit wins. You go back and look at home many times in the history of the world that Arkansas or any other team played four 10- to 12-game winners in a conference schedule. It's rare.

That was a bad Arkansas football team. We have covered it many times. Bad team. Inescapably bad.

A lot of the illogic on this board wheels off of Bielema's so-called slow start in SEC play, but it was FRIGGIN' DESTINED YOU GODDAMNED MORONS. We hired a darned Big Ten championship coach to rebuild our disaster. RE. BUILD. FROM A TRAIN WRECK. OR HARLEY WRECK.

Our football program went into the ditch. The springtime firing of our head football coach was followed by a season in limbo with a temporary coach who did nothing but tend to his personal financial disaster. Some of the talent we had on hand was wasted because of that. It all but ruined an entire recruiting cycle, and we hired a coach who had to reassemble not just a coaching staff but an entirely new recruiting process in mostly unfamiliar territories.

OF [CENSORED] COURSE HE LOST A LOT OF SEC GAMES IN HIS FIRST TWO SEASONS. WHY DO YOU KEEP MAKING THAT MEANINGLESS POINT?

STOP IT. STOP. STOP NOW. Admit your idiocy and stop.

All the dude did was list his record. Along with every other coach that has coached an SEC game here. What do you want him to do put an asterisk beside it saying *"we were rebuilding games don't count." Major overreaction. It was just a look back at the 25 years. The dude is making 3-4 million per year, has a beautiful wife, baby on the way, etc. You don't have to take up for him like your his momma.

[Hawgar The Horrible]

And given that Texas is not what it once was, Texas would more likely be the bitch.

Right up until that pesky revenue sharing thingy comes to light, huh?

[Hawghiggs]

Right up until that pesky revenue sharing thingy comes to light, huh?

http://www2.kusports.com/news/2015/may/30/big-12-big-money-schools-share-record-252m-revenue/

The Big 12 stopped unequal revenue sharing years ago.

[lutherheggs]

All the dude did was list his record. Along with every other coach that has coached an SEC game here. What do you want him to do put an asterisk beside it saying *"we were rebuilding games don't count." Major overreaction. It was just a look back at the 25 years. The dude is making 3-4 million per year, has a beautiful wife, baby on the way, etc. You don't have to take up for him like your his momma.

Hindsight perfect as always. Right before the John Smith season, the Hogs were preseason #8 in both polls. Everyone, including the players, coaches and fans thought the Hogs were going to be very, very good. After the miserable season and record, they all had to explain why they were wrong. What did they do? Blamed it on poor recruiting by Petrino. Humans need to be able to have a reason for outcomes that sits well with them.

[Hawghiggs]

    We shouldn't be looking to join the Big 12. If anything. We need to find away to build a new conference built around the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas.

[Hawgar The Horrible]

http://www2.kusports.com/news/2015/may/30/big-12-big-money-schools-share-record-252m-revenue/

The Big 12 stopped unequal revenue sharing years ago.

Really? "The revenue doesn't include third-tier broadcast rights, such as the $15 million a year Texas gets from ESPN for the Longhorn Network."

[Hawghiggs]

Really? "The revenue doesn’t include third-tier broadcast rights, such as the $15 million a year Texas gets from ESPN for the Longhorn Network."

So? The Big 12 doesn't own those rights. The school does. Nothing has stopped the other members from selling their rights, or for that matter. Actually building a network similar to what the ACC currently has.

[factchecker]

This discussion has been pretty good.  The next step would be to ask what can you do to remedy our "bad" football?  People will jump to say fire this coach, fire that coach, replace the athletic director but history has shown that we've struggled well before the current regime.

The first problem we have is recruiting.  The SEC is a tough place to recruit competitively.  We can recruit in the top 25 but still rank 10th in the SEC.

What is the major problem in recruiting?  The instate talent. Razorback fans demand excellence from the Hogs but produce (on average) mediocre to downright horrible talent in their homes.  Couple that with poor facilities and apathetic at best dedication to high school athletics and you have a recipe for crap high school football.  If you don't believe me then drive down to Texas and look.  Football is a religion there.

Wess Moore has a great segment discussing this problem:

https://twitter.com/EllenTeam20/status/808527356814094336


The next problem is financial dedication.  We have a great fan base.  The attendance is proof of that.  However, we don't have a very affluent fanbase.  People complain about suites and corporate sponsors but those are a necessary evil to support our program.  People complain about facility improvements and renovations but fail to realize that those renovations will be here long after Bielema and Long are gone.  Elite coaches want to coach at programs who pay elite money.... elite players want to play in elite facilities.

You can't complain about us being "bad" at football if your only commitment is posting on Hogville.  If you want to help improve our chances then donate some money.  You don't have to be a RF member.  You can donate here:

https://onlinegiving.uark.edu/?designation=Other+Department+or+Program&otherDesignation=Intercollegiate+Athletics

If you don't want the money to go to coaches salaries or overhead then designate that you want it to go to facilities in the comment section.

[Hawgar The Horrible]

So? The Big 12 doesn't own those rights. The school does. Nothing has stopped the other members from selling their rights, or for that matter. Actually building a network similar to what the ACC currently has.

The LHN has been a point of contention within that conference since day 1. THAT alone is preventing a conference network.

[12247]

Luther, I noticed the negative thing too.  All you did is post some facts and many sunshine pumpers took the un-necessary opportunity to try and destroy you for telling the truth.  I was surprised Biggus felt the need to twist off.  I doubt he is off his meds, maybe he doubled them up or something.

There is roughly 20 folks on here that feel they must defend something at all costs, right down to insisting you shouldn't even post stats unless they are favorable to Arkansas and our current coach in general.  To hell with facts, don't post negative facts, only post sunshine stories or don't post.

[NashvilleHog]

I think that as long as Arkansas HS football puts out the limited numbers, we are going to struggle to ever get out of the bottom half of the SEC.  Every state we compete against puts out far greater numbers and we have to recruit more out of state than just about anyone outside of Kentucky and Vanderbilt.  It just is what it is.  I see Oklahoma State and OU competing at a high level every year and loaded up with Texas talent.  For whatever reason, we aren't drawing the Texas talent like they are.  Conference affiliation is the biggest factor, IMHO.

What I have noticed is that in basketball, Arkansas has really started to crank out the talent and is equivalent to Mississippi/Louisiana in football.  If we are able to keep most of this talent in-state in basketball, we will be really competitive in that sport.  Hopefully, Arkansas HS football will get better and produce better talent for us to get.   

[rzrbaxfan]

I am agnostic toward the Arkansas head coaches. I have neither liked nor disliked any of the 4 primary head coaches since Arkansas joined the SEC. (I don't include Crow/Kines and John Smith)

All I look at is win %. Of the 4, Bielema has, by far, the worst 4 year SEC win %. He has had a losing SEC record in 3 of his 4 years and had a 2 win drop this season: 5-3 in '15 to 3-5 in '16 and 4 of the 5 losses were embarrassing: A&M, Alabama (at home), LSU (at home), Auburn and Missouri.

Most here who take the time to comment about it give BB a pass because of one bad season under Smith. How does one bad season translate to BB's poor overall record 4 seasons past that and never any overall record greater than 7-5? Will you say the recruiting was bad under Petrino the 4 years prior to Smith's single year as head coach? Okay. So how long does it take a head coach to have his own team and have an overall record in one season of better than a very mediocre 7-5/3-5?

It depends on what the previous coach left and how that leftover talent fits the new coaches scheme.  If there is a good amount of leftover talent that meshes well with what the new coach wants to do, there is no time needed. Massive change in offensive/defensive philosophy & ok leftover talent, 2-3 years.  Massive change in philosophy and little to no talent leftover, 5-6 years. 

A program like Arkansas that gets by with 2-3 star players will shine when those players can be red shirted.  Long term depth is built that way.  The talent was pretty depleted when BB came, and he was forced to play younger players that would have red shirted in more ideal situations.  If you dig through this board, you'll see tons of folks saying "5-6 year rebuild" when the dumpster fire of 2012 was at its hottest.  I think the success he had in years 2-3 raised the bar for some and allowed us to forget what we were before Bret was hired.

[Hawghiggs]

The LHN has been a point of contention within that conference since day 1. THAT alone is preventing a conference network.

Both Kansas and Oklahoma have similar tier 3 deals. Both receive anywhere from 5.5 million to 7 million per year. Can't blame Texas for doing what was in their best interest. They tried to get the Big 12 to build a network. But the rest of the conference did not want risk it.

[lutherheggs]

I think that as long as Arkansas HS football puts out the limited numbers, we are going to struggle to ever get out of the bottom half of the SEC.  Every state we compete against puts out far greater numbers and we have to recruit more out of state than just about anyone outside of Kentucky and Vanderbilt.  It just is what it is.  I see Oklahoma State and OU competing at a high level every year and loaded up with Texas talent.  For whatever reason, we aren't drawing the Texas talent like they are.  Conference affiliation is the biggest factor, IMHO.

What I have noticed is that in basketball, Arkansas has really started to crank out the talent and is equivalent to Mississippi/Louisiana in football.  If we are able to keep most of this talent in-state in basketball, we will be really competitive in that sport.  Hopefully, Arkansas HS football will get better and produce better talent for us to get.   

Most of the Arkansas basketball players during the NR years were from out of state. Maybe not far, but they were not playing at an Arkansas high school. It can be done that way in football too. Takes a great coaching staff to accomplish it.