WHAT ARE RESONABLE EXPECTATIONS FOR THE RAZORBACK FOOTBALL PROGRAM?

[Boarsnest]

I am tired of Rick Schaffer on DTS (Drive Time Stooges) telling me it is unreasonable to expect Razorback's have 8-3, 9-2 or 10-1 seasons!!! Is it just me, I thought this program was consistently in the top 25 in the 60's, 70's and 80's maybe I was just dreaming. I attended the U of A from 81 to 85, grad school 86 and 87, I never missed a game in those days even pulled BIG RED to Little Rock Games. Sure there were down years in this period but we always seemed to rebuild. Razorback fans didn't put up mediocrity then why are we expected to now? All we hear is we can't recruit players to Arkansas, SEC is tougher than SWC, we can't compete, NCAA Cloud etc.... I am sick of this crap. I feel this program should be in the top 25 consistently, 1 to 2 years in a 10 year period should be in the top 10, compete for sec championship 1 in 5 years. I expect to be able to play a number 1 ranked team in the nation and at least be competitive, not totally humiliated!!! Rick tells me these expectations are to high.

I would like to see what other fans here expect?

[RhodeHog]

I feel the same way.  I have high expectations also, but here lately I've been dumbing down those expectations.  I want a competetive football program as much as the next guy.  Heck, I'm 31 and lived here my whole life....maybe that makes me want too much.  Lately though, I feel like we will never have a consistently good team.  I hope that is wrong, but nothing tells me different.

[Bacons Rebellion]

From 81 to 85, which you remember so fondly, we never went to a New Years Day Bowl, never won a conference championship, missed a bowl completely one year, were shutout by SMU, lost to TCU twice and Rice (in 80 anyway) and got smacked by Baylor 42-15. We did have a big win over a #1 team and ended 9th in the polls one year. That poll finish had the benefit of a Bluebonnet bowl victory over an unranked SEC team when we made a crucial 4th & 10 on the final drive. In those years we were padding the conference schedule with Rice (all 5 losing seasons 81-85), TCU (4 losing seasons), Texas Tech (all 5 losing seasons 81-85), etc and with Mississippi as our only non-conference game that was even interesting. Ole Miss only had one winning team in that run and still beat us and tied us.

You know how many SEC teams had losing records against the SEC 1970-1990? One of ten. Ole Miss. Only because they played us. Throw out our series and Ole Miss had a winning record against the rest of the SWC.

Your being sick of it doesn't change the fact. Thd Southwest Conference was a collection of pansies with a couple of exceptions each year. Say goodbye to trashing most of those Texas teams. Welcome to the SEC.

I don't like back to back 5-6 seasons either, but the rough season was 2003 when we should have had it all put together. We missed two close games and there it went. Last year and this year remind me a lot of 96 and 97. It took one year to rebuild in the lousy SWC. It takes two in the SEC. No, we can't "reload". Very few teams can. This year I was expecting 6 wins and thinking we might get 5. Next year I'll expect more. Two years rebuilding is enough.

[MCPeePants]

From 81 to 85, which you remember so fondly, we never went to a New Years Day Bowl, never won a conference championship, missed a bowl completely one year, were shutout by SMU...

We got beat 17-0 by SMU in 1983. Check me if I'm wrong, but SMU finished 10-2 that year and was still a very, very good football team at that point pre-death penalty. That loss is  nothing to be all that ashamed about.

[Boarsnest]

I didn't say the 80's were my fondest memories of the Razorbacks, that was the time I was in school there. The 60' and 70's were my fondest times to be a Razorback fan. I agree that the SEC is tough, you make the SWC sound like it was just a scrimage but Texas, Texas A & M, Houston, Baylor and yes SMU had some good teams in the 60's and 70's.

[Bacons Rebellion]

I agree. It was a good SMU team. But we did look really bad that day. It was closer on the scoreboard than on the field. (And I would say the same about the Alabama game last week. )

[Bacons Rebellion]

There were usually two truly good teams out of 9. Usually Texas (unfortunately) and one other that kind of alternated. Sometimes three. It was the depth of quality teams in the SWC that was lacking. There were a lot of Ws you could pencil in before the season. In the SEC we can have half a dozen teams legitimately in the top 25 and the rest usually aren't pushovers. Even us. As much trouble as we're having this year we weren't a breather for bama.

Honestly I thought the SWC was an ideal conference, becuase if you could have a good team, beat Texas and one other decent team, take care of business otherwise and you could go to the Cotton Bowl, play some also ran from the Big 8 or SEC, beat theam and sneak into a national championship. We almost did that two years in a row.

[Dances With Hogs]

I figure about 1 maybe 2 wins this season,Nutty gets a ride out of town to Murry State.

I am tired of Rick Schaffer on DTS (Drive Time Stooges) telling me it is unreasonable to expect Razorback's have 8-3, 9-2 or 10-1 seasons!!! Is it just me, I thought this program was consistently in the top 25 in the 60's, 70's and 80's maybe I was just dreaming. I attended the U of A from 81 to 85, grad school 86 and 87, I never missed a game in those days even pulled BIG RED to Little Rock Games. Sure there were down years in this period but we always seemed to rebuild. Razorback fans didn't put up mediocrity then why are we expected to now? All we hear is we can't recruit players to Arkansas, SEC is tougher than SWC, we can't compete, NCAA Cloud etc.... I am sick of this crap. I feel this program should be in the top 25 consistently, 1 to 2 years in a 10 year period should be in the top 10, compete for sec championship 1 in 5 years. I expect to be able to play a number 1 ranked team in the nation and at least be competitive, not totally humiliated!!! Rick tells me these expectations are to high.

I would like to see what other fans here expect?

[wacohog]

Bacon rebeiion,

No matter what the relative strength and weaknesses of the old SWC and the present-day SEC , the bottom line is that the 2005 Hogs truly are pathetic; and, most importantly, would have been THRASHED by the early 80s SMU, TAMU, Texas, Houston, Baylor and Arkansas teams. I've lived down here since 1967 and remember those teams well. Those of you that disparage the old SWC and therefore denigrate our proud football history are woefully misinformed. 

I really don't understand why so many people go through so many rationalizations to explain away the dreary status of our beloved Hogs; or to make so many excuses. I don't mean to flame you, but I just can't take any more of this kind of caca

[hog tied]

Good point:

People need to be more judicious when criticizing the SWC. During Arkansas' time in the SWC, 6-5 did not guarantee you a bowl, even 7-4 did not. I think it is good rule of thumb to exclude all unranked teams from bowls. A possible exception is a conference champion from a mid-major, that did not get the breaks in the polls. But, as a whole, the bowls should only pick elite (ranked) teams.       

My expectations:

Coach: Recruit talent, coach the talent, make adustments mid-game, be the spokesperson for the team, accept responisibilty in losses, answer critics questions, admit when the team doesn't play well (It still amazes me that after the USC beating, Nutt's response to Paul on the coach's show was "Paul, we were ready, we were ready.")  READY for what, a butt-kickin.  Oh,yeah! don't run smack about Vandy and lose at home.

Players: play hard, play with pride, be competitive. Nobody, and I mean nobody runs it up on you and doesn't pay the price. Somebody should have blitzed and hit Leinhart in the mouth (But on this team, nobody seems to be capable of that). Did you see the Arizona St. game? That guy rocked Leinhart, shook him up for the whole game. Sure, it was a penalty, but in football you have to promote an image and demeanor that the other team respects.  I want the players on the other team know that they are gonna have to walk through hades to beat Arkansas. 

Record: Consistently 8-4. Think about it. You play two non-conference patsies, there's two wins right there. You play a tough non-conference national power (potential loss, like USC or Texas).  You play Ole Miss, Miss St., LSU, Alabama, Auburn in your division, then let's say you've got Vandy, Georgia and SC like this year. If you can win five of those games, that means that you win five out of 8 in the SEC, you finish at 7-4 overall and 5-3 in the SEC, and play in a bowl probably better than the Independence or Music City, most likely the Cotton.

That needs to be an average season.

In superb seasons, you go 9-2, 10-1. In those seasons, you beat that national power when they come to your place and surprise a team like Georgia or Tennessee at their place.         When the schedule moves to twelve regular season games, winning 9 consistently is my expectation.

We ought to finish with a winning record in conference every year, contend for the SEC championship (that means winning the WEST) every 2 to 3 years, be in the national title hunt every 8-10 years.

I refuse to lower my expectations. Until those are met, I am not happy with the national picture of the program.   
 
When the occassional rebuilding season of 6-5 rolls around, I want Razorback fans and coaches to admit ..............................................................................

THAT this is not acceptable instead of making excuses.

[merccedes]

Reasonable expectations, we start winning right now

[Bacons Rebellion]

Sure, the Southwest Conference had some good teams. A few great ones. But check the numbers. 1970-1991:

Georgia 10-1 vs SWC, undefeated sans Arkansas
Alabama 9-2 vs SWC
Tenn 5-1 vs SWC
Mississippi St. 2-0 vs. SWC
Vanderbilt 2-2-1 vs. SWC, 2-1-1 sans Arkansas
LSU 21-6-1 vs SWC
Ole Miss 6-10-1,  vs SWC 4-3-1 sans Arkansas.
Auburn 6-4-1 vs SWC
Florida 4-4 vs SWC, 4-3 sans Arkansas
Kentucky 1-1 vs. SWC

Total: SEC 66 wins. SWC 31 wins. (64-24 without the Hogs / Rebels series) Pardon me if I missed a game somewhere.

The results on thei field just don't paint the picture you want to see.

I wish it had been the other way around. It wasn't.

[PerryHog]

Good point:

People need to be more judicious when criticizing the SWC. During Arkansas' time in the SWC, 6-5 did not guarantee you a bowl, even 7-4 did not. I think it is good rule of thumb to exclude all unranked teams from bowls. A possible exception is a conference champion from a mid-major, that did not get the breaks in the polls. But, as a whole, the bowls should only pick elite (ranked) teams.

My expectations:

Coach: Recruit talent, coach the talent, make adustments mid-game, be the spokesperson for the team, accept responisibilty in losses, answer critics questions, admit when the team doesn't play well (It still amazes me that after the USC beating, Nutt's response to Paul on the coach's show was "Paul, we were ready, we were ready.") READY for what, a butt-kickin. Oh,yeah! don't run smack about Vandy and lose at home.

Players: play hard, play with pride, be competitive. Nobody, and I mean nobody runs it up on you and doesn't pay the price. Somebody should have blitzed and hit Leinhart in the mouth (But on this team, nobody seems to be capable of that). Did you see the Arizona St. game? That guy rocked Leinhart, shook him up for the whole game. Sure, it was a penalty, but in football you have to promote an image and demeanor that the other team respects. I want the players on the other team know that they are gonna have to walk through hades to beat Arkansas.

Record: Consistently 8-4. Think about it. You play two non-conference patsies, there's two wins right there. You play a tough non-conference national power (potential loss, like USC or Texas). You play Ole Miss, Miss St., LSU, Alabama, Auburn in your division, then let's say you've got Vandy, Georgia and SC like this year. If you can win five of those games, that means that you win five out of 8 in the SEC, you finish at 7-4 overall and 5-3 in the SEC, and play in a bowl probably better than the Independence or Music City, most likely the Cotton.

That needs to be an average season.

In superb seasons, you go 9-2, 10-1. In those seasons, you beat that national power when they come to your place and surprise a team like Georgia or Tennessee at their place. When the schedule moves to twelve regular season games, winning 9 consistently is my expectation.

We ought to finish with a winning record in conference every year, contend for the SEC championship (that means winning the WEST) every 2 to 3 years, be in the national title hunt every 8-10 years.

I refuse to lower my expectations. Until those are met, I am not happy with the national picture of the program.

When the occassional rebuilding season of 6-5 rolls around, I want Razorback fans and coaches to admit ..............................................................................

THAT this is not acceptable instead of making excuses.

Well said. Total agreeance.
Unfortunately, we are told .500 is the best we can do.
Apparently there are more than a few who have not the ambition to do any better.