Arkansas @ LSU on Sat.

[rogersvillemohog]

What say you?

[Pastor_Hog]

I loved it being the day after Thanksgiving.  It gave us great national exposure.  Oh well...

[hawgsmellgud]

Look it will not get the National Stage that we have been getting, but the game hasn't been the biggest National draw either. I can't really blame CBS, but Arkansas is going to be a popular TV team in the next 2 seasons.

I say that in a couple of years this will be a major factor in who goes to ATL. I believe that us, LSU and AL will be battling for the west for years to come, that is if AL's job hopping coach stays around  (funny how nobody ever mentions that in the national media)

[razorhog29]

It fricking sucks. Just when we build a little tradition in the SEC it's taken away.

[ALLVOL]

It fricking sucks. Just when we build a little tradition in the SEC it's taken away.

exactly

[HawgAlude]

day after thanksgiving always.....

[thirtythree]

Look it will not get the National Stage that we have been getting, but the game hasn't been the biggest National draw either. I can't really blame CBS, but Arkansas is going to be a popular TV team in the next 2 seasons.

You're right. However, their reasoning for switching the game was BS. Do they actually think that Alabama and Auburn will be that freaking competitive? At least the last 2 years with Arkansas and LSU they have been great freaking games.

[NuttinItUp]

It fricking sucks. Just when we build a little tradition in the SEC it's taken away.

This

[arkjay19]

Is this finalized?  I ask because people ALWAYS ask about this every single year since 2003 because it always takes a while for CBS to make it official.

[3kgthog]

This isn't all bad. We'll get more of the rabid fans on Saturday when they aren't working. It being on Friday caused many people to miss the game. Just sayin'.

[Michael Porkleone]

Same thing happened when we started to play Tennessee every year... sigh....

At least that was expected - a part of our East rotation.

[George S. Pigton]

They announced this several months ago so it is official.  I like it moving to Sat., maybe this way the game
will be moved up to Fayetteville and we won't have so many Cajun's at the game.  Also makes the LSwhoo fans
drive up to the 'Hill' to see what we have here compared to the dump that is 'Death Valley'.

I don't like losing the exposure but I think it is good for the Hogs in the long run to move that game to campus
on a Sat.

[GuvHog]

I figure the Hog - LSU game will get the 2:30 pm slot on Saturday. That's better than
a 6:00 PM start any day. A 6:00 PM or later start gives those Tiger fans too much time
to get Liquored up.

[The Boar War]

You're right. However, their reasoning for switching the game was BS. Do they actually think that Alabama and Auburn will be that freaking competitive? At least the last 2 years with Arkansas and LSU they have been great freaking games.

Actually the last four have been decided on the last few plays.  Arkansas and LSU have split them 2-2 and the games have been decided by 10 points combined.  The game isn't being cancelled because of a lack of competition or excitement.  Maybe CBS just wanted a change of pace.

[thirtythree]

Actually the last four have been decided on the last few plays.  Arkansas and LSU have split them 2-2 and the games have been decided by 10 points combined.  The game isn't being cancelled because of a lack of competition or excitement.  Maybe CBS just wanted a change of pace.

That's not what the CBS guy said on Bo's show few months ago. He indicated that the Alabama-Aubrun game was better suited for the exposure.

The question that didn't get asked was the fact that Auburn will not hold Alabama's jock strap so why should they get the exposure game on Friday? CBS is making a mistake and they will see it. They won't top the ratings that Arkansas-LSU had the last several years.

As for moving the game to Fayetteville, that is ridiculous.

[Tammany Tom]

I figure the Hog - LSU game will get the 2:30 pm slot on Saturday. That's better than
a 6:00 PM start any day. A 6:00 PM or later start gives those Tiger fans too much time
to get Liquored up.

Get ready for a ESPN Saturday Night game in Death Valley. CBS has already selected Florida State at Florida for the 2:30 Saturday game on Nov. 28th.

Here's the 2009 College Football TV schedule.

http://www.lsufootball.net/tvschedule.htm

BTW, here's the first weekend's SEC TV football schedule:

Thursday, September 3rd
South Carolina at North Carolina State 6:00 p.m. ESPN (HD)

Saturday, September 5th
Kentucky vs. Miami Ohio (Cincinnati)  11:00 a.m. ESPNU
Georgia at Oklahoma State, 2:30 p.m. - ABC
Alabama vs. Virginia Tech at Atlanta, 7 p.m. - ABC (HD)
LSU at Washington, 9:30 p.m. - ESPN (HD)

Sunday, September 6th
Ole Miss at Memphis, 2:30 p.m. - ESPN (HD)

[thirtythree]

Get ready for a ESPN Saturday Night game in Death Valley. CBS has already selected Florida State at Florida for the 2:30 Saturday game on Nov. 28th.

Here's the 2009 College Football TV schedule.

http://www.lsufootball.net/tvschedule.htm

BTW, here's the first weekend's SEC TV football schedule:

Thursday, September 3rd
South Carolina at North Carolina State 6:00 p.m. ESPN (HD)

Saturday, September 5th
Kentucky vs. Miami Ohio (Cincinnati)  11:00 a.m. ESPNU
Georgia at Oklahoma State, 2:30 p.m. - ABC
Alabama vs. Virginia Tech at Atlanta, 7 p.m. - ABC (HD)
LSU at Washington, 9:30 p.m. - ESPN (HD)

Sunday, September 6th
Ole Miss at Memphis, 2:30 p.m. - ESPN (HD)

Thanks.

[WizardofhOgZ]

My answer to your poll - "none of the above"

I would answer that it's fine when we play them in Arkansas, but I hate it when we play in Baton Rouge because it will be a night game and that is a tough, tough environment for the visiting team (and their fans).

That said, I did like the tradition we were developing of the Friday after Thanksgiving game.  But in this new ESPN contract era, the game will always be telecast (would not have necessarily been the case on Saturday's in the past), so it isn't as important to play on Friday for that reason as it used to be.

Still . . . Saturday night in Cajun Country . . .

[Big Papa Satan]

So basically if the game's moved to Fayetteville, in terms of atmosphere we're trading a Ferrari for a lemon.

Yeah, moving it there makes just oh so perfect sense.

[kitarae]

WMS sucks. It should be moved to Fayetteville. Why play one of our biggest rivals in a second-rate stadium? It has never made sense.

[Big Papa Satan]

Why play one of our biggest rivals in a third rate atmosphere, especially on a day where many of the students are not even on campus?

RRS blows. 

[hogninja]

Why play one of our biggest rivals in a third rate atmosphere, especially on a day where many of the students are not even on campus?

RRS blows. 

That's the entire point.  If it is played on Saturday in RRS instead of Friday in WMS, the game is just like every other game in RRS and will get the attendance.  With a buffer day between Thanksgiving and the game, it will be VERY full.  With a 4 day weekend, you need a source of entertainment which will be a very LOUD environment even without the students.  The very best thing about moving to Saturday is that it becomes a game in OUR HOUSE, with the trappings and hype of a HOME game.  Looking at our series with LSWho, it may determine the West.  Put the lesser games in LR and make the Tiggers realize that the few times they played in Fayetnam was not what it is NOW.  LR is a great atmosphere, but this game on a Saturday needs to be in NLR. JMHO    :razorback:

[Jborohog09]

Why play one of our biggest rivals in a third rate atmosphere, especially on a day where many of the students are not even on campus?

RRS blows. 

other schools play home games during Thanksgiving weekend and it doesn't seem too affect their atmospheres' with some of the students gone.

[bsking]

Why play one of our biggest rivals in a third rate atmosphere, especially on a day where many of the students are not even on campus?

RRS blows. 

Are you kidding?  Anyone who has ever been to the student section at RRS and WMS knows that Little Rock is a snooze fest.  Playing the LSU game every year in LR is just stupid.  Play the gimmes in WMS and let the crowd at RRS do its job.

[Big Papa Satan]

other schools play home games during Thanksgiving weekend and it doesn't seem too affect their atmospheres' with some of the students gone.

Other schools' home atmospheres don't suck hind teat, either.

[Big Papa Satan]

That's the entire point.  If it is played on Saturday in RRS instead of Friday in WMS, the game is just like every other game in RRS and will get the attendance.  With a buffer day between Thanksgiving and the game, it will be VERY full.  With a 4 day weekend, you need a source of entertainment which will be a very LOUD environment even without the students.  The very best thing about moving to Saturday is that it becomes a game in OUR HOUSE, with the trappings and hype of a HOME game.  Looking at our series with LSWho, it may determine the West.  Put the lesser games in LR and make the Tiggers realize that the few times they played in Fayetnam was not what it is NOW.  LR is a great atmosphere, but this game on a Saturday needs to be in NLR. JMHO    :razorback:

AYSM?  Short of Texas or Ole Dork coming to town, RRS games are a snoozefest.

Being that this game decides the West quite a bit, we need every advantage we can get - and we have that in LR.  We do not in Fayetteville.

WMS deserves at least one good game a year, and LSU should never set foot in Fayetteville.  But if it comes to that, and the LSU game is moved, then Ole Miss should have to come to LR.

[VenturaHog]

AYSM?  Short of Texas or Ole Dork coming to town, RRS games are a snoozefest.

Being that this game decides the West quite a bit, we need every advantage we can get - and we have that in LR.  We do not in Fayetteville.

WMS deserves at least one good game a year, and LSU should never set foot in Fayetteville.  But if it comes to that, and the LSU game is moved, then Ole Miss should have to come to LR.

Totally agree, and I have been to many games at both stadiums. RRS crowds suck, we need to work really hard to get it to the level that LR is at for every single game (even for games like LA Monroe).

[Big Papa Satan]

Now if RRS crowds regularly match the insanity seen at WMS games, then yeah, move LSU up there.

Can you imagine how berserk a LR crowd would be if Ole Miss came there?

[1highhog]

I actually like it on Saturday.

[thirtythree]

Last season's LSU game was my son's first razorback game. He is 8. One of the things he kept saying the whole game was, "This place is really loud." That is the same thing you hear from opposing teams and former players. They have all said there is no atmosphere like Little Rock. Taking that game from Little Rock would be a huge mistake.

[markmta33]

AYSM?  Short of Texas or Ole Dork coming to town, RRS games are a snoozefest.

Being that this game decides the West quite a bit, we need every advantage we can get - and we have that in LR.  We do not in Fayetteville.

WMS deserves at least one good game a year, and LSU should never set foot in Fayetteville.  But if it comes to that, and the LSU game is moved, then Ole Miss should have to come to LR.

ole piss at WMS would be ok with me. I never want to see hdn in Fayetteville.

[SRFL]

Why play one of our biggest rivals in a third rate atmosphere, especially on a day where many of the students are not even on campus?

RRS blows. 

Really?  So Death Valley is empty when it's their turn to host due to turkey leftovers? 

How does LSU get it done and we can't?

[OTTER]

I'm agin' it big time.  I hope the Auburn-Alabama tanks in the ratings.  Shoot, I hope both of them just tank this season!!

[The Boar War]

Really?  So Death Valley is empty when it's their turn to host due to turkey leftovers? 

How does LSU get it done and we can't?

The greater Baton Rouge area has a population of 774,327 people.  LSU's enrollment is 33,000.  The greater Fayetteville/ Springdale/ Rogers/ Bentonville area has a population of 420,876.  The UA has an enrollment of 19,000.  They simply have a bigger pool to draw from.

Besides I doubt that either WMS or RRS will be anywhere close to empty.

[SRFL]

The greater Baton Rouge area has a population of 774,327 people.  LSU's enrollment is 33,000.  The greater Fayetteville/ Springdale/ Rogers/ Bentonville area has a population of 420,876.  The UA has an enrollment of 19,000.  They simply have a bigger pool to draw from.

Besides I doubt that either WMS or RRS will be anywhere close to empty.

Maybe it's just me but those numbers hold no excuses. 

[Jborohog09]

Maybe it's just me but those numbers hold no excuses. 

I agree.

[gohogsgo006]

Now if RRS crowds regularly match the insanity seen at WMS games, then yeah, move LSU up there.

Can you imagine how berserk a LR crowd would be if Ole Miss came there?

ya, probably like 20K less than it was at Fayetteville last year

[George S. Pigton]

When most UofA kids go home for the holiday, it is a three hour drive.  Say they go home on Wed. before Thanksgiving, they are not going to drive back up the hill for the Friday game and then have two days to
kill.  Moving it to Sat. gives them something to do and then only a day to kill before class starts up again
on Monday.  I don't see that as a problem now.

RRS can be a great atmosphere, Texas, USC, Tenn., and then Ole Miss last year.  I think the crowd is coming
around and it is time LSU played a game on our campus.  I like WMS but we just need to play the non-conf. games
down there.

[SemperHawg]

I hate the LSU game being in LR, it feels like since 2000 there have progressively been more and more LSU fans at this game.  If we have to leave a big game in LR so be it, but lets at least make it one where the opposing team has to travel a little further, why not do the USC-E game in LR when we play them?

[GuvHog]

The greater Baton Rouge area has a population of 774,327 people.  LSU's enrollment is 33,000.  The greater Fayetteville/ Springdale/ Rogers/ Bentonville area has a population of 420,876.  The UA has an enrollment of 19,000.  They simply have a bigger pool to draw from.

Besides I doubt that either WMS or RRS will be anywhere close to empty.

The fact is this: Once the powers that be are convinced that (A) The students will
come back early for a game the Saturday after Thanksgiving and (B) that the people
will come from all over the state to fill the stadium on that day, they will move it to
Fayetteville. However, after trying it once and having a total disaster occur, they
will be extremely difficult to convince. I realize that one disaster occurred  a long
time ago but I'm not the one that must be convinced IMO.

[Simple Swineman]

The fact is this: Once the powers that be are convinced that (A) The students will
come back early for a game the Saturday after Thanksgiving and (B) that the people
will come from all over the state to fill the stadium on that day, they will move it to
Fayetteville. However, after trying it once and having a total disaster occur, they
will be extremely difficult to convince. I realize that one disaster occurred  a long
time ago but I'm not the one that must be convinced IMO.

The stadium would be full unless both teams really sucked and there was absolutely nothing on the line and no bowl to play for. But there is absolutely no way there would ever be less than 55,000 in Fayetteville unless there was some natural disaster like an ice storm.

I say we play one non-conference game and rotate the Mississippi schools in Little Rock each year. Everything else in Fayetteville.

[gohogsgo006]

If we all put on our thinking caps, and actually think about the LSU game in Little Rock, and how our "top of the line" facilities are NOT being used/seen by recruits against a annual BCS contender, we might come to the conclusion that having the LSU game in Little Rock makes little to no sense

[GuvHog]

The stadium would be full unless both teams really sucked and there was absolutely nothing on the line and no bowl to play for. But there is absolutely no way there would ever be less than 55,000 in Fayetteville unless there was some natural disaster like an ice storm.

I say we play one non-conference game and rotate the Mississippi schools in Little Rock each year. Everything else in Fayetteville.

I'm in favor of moving that Saturday LSU game to Fayetteville but i'll tell you
this: If they do move tha game to Fayetteville one year, these big talkers that
swear it'll be packed had better be prepared because if the students don't
come back early and the attendence does a Fozzberry flop (less than 60,000)
you'll never see that game in Fayetteville again. If than fans truely want this
game in Fayetteville, they'll have to put their money where their mouth is, convince
the powers that be that the stadium will be packed, buy the tickets, and put butts
in those 70,000+ seats.

[gohogsgo006]

I'm in favor of moving that Saturday LSU game to Fayetteville but i'll tell you
this: If they do move tha game to Fayetteville one year, these big talkers that
swear it'll be packed had better be prepared because if the students don't
come back early and the attendence does a Fozzberry flop (less than 60,000)
you'll never see that game in Fayetteville again. If than fans truely want this
game in Fayetteville, they'll have to put their money where their mouth is, convince
the powers that be that the stadium will be packed, buy the tickets, and put butts
in those 70,000+ seats.

Students only make up a portion of the seats, and anyways they are doing the "if students dont pick up their tickets, we're selling them" starting this year, so the whole "students are out  of town" bs stops there.

Fayetteville would easily get 55,000 (to match WMS, and would most likely get much more than that)

[Simple Swineman]

I'm in favor of moving that Saturday LSU game to Fayetteville but i'll tell you
this: If they do move tha game to Fayetteville one year, these big talkers that
swear it'll be packed had better be prepared because if the students don't
come back early and the attendence does a Fozzberry flop (less than 60,000)
you'll never see that game in Fayetteville again. If than fans truely want this
game in Fayetteville, they'll have to put their money where their mouth is, convince
the powers that be that the stadium will be packed, buy the tickets, and put butts
in those 70,000+ seats.

The tickets will be sold no matter what. They will sell out before the season starts. Butts in the seats will depend on how the team is doing as always.

[SemperHawg]

I'm in favor of moving that Saturday LSU game to Fayetteville but i'll tell you
this: If they do move tha game to Fayetteville one year, these big talkers that
swear it'll be packed had better be prepared because if the students don't
come back early and the attendence does a Fozzberry flop (less than 60,000)
you'll never see that game in Fayetteville again. If than fans truely want this
game in Fayetteville, they'll have to put their money where their mouth is, convince
the powers that be that the stadium will be packed, buy the tickets, and put butts
in those 70,000+ seats.

Since 2005 this game has been decided by a touchdown or less, and except for last year, either one or both teams have been ranked going into this game with something on the line.  If this trend continues there will be no problem filling the stadium, students or no students.

[GuvHog]

Students only make up a portion of the seats, and anyways they are doing the "if students dont pick up their tickets, we're selling them" starting this year, so the whole "students are out  of town" bs stops there.

Fayetteville would easily get 55,000 (to match WMS, and would most likely get much more than that)

No it dosen't stop there. With the excitement created by the number of returning starters
plus Ryan Mallett, the students will buy season tickets just to make sure they get the games
they want and attend those games leaving the seat empty for others, plus they'll be other
season ticket holders who are enjoying the holiday weekend with relatives and will choose
not to make the trip. I would hope the attendence would be 70,000+ but IMO if it is below
60,000, they'll move it back to WMS. Less that 60,000 in a 73,000+ seat stadium on
national television would be embarrassing.

[gohogsgo006]

No it dosen't stop there. With the excitement created by the number of returning starters
plus Ryan Mallett, the students will buy season tickets just to make sure they get the games
they want and attend those games leaving the seat empty for others, plus they'll be other
season ticket holders who are enjoying the holiday weekend with relatives and will choose
not to make the trip. I would hope the attendence would be 70,000+ but IMO if it is below
60,000, they'll move it back to WMS. Less that 60,000 in a 73,000+ seat stadium on
national television would be embarrassing.

i know what you are saying, but are they not selling student tickets that are not picked up the week before the game?  I thought that went into effect this year

[iCalledThatHogBrotha!]

ole piss at WMS would be ok with me. I never want to see hdn in Fayetteville.

Haha.  Put hootie in LR so we can see his face when he gets booed by his hometown.

[GuvHog]

i know what you are saying, but are they not selling student tickets that are not picked up the week before the game?  I thought that went into effect this year

Up until now, the portable bleachers in the South enzone were Student seating only but this
year are likely to be made available to the public if the students don't buy them. I don't
know about the seating in the section where the band sits.