Why doesn't Arkansas play ASU?? POLL

[War Warthog]

ASU played Lyon and Arkansas Tech last year in basketball.

Women's basketball played Arkansas-Monticello and Arkansas Tech.

We won't even play them in basketball, much less baseball or volleyball.

[Albert Einswine]

Ok, you asked for it:

ASU's yearly W-L record since 1990:

90: 3-7-1
91: 1-10
92: 2-9
93: 2-8-1
94: 1-10
95: 6-5
96: 4-7
97: 2-9
98: 4-8
99: 4-7
00: 1-10
01: 2-9
02: 6-7
03: 5-7
04: 3-8
05: 6-6
06: 6-6

Not a step up from any of the teams we play this year out of conference....

this is why the pigs are afraid of playing them

http://www.jhowell.net/cf/cf1975.htm

That is hilarious!!!  Do you honestly believe that ASU could have beaten either Arkansas or Texas that year?

Please answer truthfully.

Here is ASU's powerhouse schedule for the '75 season.

[Pigeoneer]

there are more reasons not to play them than to play them.  Why try to help a team whose goal is to get as many fans & money from you as possible?  The idea of keeping the money in state makes no sense because asu can bring as much or more money back into the state by playing an out of state school.  ASU would be sky high for a game with us. If they got close they would act like it was a win &.  If we beat the crap out of them then a lot of people would feel sorry for them.  The best reason not to play them is because a lot of people who went to asu are hog fans who give money to the RF & go to Razorback games.  If we started playing ASU those people would have to choose.  Ark is small enough as it is. Why lose even one fan or one dollar to help a team try to give you competition in state. It would be better for the UA if asu just went back to being 1AA or D2.  It would be better for asu too.  It would save them money.

[War Warthog]

there are more reasons not to play them than to play them.  Why try to help a team whose goal is to get as many fans & money from you as possible?  The idea of keeping the money in state makes no sense because asu can bring as much or more money back into the state by playing an out of state school.  ASU would be sky high for a game with us. If they got close they would act like it was a win &.  If we beat the crap out of them then a lot of people would feel sorry for them.  The best reason not to play them is because a lot of people who went to asu are hog fans who give money to the RF & go to Razorback games.  If we started playing ASU those people would have to choose.  Ark is small enough as it is. Why lose even one fan or one dollar to help a team try to give you competition in state. It would be better for the UA if asu just went back to being 1AA or D2.  It would be better for asu too.  It would save them money.

By that reasoning, we should fire coach-for-life. We've lost at least one dollar due to that charlie-foxtrot.

[ckf06001]

Yes Arkansas should play them but honestly its ASU no one really cares unless you are an asu fan. Arkansas does not need to play any Sun Belt teams. The schedule this year is terrible i would rather see them play a ranked team a loose than blow out ASU theres not even a chance they could come close. At least Arkansas can compete and possibly upset a great team

["Pickled" Pig's Pete]

The best reason not to play them is because a lot of people who went to asu are hog fans who give money to the RF & go to Razorback games.  If we started playing ASU those people would have to choose.

As I mentioned on another thread, 1993 graduate and Lifetime Member of the ASU Alumni Association who has been a Razorback fan since before enrolling at ASU.  Why would I, or any other Razorback fan have to choose if the Hogs started playing ASU?  I went to ASU for an education, not to support athletics.

If Arkansas and ASU were to ever play, I would be yelling at the top of my lungs for the Hogs.  I suspect the vast majority of ASU alumni that support the Razorbacks financially will continue to do so, even if the 2 schools were to play.

[gomersnerd]

More folks than me thought it. Some powerful fellows on the hill must have thought so too.

[ckf06001]

Thats a great point rampage most of the students at ASU are Razorback fans before they are asu

[Albert Einswine]

More folks than me thought it. Some powerful fellows on the hill must have thought so too.

Yeah, I guess that's why we tromped Georgia 31-10 in the Cotton Bowl that season and ASU didn't even get a bowl invitation.


Another thing, why wasn't ASU ranked in '75?  That's right, they've never been ranked in a final major college poll.  NEVER!

Arkansas finished the '75 season ranked 7th in the AP and 6th in the coaches.

http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/sec/arkansas/in_the_polls.php

[Pigeoneer]

Why is Mark Lericos, a Hogville moderator for the "Hogville.net > Razorback Discussion > Monday Morning Quarterback" forum pushing ASU's agenda?

Or quoting from other boards?

   HKS posts here as well, so do you.  And your comments on that board Albert are very similar to the ones you post there. Strange?   

Not strange at all.  You haven't answered the question of why you're pushing ASU's agenda.  Has it anything at all to do with you being a graduate of a fellow Sun Belt school?

I've already said I'm no longer opposed to playing the game.  I'm just not on board with playing it under terms and conditions that best suit ASU's agenda.

What is all this about pushing their agenda!!??  Have I said they need to play in Little Rock?  Or a home and home series?  Or every year?  Or split the ticket sales!? 

Albert, listen to me, I am saying there is no reason the two schools shouldn't play each other. It's silly. Whether it's all the time (so the Hogs have a consistent "rival" game) or every 3 or 4 years as a change of pace. I don't care honestly. I get paid regardless of what game I cover.... but the concept of ignoring ASU seems strange.

  So where is the agenda? 


I'll one up the topic... doesn't have to be ASU, it could be UCA every few years as a Div 1-AA opponent. The hogs already did with ut-Chattanooga... and the Bears are a good team. So now the ASU agenda is off the table completely.

You're not a Razorback fan so it's simply about one week's excitement to you.  As a Razorback fan, I get all the excitement I need when we play Tenn, Aub, Bama & the rest of the SEC.  Rent a win games are just that.  They're games you play where you don't have to spend any effort or emotion to beat an easy opponent.  They are also good games to let second & third teams get a lot more PT.  ASU doesn't bring anything to the table except the claim they'd be more exciting to play than UT-Chat.  Big Deal.  Who needs it when you've got the SEC schedule?  John Barnhill & other coaches used to say a team only has so much emotion to use a year & you don't want to use it up early.  I don't want our players or fans to waste energy getting excited about ASU.  Everyone needs to save it for a game that matters.  It'd be real exciting for ASU fans until the score got to be about 50-0.  Then they'd bitch because we ran up the score & sports fans like you would feel sorry for them.  We don't need that.  If the game was close it'd be a big moral victory for them.  If somehow they did win because they played lights out & we played bad then it might give them the push they'd need to hurt us in fans, recruiting, & money.  Why is this good for the UA?

Besides, I get a lot more entertainment watching them throw fits & try to get attention than I would ever get watching them play football.  Nobody else wants to watch them either or they would at least have their little stadium half full at least half the time.

[gomersnerd]

More folks than me thought it. Some powerful fellows on the hill must have thought so too.

Politics. Still doesn't mean they wouldn't have won. Fear kept and still keeps it from happening.




Yeah, I guess that's why we tromped Georgia 31-10 in the Cotton Bowl that season and ASU didn't even get a bowl invitation.


Another thing, why wasn't ASU ranked in '75?  That's right, they've never been ranked in a final major college poll.  NEVER!

Arkansas finished the '75 season ranked 7th in the AP and 6th in the coaches.

http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/sec/arkansas/in_the_polls.php

[Mark Lericos]

Why is Mark Lericos, a Hogville moderator for the "Hogville.net > Razorback Discussion > Monday Morning Quarterback" forum pushing ASU's agenda?

Or quoting from other boards?

   HKS posts here as well, so do you.  And your comments on that board Albert are very similar to the ones you post there. Strange?   

Not strange at all.  You haven't answered the question of why you're pushing ASU's agenda.  Has it anything at all to do with you being a graduate of a fellow Sun Belt school?

I've already said I'm no longer opposed to playing the game.  I'm just not on board with playing it under terms and conditions that best suit ASU's agenda.

What is all this about pushing their agenda!!??  Have I said they need to play in Little Rock?  Or a home and home series?  Or every year?  Or split the ticket sales!? 

Albert, listen to me, I am saying there is no reason the two schools shouldn't play each other. It's silly. Whether it's all the time (so the Hogs have a consistent "rival" game) or every 3 or 4 years as a change of pace. I don't care honestly. I get paid regardless of what game I cover.... but the concept of ignoring ASU seems strange.

  So where is the agenda? 


I'll one up the topic... doesn't have to be ASU, it could be UCA every few years as a Div 1-AA opponent. The hogs already did with ut-Chattanooga... and the Bears are a good team. So now the ASU agenda is off the table completely.

You're not a Razorback fan so it's simply about one week's excitement to you.  As a Razorback fan, I get all the excitement I need when we play Tenn, Aub, Bama & the rest of the SEC.  Rent a win games are just that.  They're games you play where you don't have to spend any effort or emotion to beat an easy opponent.  They are also good games to let second & third teams get a lot more PT.  ASU doesn't bring anything to the table except the claim they'd be more exciting to play than UT-Chat.  Big Deal.  Who needs it when you've got the SEC schedule?  John Barnhill & other coaches used to say a team only has so much emotion to use a year & you don't want to use it up early.  I don't want our players or fans to waste energy getting excited about ASU.  Everyone needs to save it for a game that matters.  It'd be real exciting for ASU fans until the score got to be about 50-0.  Then they'd bitch because we ran up the score & sports fans like you would feel sorry for them.  We don't need that.  If the game was close it'd be a big moral victory for them.  If somehow they did win because they played lights out & we played bad then it might give them the push they'd need to hurt us in fans, recruiting, & money.  Why is this good for the UA?

Besides, I get a lot more entertainment watching them throw fits & try to get attention than I would ever get watching them play football.  Nobody else wants to watch them either or they would at least have their little stadium half full at least half the time.

  You might have the SEC schedule, but 4 of them are away, and 4 are cupcakes. 4 as in, 1/3 of the Hogs schedule, so calculate the price for season tickets, and find out how much per patsy that comes out to.
   The point being, even if it's not ASU, Arkansas should try to schedule an interesting non-conference win for the fans sake. Maybe regional, like Missouri, or memphis, or perhaps UCA, or Tulsa. Instead of throwaways like UT_Chatty and FLA int'l.  Watching a team get blown out by 50 gets old around halftime, and then it's just boring. Read: UL Monroe.

   But if the fans are ok with it, it's no biggie. You're right, I don't pay the money. My opinion was if it WAS my money, i'd ask the simple question, "Can we not do better in the scheduling?"

[MichaelT.]

Cause F.B. and Nutty boy couldn't handle getting their ARSE's handed to them by Steve Roberts.

[Pigeoneer]

Why is Mark Lericos, a Hogville moderator for the "Hogville.net > Razorback Discussion > Monday Morning Quarterback" forum pushing ASU's agenda?

Or quoting from other boards?

   HKS posts here as well, so do you.  And your comments on that board Albert are very similar to the ones you post there. Strange?   

Not strange at all.  You haven't answered the question of why you're pushing ASU's agenda.  Has it anything at all to do with you being a graduate of a fellow Sun Belt school?

I've already said I'm no longer opposed to playing the game.  I'm just not on board with playing it under terms and conditions that best suit ASU's agenda.

What is all this about pushing their agenda!!??  Have I said they need to play in Little Rock?  Or a home and home series?  Or every year?  Or split the ticket sales!? 

Albert, listen to me, I am saying there is no reason the two schools shouldn't play each other. It's silly. Whether it's all the time (so the Hogs have a consistent "rival" game) or every 3 or 4 years as a change of pace. I don't care honestly. I get paid regardless of what game I cover.... but the concept of ignoring ASU seems strange.

  So where is the agenda? 


I'll one up the topic... doesn't have to be ASU, it could be UCA every few years as a Div 1-AA opponent. The hogs already did with ut-Chattanooga... and the Bears are a good team. So now the ASU agenda is off the table completely.

You're not a Razorback fan so it's simply about one week's excitement to you.  As a Razorback fan, I get all the excitement I need when we play Tenn, Aub, Bama & the rest of the SEC.  Rent a win games are just that.  They're games you play where you don't have to spend any effort or emotion to beat an easy opponent.  They are also good games to let second & third teams get a lot more PT.  ASU doesn't bring anything to the table except the claim they'd be more exciting to play than UT-Chat.  Big Deal.  Who needs it when you've got the SEC schedule?  John Barnhill & other coaches used to say a team only has so much emotion to use a year & you don't want to use it up early.  I don't want our players or fans to waste energy getting excited about ASU.  Everyone needs to save it for a game that matters.  It'd be real exciting for ASU fans until the score got to be about 50-0.  Then they'd bitch because we ran up the score & sports fans like you would feel sorry for them.  We don't need that.  If the game was close it'd be a big moral victory for them.  If somehow they did win because they played lights out & we played bad then it might give them the push they'd need to hurt us in fans, recruiting, & money.  Why is this good for the UA?

Besides, I get a lot more entertainment watching them throw fits & try to get attention than I would ever get watching them play football.  Nobody else wants to watch them either or they would at least have their little stadium half full at least half the time.

  You might have the SEC schedule, but 4 of them are away, and 4 are cupcakes. 4 as in, 1/3 of the Hogs schedule, so calculate the price for season tickets, and find out how much per patsy that comes out to.
   The point being, even if it's not ASU, Arkansas should try to schedule an interesting non-conference win for the fans sake. Maybe regional, like Missouri, or memphis, or perhaps UCA, or Tulsa. Instead of throwaways like UT_Chatty and FLA int'l.  Watching a team get blown out by 50 gets old around halftime, and then it's just boring. Read: UL Monroe.

   But if the fans are ok with it, it's no biggie. You're right, I don't pay the money. My opinion was if it WAS my money, i'd ask the simple question, "Can we not do better in the scheduling?"

Its not like we don't play a tough non-conf schedule most of the time.  Last year was the first 12 game schedule & we opened with USC.  The last 4 years we played Texas & USC.  Next year we've got Texas home & home again.  Then we have TCU for home & home.  That leaves just 3 patsy games.  When you play 9 tough games you need 3 patsies.  ASU would probably be a patsy but it would be one who would treat it like their super bowl.  Nobody outside Ark would care one bit about us playing ASU & it wouldnt add anything to our SOS.

[Pigeoneer]

Cause F.B. and Nutty boy couldn't handle getting their ARSE's handed to them by Steve Roberts.

Like he did to those power houses SMU, MTSU & Fla Int'l last year? 

[Albert Einswine]

More folks than me thought it. Some powerful fellows on the hill must have thought so too.

Yeah, I guess that's why we tromped Georgia 31-10 in the Cotton Bowl that season and ASU didn't even get a bowl invitation.


Another thing, why wasn't ASU ranked in '75?  That's right, they've never been ranked in a final major college poll.  NEVER!

Arkansas finished the '75 season ranked 7th in the AP and 6th in the coaches.

http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/sec/arkansas/in_the_polls.php

Politics. Still doesn't mean they wouldn't have won. Fear kept and still keeps it from happening.

ASU had a great year in '75.  An undefeated season is a rare thing, but the two toughest teams they played were Memphis St. and Cincinnati, hardly murderers row.

That's not politics, that's a weak schedule.  ASU was rewarded accordingly.

[CheeZ_PuFF]

Arkansas should play Arkansas State. However, the games should always be played on Arkansas' home field just like the other Sun Belt schools.

wow, i have to agree with you on this. I would think that 75% of Arkansas would like to see this game. Even if its every 2-3 years.

[Mark Lericos]

Arkansas should play Arkansas State. However, the games should always be played on Arkansas' home field just like the other Sun Belt schools.

wow, i have to agree with you on this. I would think that 75% of Arkansas would like to see this game. Even if its every 2-3 years.

  You know it's funny... I started this thread... and 2 days, 5 pages of posts later... the conclusion is pretty simple.
 
   a bunch of people wouldn't mind seeing the matchup, a bunch couldn't care less and don't think it would help.   I guess we'll call it a draw, and I'll call it a day.

   Tip of the cap to everyone and their opinions. by the way, troy will win the opener.   

[Moonshine Pond]

 

[Albert Einswine]

Arkansas should play Arkansas State. However, the games should always be played on Arkansas' home field just like the other Sun Belt schools.

wow, i have to agree with you on this. I would think that 75% of Arkansas would like to see this game. Even if its every 2-3 years.

  You know it's funny... I started this thread... and 2 days, 5 pages of posts later... the conclusion is pretty simple.
 
   a bunch of people wouldn't mind seeing the matchup, a bunch couldn't care less and don't think it would help.   I guess we'll call it a draw, and I'll call it a day.

   Tip of the cap to everyone and their opinions. by the way, troy will win the opener.  

That's highly unlikely and would be very unfortunate were it to occur save for one thing, it would most assuredly seal the doom of one Houston Dale Nutt.

[Lady Hawg Buff]

So, when Broyles became the AD, he promised his former AD, this would never happen, the U of A playing against other Arkansas teams, and according to Broyles, this is why.  Question is, how many promises is the the new AD going to have to make (from Broyles) to get the job?  Guarantee you, it'll be in a ink, signed off!!

[grayhawg]

Arkansas should play Arkansas State. However, the games should always be played on Arkansas' home field just like the other Sun Belt schools.

wow, i have to agree with you on this. I would think that 75% of Arkansas would like to see this game. Even if its every 2-3 years.

  You know it's funny... I started this thread... and 2 days, 5 pages of posts later... the conclusion is pretty simple.
 
   a bunch of people wouldn't mind seeing the matchup, a bunch couldn't care less and don't think it would help.   I guess we'll call it a draw, and I'll call it a day.

   Tip of the cap to everyone and their opinions. by the way, troy will win the opener.  

That will be a tough one for you Mark.

[astate]

From reading the post this is the conclusion:

ua is AFRAID that playing asu will hurt in-state recruiting.
ua is AFRAID that playing asu will hurt funding.
ua is AFRAID that playing asu will hurt the power rating.
ua is AFRAID that playing asu can only hurt and not help.

I am beginning to see a pattern here.  UA IS AFRAID.

END OF DISCUSSION

[Albert Einswine]

From reading the post this is the conclusion:

ua is AFRAID that playing asu will hurt in-state recruiting.
ua is AFRAID that playing asu will hurt funding.
ua is AFRAID that playing asu will hurt the power rating.
ua is AFRAID that playing asu can only hurt and not help.

I am beginning to see a pattern here.  UA IS AFRAID.

END OF DISCUSSION

I'm not afraid of anything you listed. 

["Pickled" Pig's Pete]

From reading the post this is the conclusion:

ua is AFRAID that playing asu will hurt in-state recruiting.
ua is AFRAID that playing asu will hurt funding.
ua is AFRAID that playing asu will hurt the power rating.
ua is AFRAID that playing asu can only hurt and not help.

I am beginning to see a pattern here.  UA IS AFRAID.

END OF DISCUSSION

Nice try, but no.

Your only statement close to being correct is "ua is AFRAID that playing asu can only hurt and not help."   Plain and simple, Arkansas has nothing to gain by playing ASU.

If such time ever comes when ASU is relevant in the college sporting world and the Razorbacks continue to refuse to play them, then and only then can you talk of Arkansas being afraid.  Until then, ASU is nothing more than a gnat buzzing around the Razorbacks' head.

[Kicking Wing]

From reading the post this is the conclusion:

ua is AFRAID that playing asu will hurt in-state recruiting.
ua is AFRAID that playing asu will hurt funding.
ua is AFRAID that playing asu will hurt the power rating.
ua is AFRAID that playing asu can only hurt and not help.

I am beginning to see a pattern here.  UA IS AFRAID.

END OF DISCUSSION

Nice try, but no.

Your only statement close to being correct is "ua is AFRAID that playing asu can only hurt and not help."   Plain and simple, Arkansas has nothing to gain by playing ASU.

If such time ever comes when ASU is relevant in the college sporting world and the Razorbacks continue to refuse to play them, then and only then can you talk of Arkansas being afraid.  Until then, ASU is nothing more than a gnat buzzing around the Razorbacks' head.

The fact that people buy that ridiculous argument just astonishes me.  What do you gain by playing ULM, UNT, Troy and UT-Chatanooga?  I am not asking what you might lose, but what you gain since some say there is nothing to gain by playing ASU.

It won't make a big difference in any way other than for one afternoon we would see a game that more people would enjoy seeing than they would Ua vs. ULM or ASU v. Tennessee.

In the grand scheme it wouldn't help or harm either team.

[NEastArkie]

From reading the post this is the conclusion:

ua is AFRAID that playing asu will hurt in-state recruiting.
ua is AFRAID that playing asu will hurt funding.
ua is AFRAID that playing asu will hurt the power rating.
ua is AFRAID that playing asu can only hurt and not help.

I am beginning to see a pattern here.  UA IS AFRAID.

END OF DISCUSSION

Nice try, but no.

Your only statement close to being correct is "ua is AFRAID that playing asu can only hurt and not help."   Plain and simple, Arkansas has nothing to gain by playing ASU.

If such time ever comes when ASU is relevant in the college sporting world and the Razorbacks continue to refuse to play them, then and only then can you talk of Arkansas being afraid.  Until then, ASU is nothing more than a gnat buzzing around the Razorbacks' head.

The fact that people buy that ridiculous argument just astonishes me.  What do you gain by playing ULM, UNT, Troy and UT-Chatanooga?  I am not asking what you might lose, but what you gain since some say there is nothing to gain by playing ASU.

It won't make a big difference in any way other than for one afternoon we would see a game that more people would enjoy seeing than they would Ua vs. ULM or ASU v. Tennessee.

In the grand scheme it wouldn't help or harm either team.

One thing we gain from those games is a relaxing win where we don't have to worry about offending people who want to support all Arkansas schools if we win by 60 points.  We also gain a home game and the accompanying large profit without any risk that the rent-a-win will want a home/home or anything of that nature.  As another poster pointed out, we also gain a win that doesn't require our players to spend much emotion they should save for SEC games or name OC opponents.  No intrastate game can offer the same ease.  That's especially true when you consider that ASU would treat the game as a national championship game.  Since you only asked what we gain, I won't go any further with my response.

If in the grand scheme of things it wouldn't help or harm either team, I don't understand why so many ASU fans are pushing so hard for it.  Since it doesn't help or harm ASU (or the UA), I'm sure we can agree it shouldn't concern anyone that the UA continues what it considers is best for it. 

[astate]

One thing we gain from those games is a relaxing win where we don't have to worry about offending people who want to support all Arkansas schools if we win by 60 points.  We also gain a home game and the accompanying large profit without any risk that the rent-a-win will want a home/home or anything of that nature.  As another poster pointed out, we also gain a win that doesn't require our players to spend much emotion they should save for SEC games or name OC opponents.  No intrastate game can offer the same ease.  That's especially true when you consider that ASU would treat the game as a national championship game.  Since you only asked what we gain, I won't go any further with my response.

If in the grand scheme of things it wouldn't help or harm either team, I don't understand why so many ASU fans are pushing so hard for it.  Since it doesn't help or harm ASU (or the UA), I'm sure we can agree it shouldn't concern anyone that the UA continues what it considers is best for it. 
[/quote]

My mistake.   I can add to the discussion:

ua is AFRAID to offend asu by beating them by a large margin.
ua is AFRAID that asu will want a home/home arrangement.
ua is AFRAID that they will have to waste valuable emotion on a game with asu.
ua is AFRAID of what can happen if asu treats the game as a national championship game.

Even with your clarification I keep coming to the same conclusion.  UA IS AFRAID.

[astate]

A true competitor will play anybody.

[Albert Einswine]

One thing we gain from those games is a relaxing win where we don't have to worry about offending people who want to support all Arkansas schools if we win by 60 points.  We also gain a home game and the accompanying large profit without any risk that the rent-a-win will want a home/home or anything of that nature.  As another poster pointed out, we also gain a win that doesn't require our players to spend much emotion they should save for SEC games or name OC opponents.  No intrastate game can offer the same ease.  That's especially true when you consider that ASU would treat the game as a national championship game.  Since you only asked what we gain, I won't go any further with my response.

If in the grand scheme of things it wouldn't help or harm either team, I don't understand why so many ASU fans are pushing so hard for it.  Since it doesn't help or harm ASU (or the UA), I'm sure we can agree it shouldn't concern anyone that the UA continues what it considers is best for it. 

My mistake.   I can add to the discussion:

ua is AFRAID to offend asu by beating them by a large margin.
ua is AFRAID that asu will want a home/home arrangement.
ua is AFRAID that they will have to waste valuable emotion on a game with asu.
ua is AFRAID of what can happen if asu treats the game as a national championship game.

Even with your clarification I keep coming to the same conclusion.  UA IS AFRAID.

I've come to the conclusion that you're an obnoxious ass and a lousy guest.  You epitomize the reason so many Hog fans want nothing to do with giving ASU charity.

[astate]

I have not stated one thing on this thread that has not been stated by a previous post as an excuse why the ua won't play the game.   Albert epitomizes why so many asu fans don't like the hogs.   ua thinks they are superior to every other university in the state in every area.  The attitude of the ua is that agreeing to play asu is "charity" because the ua is great and everybody else should lick their shoes. 

["Pickled" Pig's Pete]

A true competitor will play anybody.

Not true.  A true competitor may be willing to play anybody, but that doesn't mean they will.

ASU doesn't play their schedule because they are competitors, they play their schedule to prostitute themselves for money.  Without the big paychecks that come with getting their teeth kicked-in by the big name programs, the rest of ASU's athletic programs couldn't make it.  I can promise you, if given a choice, Steve Roberts wouldn't start each season with a guaranteed 3 or 4 losses.  If ASU athletics could make it without having to be a big school's biatch, you would be seeing them play other schools closer to their level of competition.

Would Razorback fans love to see better non-conference opponents?  Sure they would, but most fans realize there must be a balance between great match-ups and the team's preparation for the difficult conference schedule.

That being said, if you are going to schedule patsies, why schedule one in your own state?  There's no need to run the risk of creating bad feelings between in-state programs when there are so many more door knobs out there waiting to be turned.

[astate]

A true competitor will play anybody.

ASU doesn't play their schedule because they are competitors, they play their schedule to prostitute themselves for money.  Without the big paychecks that come with getting their teeth kicked-in by the big name programs, the rest of ASU's athletic programs couldn't make it.  I can promise you, if given a choice, Steve Roberts wouldn't start each season with a guaranteed 3 or 4 losses.  If ASU athletics could make it without having to be a big school's biatch, you would be seeing them play other schools closer to their level of competition.

Would Razorback fans love to see better non-conference opponents?  Sure they would, but most fans realize there must be a balance between great match-ups and the team's preparation for the difficult conference schedule.

That being said, if you are going to schedule patsies, why schedule one in your own state?  There's no need to run the risk of creating bad feelings between in-state programs when there are so many more door knobs out there waiting to be turned.

I agree with everything except the last paragraph.  There are already bad feelings.  Just read these posts. 

[gostAte]

From reading the post this is the conclusion:

ua is AFRAID that playing asu will hurt in-state recruiting.
ua is AFRAID that playing asu will hurt funding.
ua is AFRAID that playing asu will hurt the power rating.
ua is AFRAID that playing asu can only hurt and not help.

I am beginning to see a pattern here.  UA IS AFRAID.

END OF DISCUSSION

Nice try, but no.

Your only statement close to being correct is "ua is AFRAID that playing asu can only hurt and not help."   Plain and simple, Arkansas has nothing to gain by playing ASU.

If such time ever comes when ASU is relevant in the college sporting world and the Razorbacks continue to refuse to play them, then and only then can you talk of Arkansas being afraid.  Until then, ASU is nothing more than a gnat buzzing around the Razorbacks' head.

The fact that people buy that ridiculous argument just astonishes me.  What do you gain by playing ULM, UNT, Troy and UT-Chatanooga?  I am not asking what you might lose, but what you gain since some say there is nothing to gain by playing ASU.

It won't make a big difference in any way other than for one afternoon we would see a game that more people would enjoy seeing than they would Ua vs. ULM or ASU v. Tennessee.

In the grand scheme it wouldn't help or harm either team.

One thing we gain from those games is a relaxing win where we don't have to worry about offending people who want to support all Arkansas schools if we win by 60 points.  We also gain a home game and the accompanying large profit without any risk that the rent-a-win will want a home/home or anything of that nature.  As another poster pointed out, we also gain a win that doesn't require our players to spend much emotion they should save for SEC games or name OC opponents.  No intrastate game can offer the same ease.  That's especially true when you consider that ASU would treat the game as a national championship game.  Since you only asked what we gain, I won't go any further with my response.

If in the grand scheme of things it wouldn't help or harm either team, I don't understand why so many ASU fans are pushing so hard for it.  Since it doesn't help or harm ASU (or the UA), I'm sure we can agree it shouldn't concern anyone that the UA continues what it considers is best for it. 

How do these schools overcome the obstacles you described?


SEC School                    In state opponent, year played

LSU                             Louisiana Lafayette 2006
South Carolina               Wofford (SC) 2006 Clemson 2006
Georgia                        Georgia Southern (D1-AA) 2004 Georgia Tech 2006
Florida                         Central Florida 2006 Florida State 2006
Auburn                         Alabama-Birmingham 1996 Alabama 2006
Alabama                       Auburn 2006
Tennessee                    MTSU 2002  Memphis 2006
Kentucky                      Eastern KY 1998  Louisville 2006
Vanderbilt                     MTSU 2005 Tennessee 2006
Ole Miss                       Southern Miss 1985  MSU 2006
MSU                            Southern Miss 1990  Ole Miss 2006
Arkansas                      ?

The bottomline is every team in the SEC played an in-state opponent last year but Arkansas.

I personally go back in forth on playing UA. I feel like we're on an upswing and when we finally do make it, it would be nice to do it by ourselves. Unfortunately many UA fans think this would be a charity game. I don't want that perception. Memphis hasn't turned into a powerhouse just cause Tennessee plays them. Florida International hasn't suddenly become a championship contender cause they played Miami.

The same would be true for ASU. We would make it on our own, whether or not we play UA. I wouldn't want anyone else to think otherwise.

That being said, I wish no ill will on the UA in any way. May we some day work together to make Arkansas a more progressive state.

[hogsanity]

A true competitor will play anybody.

ASU doesn't play their schedule because they are competitors, they play their schedule to prostitute themselves for money.  Without the big paychecks that come with getting their teeth kicked-in by the big name programs, the rest of ASU's athletic programs couldn't make it.  I can promise you, if given a choice, Steve Roberts wouldn't start each season with a guaranteed 3 or 4 losses.  If ASU athletics could make it without having to be a big school's biatch, you would be seeing them play other schools closer to their level of competition.

Would Razorback fans love to see better non-conference opponents?  Sure they would, but most fans realize there must be a balance between great match-ups and the team's preparation for the difficult conference schedule.

That being said, if you are going to schedule patsies, why schedule one in your own state?  There's no need to run the risk of creating bad feelings between in-state programs when there are so many more door knobs out there waiting to be turned.

I agree with everything except the last paragraph.  There are already bad feelings.  Just read these posts. 

There is no reason to schedule an instate "patsy".  When you play a school like LA monroe they may get up and play with you for a quarter or a half, but the eventually lay down take their check and leave.  Playing an Instate team provides you no added benefit, but gives them even more incentive to play.

As for the other SEC team who played instate teams.  Ole Miss/MSu is a conf game, as is Tn/Vand, and Bama/Aub.

["Pickled" Pig's Pete]

A true competitor will play anybody.

ASU doesn't play their schedule because they are competitors, they play their schedule to prostitute themselves for money.  Without the big paychecks that come with getting their teeth kicked-in by the big name programs, the rest of ASU's athletic programs couldn't make it.  I can promise you, if given a choice, Steve Roberts wouldn't start each season with a guaranteed 3 or 4 losses.  If ASU athletics could make it without having to be a big school's biatch, you would be seeing them play other schools closer to their level of competition.

Would Razorback fans love to see better non-conference opponents?  Sure they would, but most fans realize there must be a balance between great match-ups and the team's preparation for the difficult conference schedule.

That being said, if you are going to schedule patsies, why schedule one in your own state?  There's no need to run the risk of creating bad feelings between in-state programs when there are so many more door knobs out there waiting to be turned.

I agree with everything except the last paragraph.  There are already bad feelings.  Just read these posts. 

Then why make them worse?  Yes, a lot of Razorback fans are arrogant and think the University of Arkansas is the only program in the state worth anything, but there will always be those types of fans with every program.

Truth be told, there are a lot of Razorback fans who wish nothing but the best for ASU, UCA, UAPB, ATU, etc.  They may not support those programs financially, but they will root for them whenever they get a chance.  It doesn't have to be one program over the other, even if they were to play at some point in the future.

Some of the more vocal ASU fans need to wake up and realize the ASU is simply not on the same level athletically as the University of Arkansas.  The University of Arkansas celebrates National Championships - ASU celebrates NIT victories.  To be honest, there hasn't been very many points in history where ASU deserved to be on the same field/court with Arkansas, and I for one am glad that I have not had to witness my alma mater getting drubbed by my first love.  Like I have said before, if playing Arkansas is that important, build programs that can't be ignored.  Start competing yearly for bowl games, NCAA tournament bids, and NCAA Regional bids, and then start thumping your chest in the direction of Fayetteville.

Likewise, supporters of the University of Arkansas need to realize that all of the schools in Arkansas have a lot to offer, especially on the academic side of the equation.  Just because your diploma doesn't come from the University of Arkansas doesn't mean your education is worthless.

[wbs gurl]

Why is Mark Lericos, a Hogville moderator for the "Hogville.net > Razorback Discussion > Monday Morning Quarterback" forum pushing ASU's agenda?

Or quoting from other boards?

   HKS posts here as well, so do you.  And your comments on that board Albert are very similar to the ones you post there. Strange?   

Not strange at all.  You haven't answered the question of why you're pushing ASU's agenda.  Has it anything at all to do with you being a graduate of a fellow Sun Belt school?

I've already said I'm no longer opposed to playing the game.  I'm just not on board with playing it under terms and conditions that best suit ASU's agenda.

What is all this about pushing their agenda!!??  Have I said they need to play in Little Rock?  Or a home and home series?  Or every year?  Or split the ticket sales!? 

Albert, listen to me, I am saying there is no reason the two schools shouldn't play each other. It's silly. Whether it's all the time (so the Hogs have a consistent "rival" game) or every 3 or 4 years as a change of pace. I don't care honestly. I get paid regardless of what game I cover.... but the concept of ignoring ASU seems strange.

  So where is the agenda? 


I'll one up the topic... doesn't have to be ASU, it could be UCA every few years as a Div 1-AA opponent. The hogs already did with ut-Chattanooga... and the Bears are a good team. So now the ASU agenda is off the table completely.

You're not a Razorback fan so it's simply about one week's excitement to you.  As a Razorback fan, I get all the excitement I need when we play Tenn, Aub, Bama & the rest of the SEC.  Rent a win games are just that.  They're games you play where you don't have to spend any effort or emotion to beat an easy opponent.  They are also good games to let second & third teams get a lot more PT.  ASU doesn't bring anything to the table except the claim they'd be more exciting to play than UT-Chat.  Big Deal.  Who needs it when you've got the SEC schedule?  John Barnhill & other coaches used to say a team only has so much emotion to use a year & you don't want to use it up early.  I don't want our players or fans to waste energy getting excited about ASU.  Everyone needs to save it for a game that matters.  It'd be real exciting for ASU fans until the score got to be about 50-0.  Then they'd bitch because we ran up the score & sports fans like you would feel sorry for them.  We don't need that.  If the game was close it'd be a big moral victory for them.  If somehow they did win because they played lights out & we played bad then it might give them the push they'd need to hurt us in fans, recruiting, & money.  Why is this good for the UA?

Besides, I get a lot more entertainment watching them throw fits & try to get attention than I would ever get watching them play football.  Nobody else wants to watch them either or they would at least have their little stadium half full at least half the time.

  You might have the SEC schedule, but 4 of them are away, and 4 are cupcakes. 4 as in, 1/3 of the Hogs schedule, so calculate the price for season tickets, and find out how much per patsy that comes out to.
   The point being, even if it's not ASU, Arkansas should try to schedule an interesting non-conference win for the fans sake. Maybe regional, like Missouri, or memphis, or perhaps UCA, or Tulsa. Instead of throwaways like UT_Chatty and FLA int'l.  Watching a team get blown out by 50 gets old around halftime, and then it's just boring. Read: UL Monroe.

   But if the fans are ok with it, it's no biggie. You're right, I don't pay the money. My opinion was if it WAS my money, i'd ask the simple question, "Can we not do better in the scheduling?"

Eh, some of us aren't planning to spend money on tickets again until Nutt and Frank are gone anyway.

[wbs gurl]

I honestly think that we don't play them because Frank doesn't want to give them any credibility.  He likes being the only (supposedly) show in the state.  A lot of people don't even know ASU exists, and to have Arkansas acknowledge them with a game would probably take away from a fan base that is sick of Frankanomics.

[NEastArkie]

From reading the post this is the conclusion:

ua is AFRAID that playing asu will hurt in-state recruiting.
ua is AFRAID that playing asu will hurt funding.
ua is AFRAID that playing asu will hurt the power rating.
ua is AFRAID that playing asu can only hurt and not help.

I am beginning to see a pattern here.  UA IS AFRAID.

END OF DISCUSSION

Nice try, but no.

Your only statement close to being correct is "ua is AFRAID that playing asu can only hurt and not help."   Plain and simple, Arkansas has nothing to gain by playing ASU.

If such time ever comes when ASU is relevant in the college sporting world and the Razorbacks continue to refuse to play them, then and only then can you talk of Arkansas being afraid.  Until then, ASU is nothing more than a gnat buzzing around the Razorbacks' head.

The fact that people buy that ridiculous argument just astonishes me.  What do you gain by playing ULM, UNT, Troy and UT-Chatanooga?  I am not asking what you might lose, but what you gain since some say there is nothing to gain by playing ASU.

It won't make a big difference in any way other than for one afternoon we would see a game that more people would enjoy seeing than they would Ua vs. ULM or ASU v. Tennessee.

In the grand scheme it wouldn't help or harm either team.

One thing we gain from those games is a relaxing win where we don't have to worry about offending people who want to support all Arkansas schools if we win by 60 points.  We also gain a home game and the accompanying large profit without any risk that the rent-a-win will want a home/home or anything of that nature.  As another poster pointed out, we also gain a win that doesn't require our players to spend much emotion they should save for SEC games or name OC opponents.  No intrastate game can offer the same ease.  That's especially true when you consider that ASU would treat the game as a national championship game.  Since you only asked what we gain, I won't go any further with my response.

If in the grand scheme of things it wouldn't help or harm either team, I don't understand why so many ASU fans are pushing so hard for it.  Since it doesn't help or harm ASU (or the UA), I'm sure we can agree it shouldn't concern anyone that the UA continues what it considers is best for it. 

How do these schools overcome the obstacles you described?


SEC School                    In state opponent, year played

LSU                             Louisiana Lafayette 2006
South Carolina               Wofford (SC) 2006 Clemson 2006
Georgia                        Georgia Southern (D1-AA) 2004 Georgia Tech 2006
Florida                         Central Florida 2006 Florida State 2006
Auburn                         Alabama-Birmingham 1996 Alabama 2006
Alabama                       Auburn 2006
Tennessee                    MTSU 2002  Memphis 2006
Kentucky                      Eastern KY 1998  Louisville 2006
Vanderbilt                     MTSU 2005 Tennessee 2006
Ole Miss                       Southern Miss 1985  MSU 2006
MSU                            Southern Miss 1990  Ole Miss 2006
Arkansas                      ?

The bottomline is every team in the SEC played an in-state opponent last year but Arkansas.

I personally go back in forth on playing UA. I feel like we're on an upswing and when we finally do make it, it would be nice to do it by ourselves. Unfortunately many UA fans think this would be a charity game. I don't want that perception. Memphis hasn't turned into a powerhouse just cause Tennessee plays them. Florida International hasn't suddenly become a championship contender cause they played Miami.

The same would be true for ASU. We would make it on our own, whether or not we play UA. I wouldn't want anyone else to think otherwise.

That being said, I wish no ill will on the UA in any way. May we some day work together to make Arkansas a more progressive state.

Arkansas is unlike any of the states you mention.  All those other states except South Carolina have a much larger population base than Ark.  All of them have more money.  The primary asset & advantage the UA has that keeps it competitive with the larger programs is that it completely dominates the state.  Every school you mention has a historical & basically competitve in-state rival.  That's no longer true of LSU, but there was a time Tulane pretty much fit that bill.  None of those schools has cultivated statewide universal support.  The UA has not only cultivated that support, it has essentially attained it.  That isn't true for any of the schools you mentioned even though LSU pretty well dominates Louisiana now.  Even so, it doesn't require the statewide support the UA needs.  While I'm sure you dislike it, one of the things I like most about Arkansas is that wherever I go within it almost everyone is a Razorback fan.  It's an easy conversation piece & a great common bond among people who are otherwise strangers.  No other state unviversity has such widespread support within it.  To me that's something the UA should continue to exploit.

Historically the UA has been much more successful on the football field than its resources (including recruiting base, fan base, money, etc) should allow.  That isn't true of  the Univ of S. Carolina--the state with the closest population base as Arkansas.  It's always had to share with Clemson.  If either of those schools could dominate their states, they'd be much stronger.  Either Ole Miss or Miss St would be a powerhouse if they didn't have to contend with the other within their own borders.  Both are in the same conference, but both regretted that they ever played So Miss.  Neither does it now.

If ASU manages to become truly competitive on its own, more power to it.  However, I see no reason for the UA to help the process at its own expense.

[hogsanity]

I honestly think that we don't play them because Frank doesn't want to give them any credibility.  He likes being the only (supposedly) show in the state.  A lot of people don't even know ASU exists, and to have Arkansas acknowledge them with a game would probably take away from a fan base that is sick of Frankanomics.

I will ask you what I ask anyone the first time I see them make this argument.  What ADVANTAGE(S) would the UA gain by playing ASU? 

[Choctaw Hog]

From reading the post this is the conclusion:

ua is AFRAID that playing asu will hurt in-state recruiting.
ua is AFRAID that playing asu will hurt funding.
ua is AFRAID that playing asu will hurt the power rating.
ua is AFRAID that playing asu can only hurt and not help.

I am beginning to see a pattern here.  UA IS AFRAID.

END OF DISCUSSION

The only thing I'm afraid of is the Razorbacks wasting their time playing the ASWho Indians (new mascot to be named at a later date).  As soon as ASWho joins the SEC, then we will play.

[NEastArkie]

A true competitor will play anybody.

ASU doesn't play their schedule because they are competitors, they play their schedule to prostitute themselves for money.  Without the big paychecks that come with getting their teeth kicked-in by the big name programs, the rest of ASU's athletic programs couldn't make it.  I can promise you, if given a choice, Steve Roberts wouldn't start each season with a guaranteed 3 or 4 losses.  If ASU athletics could make it without having to be a big school's biatch, you would be seeing them play other schools closer to their level of competition.

Would Razorback fans love to see better non-conference opponents?  Sure they would, but most fans realize there must be a balance between great match-ups and the team's preparation for the difficult conference schedule.

That being said, if you are going to schedule patsies, why schedule one in your own state?  There's no need to run the risk of creating bad feelings between in-state programs when there are so many more door knobs out there waiting to be turned.

I agree with everything except the last paragraph.  There are already bad feelings.  Just read these posts. 

Yes, but those feelings aren't universal.  There was a time when I pulled for ASU nearly as hard as I pulled for the UA.  I saw them no more as competitors than I did either of them with my high school team or favorite pro team.  That changed after going to several ASU games & listening to "How long will the Hogs run?" yells & seeing Jumpin Joe riding on the back of or chasing a Razorback.  I simply got tired of it & learned to dislike ASU athletic teams.  I wished them no success in part so they'd shut up about playing the UA.  It hasn't really shut them up, but the cries are more vocal when ASU has some success and/or the UA is struggling.  My siblings, otoh, still support both teams.  They're Razorbacks first, but they support ASU. I don't want them to have to choose.  They're ASU alums & they might choose ASU.  Multiply that by several hundred or several thousand.  The reality is that people rarely support two competing programs.  (See Bama/Aub or OM/MSU etc.)  It's much easier to support two non-competing ones.  (I know to some extent they compete for fan support & dollars now, but people can still help both.)  I know of friendships that were irretrievably broken from the one basketball game the two schools played. (BTW, my family has contributed quite a bit of money to the non-athletic side of ASU over the years.)

[astate]

I think that ad with the Chicken with the football two posts up pretty much sums up this whole thread.

[Kicking Wing]

I just don't buy the excuses or the doom and gloom forecast.  It doesn't hurt Tennessee to play Memphis or MTSU.  It doesn't hurt LSU to play ULM, Tulane, ULL, etc.  It doesn't hurt Michigan to play Central Michigan.  Vanderbilt plays and loses to MTSU regularly.  Tennessee lost to Memphis and one the national title the next year.

Bottom line is that there is a fear that UA MIGHT lose to ASU and they would rather avoid the unlikely chance of that happening. 

The truth of the matter is that UA would win almost every single time just like they do against the rest of the Sun Belt teams they play every year.  It wouldn't cost them any fans to go out and beat ASU.  I can't believe that is even considered as a reason. 

UA can schedule whomever they want.  ASU would not demand any more than any other Sun Belt team and if they did, then UA shouldn't play them.  As long as they are worried about the distant possibility of losing a game or a recruit then so be it.

[Kicking Wing]

From reading the post this is the conclusion:

ua is AFRAID that playing asu will hurt in-state recruiting.
ua is AFRAID that playing asu will hurt funding.
ua is AFRAID that playing asu will hurt the power rating.
ua is AFRAID that playing asu can only hurt and not help.

I am beginning to see a pattern here.  UA IS AFRAID.

END OF DISCUSSION

The only thing I'm afraid of is the Razorbacks wasting their time playing the ASWho Indians (new mascot to be named at a later date).  As soon as ASWho joins the SEC, then we will play.

I must have missed Tenn.-Chatanooga's invitation to the SEC.

[NEastArkie]

I just don't buy the excuses or the doom and gloom forecast.  It doesn't hurt Tennessee to play Memphis or MTSU.  It doesn't hurt LSU to play ULM, Tulane, ULL, etc.  It doesn't hurt Michigan to play Central Michigan.  Vanderbilt plays and loses to MTSU regularly.  Tennessee lost to Memphis and one the national title the next year.

Bottom line is that there is a fear that UA MIGHT lose to ASU and they would rather avoid the unlikely chance of that happening. 

The truth of the matter is that UA would win almost every single time just like they do against the rest of the Sun Belt teams they play every year.  It wouldn't cost them any fans to go out and beat ASU.  I can't believe that is even considered as a reason. 

UA can schedule whomever they want.  ASU would not demand any more than any other Sun Belt team and if they did, then UA shouldn't play them.  As long as they are worried about the distant possibility of losing a game or a recruit then so be it.

Why are you wasting so much time over something you consider so inconsequential?  Why does it even matter?  If you don't buy the "excuse" of the "doom & gloom" forecast, that's fine, but not only has every AD the UA has had since 1940 bought it, they're not alone among AD's who believe it.  Bobby Dodd believed it but couldn't do anything about it in Georgia.  Johnny Vaught & Bear Bryant believed it, but couldn't do anything about it in their states, either.  BTW, "doom & gloom" is simply your characterization of the UA's reasoning.  The UA & its fans who support the policy simply see it as the better of two choices.  Sounds like you want this game a whole lot more than you let on.  Maybe you think it will help ASU/hurt the UA a lot more than you let on, too.

[Kicking Wing]

I just don't buy the excuses or the doom and gloom forecast.  It doesn't hurt Tennessee to play Memphis or MTSU.  It doesn't hurt LSU to play ULM, Tulane, ULL, etc.  It doesn't hurt Michigan to play Central Michigan.  Vanderbilt plays and loses to MTSU regularly.  Tennessee lost to Memphis and one the national title the next year.

Bottom line is that there is a fear that UA MIGHT lose to ASU and they would rather avoid the unlikely chance of that happening. 

The truth of the matter is that UA would win almost every single time just like they do against the rest of the Sun Belt teams they play every year.  It wouldn't cost them any fans to go out and beat ASU.  I can't believe that is even considered as a reason. 

UA can schedule whomever they want.  ASU would not demand any more than any other Sun Belt team and if they did, then UA shouldn't play them.  As long as they are worried about the distant possibility of losing a game or a recruit then so be it.

Why are you wasting so much time over something you consider so inconsequential?  Why does it even matter?  If you don't buy the "excuse" of the "doom & gloom" forecast, that's fine, but not only has every AD the UA has had since 1940 bought it, they're not alone among AD's who believe it.  Bobby Dodd believed it but couldn't do anything about it in Georgia.  Johnny Vaught & Bear Bryant believed it, but couldn't do anything about it in their states, either.  BTW, "doom & gloom" is simply your characterization of the UA's reasoning.  The UA & its fans who support the policy simply see it as the better of two choices.  Sounds like you want this game a whole lot more than you let on.  Maybe you think it will help ASU/hurt the UA a lot more than you let on, too.

Thank you, Swami for reading my mind.  I thought this was a board for discussion, so I was discussing.  Whether UA keeps refusing to play ASU or UCA or not really doesn't affect me much or the respective programs.  I, along with the vast majority of Arkansans just think it would be fun to watch.

[wbs gurl]

I just don't buy the excuses or the doom and gloom forecast.  It doesn't hurt Tennessee to play Memphis or MTSU.  It doesn't hurt LSU to play ULM, Tulane, ULL, etc.  It doesn't hurt Michigan to play Central Michigan.  Vanderbilt plays and loses to MTSU regularly.  Tennessee lost to Memphis and one the national title the next year.

Bottom line is that there is a fear that UA MIGHT lose to ASU and they would rather avoid the unlikely chance of that happening. 

The truth of the matter is that UA would win almost every single time just like they do against the rest of the Sun Belt teams they play every year.  It wouldn't cost them any fans to go out and beat ASU.  I can't believe that is even considered as a reason. 

UA can schedule whomever they want.  ASU would not demand any more than any other Sun Belt team and if they did, then UA shouldn't play them.  As long as they are worried about the distant possibility of losing a game or a recruit then so be it.

Why are you wasting so much time over something you consider so inconsequential?  Why does it even matter?  If you don't buy the "excuse" of the "doom & gloom" forecast, that's fine, but not only has every AD the UA has had since 1940 bought it, they're not alone among AD's who believe it.  Bobby Dodd believed it but couldn't do anything about it in Georgia.  Johnny Vaught & Bear Bryant believed it, but couldn't do anything about it in their states, either.  BTW, "doom & gloom" is simply your characterization of the UA's reasoning.  The UA & its fans who support the policy simply see it as the better of two choices.  Sounds like you want this game a whole lot more than you let on.  Maybe you think it will help ASU/hurt the UA a lot more than you let on, too.

Thank you, Swami for reading my mind.  I thought this was a board for discussion, so I was discussing.  Whether UA keeps refusing to play ASU or UCA or not really doesn't affect me much or the respective programs.  I, along with the vast majority of Arkansans just think it would be fun to watch.

Fun:  what football should be, but often isn't due to bureaucracies running athletic programs.

[NEastArkie]

I just don't buy the excuses or the doom and gloom forecast.  It doesn't hurt Tennessee to play Memphis or MTSU.  It doesn't hurt LSU to play ULM, Tulane, ULL, etc.  It doesn't hurt Michigan to play Central Michigan.  Vanderbilt plays and loses to MTSU regularly.  Tennessee lost to Memphis and one the national title the next year.

Bottom line is that there is a fear that UA MIGHT lose to ASU and they would rather avoid the unlikely chance of that happening. 

The truth of the matter is that UA would win almost every single time just like they do against the rest of the Sun Belt teams they play every year.  It wouldn't cost them any fans to go out and beat ASU.  I can't believe that is even considered as a reason. 

UA can schedule whomever they want.  ASU would not demand any more than any other Sun Belt team and if they did, then UA shouldn't play them.  As long as they are worried about the distant possibility of losing a game or a recruit then so be it.

Why are you wasting so much time over something you consider so inconsequential?  Why does it even matter?  If you don't buy the "excuse" of the "doom & gloom" forecast, that's fine, but not only has every AD the UA has had since 1940 bought it, they're not alone among AD's who believe it.  Bobby Dodd believed it but couldn't do anything about it in Georgia.  Johnny Vaught & Bear Bryant believed it, but couldn't do anything about it in their states, either.  BTW, "doom & gloom" is simply your characterization of the UA's reasoning.  The UA & its fans who support the policy simply see it as the better of two choices.  Sounds like you want this game a whole lot more than you let on.  Maybe you think it will help ASU/hurt the UA a lot more than you let on, too.

Thank you, Swami for reading my mind.  I thought this was a board for discussion, so I was discussing.  Whether UA keeps refusing to play ASU or UCA or not really doesn't affect me much or the respective programs.  I, along with the vast majority of Arkansans just think it would be fun to watch.

One needn't be a Swami to read something as simple as that.  Unlike you, however, I don't pretend to read the minds of the "vast majority of Arkansans."  Perhaps you think some online poll can clue you in on that, but I doubt it.  But whether it'd be fun probably depends on your point of view & how the game would come out.  You probably wouldn't enjoy a 60-0 butt kicking & I wouldn't enjoy a 28-10 win. 

BTW, the UA hasn't won "almost" every game against the Sunbelt.  It has never lost to a Sunbelt team.  ASU has never beaten a team from a BCS conference.  (Well, I guess you can count one win against Ole Miss in 1912 or whenever it was.) Given that history, I don't think its the fear of a loss the UA is concerned about.

[Mark Lericos]

  I kind of feel like Dr. Frankenstein with this thread.