Switching from a normal conference to the SEC was the worst thing . . .

[Brand X Hog Fan]

Not total domination but we were competitive. Is it where I want to be year in and year out? YES!

That's a better attitude to have.  Too many people still expect us to dominate the SEC like Arkansas did in the SWC, and it's simply not put.  This program was one of the most successful in the entire nation this year, yet, many are still completely dissatisfied.

Most were STUNNED and ecstatic to win 10 last year.  They just hate the notion that a morally bankrupt megalomaniac will run through the A on Sept. 1 with his middle finger in the air.

If my kid brings home a "C" and I know that he is capable of making a "B" then I will not be happy with that C.  We shouldn't be just happy because we didn't stink this year in football...we need to make sure that we can and will reach our potential every year.  We have yet to do that in 9 years.  HdN alone cost us three loses a year.  I hate losing.

I am with you, Unk. Like I said in my original post, I don't think the leadership of the football team is capable of enabling the team to reach TRUE potential every year unless changes are made. Going back to JFB's Dallas Debacle, mediocrity is the projected and expected benchmark for the PTB. That is frustrating. To tie this all in to the original premise of the thread, with this attitude of the PTB, the conference we are in is relative. Lesser conference equals lower quality recruits equals less revenue, but the benchmark mindset remains constant.

[NWASooner]

Georgia, below average?  When is the last time we beat them?  

They were below average last year.  They were awful for a good part of the season.

they finished with like 9 wins in the SEC!  That's pretty damn good.

They should have lost to a bad Colorado team at home, did lose to a bad Vandy team, and beat a bad Ole Miss team 14-9.  They also gave up 51 to an average Tennessee team before losing to Kentucky.  They did beat Auburn who never really was that good.

Color me unimpressed.

[zebra]

"Welcome to the 90's Mr. Banks"

Best move we ever made was leaving the SWC, for the SEC.  Yes the competition is better, but I would much rather see good competition every week, than pay my money for games with Rice, Baylor, SMU, etc...........

[tmp]

The worst thing about being in the SEC is it has made Arkansas fans and evidently the powers-that-be in fayetteville accept mediocrity, and accept it all too willingly.

It's probably true you can't dominate this league.

But if everybody is ok with being average, that's where they'll stay.

[cosmodrum]

I actually like the Hogs being in the SEC much better than the SWC.

Yup. Save Texass, I'd rather play almost all of the SEC teams over all of the SWC/Big 12 teams.

[BrooklynRoss]

If I had that attitude I would still be working at a gas station.

[Robby H]

In the SEC, NO ONE, dominates year in and year out.  Yeah, many will say, well "Arkansas never dominates", but no one else demands domination like Arkansas fans, except maybe Florida.  According to everyone but it's own fans, Arkansas has had "consistent success" in football, above average success in basketball lately, a solid baseball program, and of course the best track program in the nation.

You're right, we aren't going to dominate the sec every year. No one is.
We had the team to do it in '03, and nutt fricked it up.
We had the team to win the national title, or at least get there, just last year.
Nutt threw that chance away over a high school coach and a high school player that called him a dork. For that, houston dale nutt threw away the best shot we've ever had at a national title.
Over "high school" and "dork".
Winning means nothing to houston dale nutt. He doesn't want to win.

I disagree, he wants to win, but only on his terms. And here's the real kick in the pants and one of the things that The Nutt has failed to realize: that by winning the head coach gets a lot of the praise. Bobby Bowden constantly has had assistants under him that were great and went on to be head coaches elsewhere. That doesn't diminish what Coach Bowden has done. If anything it has strengthened his place as one of the best College Football Coaches of all time. When was the last time we had an assistant under The Nutt go be a D-1 head coach somewhere else?

[tolerati]

I prefer the SEC to SWC. The SWC was very biased with Arkansas being the only non-Texas school in the conference...so the SWC was not a normal conference...it was a Texas conference with Arkansas added to it. I for one am not afraid of the competition of the SEC. Arkansas has had stronger overall football teams since being a member of the SEC. The future is bright for the Hogs once things settle down. Arkansas will be fine in the SEC and an SEC title in football will come all in due time.

[mword]

If the SWC was still in existence, and Arkansas was still in it, we'd have one team worth playing and that is Texas. We'd probably never see the Top 25 since the rest of the teams that was in that conference was average or losers. It was definitely good move to SEC.

[sharks89]

Poor lil' Arkansas.

  

this is the age old DTS mantra which is being repeated in this post.

This is a key difference in fan mentalities.
Some see being in the best conference in the world as a bad thing, some insurmountable obstacle that should make us happy with being a mediocre program. Hence the "poor lil arkansas".
Other fans see this as a great opportunity to face the greatest competition and prove ourselves the best against the best. This issue has been hashed and rehashed a million times here, it still comes down to seeing the glass half full or half empty, wether you believe we can be the best program in the world or you believe we can't and that we should be happy because we're a tad better than the hatfield years.

Take this years team and 98/99 team under Hatfield and Kenny likely bests Nutt - That Team was solid all around and reasonably diverse in the Offensive mix.
Take last year's team with Kenny's staff and you have a shot at the N/C. 

Overall, I go with the P.M.A. - I think we CAN be the best program in the world.
Realitically, I don't think we will be the Best in Conferece year in and year out (no one will dominate the SEC) but should win the West every few years and win the conference every 5 -7 and a N/C shot every 10.

The move to the SEC was a very smart move and I am happy we are here (I would be happier w/o Nutt).

[sharks89]

If the SWC was still in existence, and Arkansas was still in it, we'd have one team worth playing and that is Texas. We'd probably never see the Top 25 since the rest of the teams that was in that conference was average or losers. It was definitely good move to SEC.

Agreed. Many of those teams dropped off.
Hatfield had us in the top 15 all but 2 years he was here.
I doubt we would have the SOS to make the rankings now unless we were highly ranked to start.

[cresentcitycouchon]

it was soo bad that : we won a nat'l title in'94 in basketball, went to the college world series, and appeared in the SEC championship 3 times in football. Not t o mention, we're continuing to win some national titles in track as well. We also: expanded the football stadium, built a new basketball area, baseball stadium, and track while being members...just terrible!!

[arkjay19]

it was soo bad that : we won a nat'l title in'94 in basketball, went to the college world series, and appeared in the SEC championship 3 times in football. Not t o mention, we're continuing to win some national titles in track as well. We also: expanded the football stadium, built a new basketball area, baseball stadium, and track while being members...just terrible!!

Exactly, then why are the fans constantly disappointed and pissed off?

[Mr. Hog]

Wrong !

[RazorRaider]

it was soo bad that : we won a nat'l title in'94 in basketball, went to the college world series, and appeared in the SEC championship 3 times in football. Not t o mention, we're continuing to win some national titles in track as well. We also: expanded the football stadium, built a new basketball area, baseball stadium, and track while being members...just terrible!!

Exactly, then why are the fans constantly disappointed and pissed off?

Because Nutt sucks that is why.