An open letter to Mike Leach

[josh_sec33]

Dear Coach Leach:

While the Cotton Bowl probably isn't what you hoped for, I only ask one favor.

Hang 70 on Ole Miss.

Rumor is that if you score fast enough, you can mess up their coach.

Love,
The State of Arkansas. (Well, some of us anyway.)

[JIMMY BOARFFETT]

P.S. If the game does get close in the 4th quarter, you can text him this message: How's my favorite Rebel?  Remember that time at the Holiday Inn?  Signed DB. 

That should distract him.

[josh_sec33]

P.P.S. Also, if you see a certain brother of the head coach on the Ole Miss sidelines, call the NCAA immediately. You might get enshrined in the Arkansas hall of fame.

[12247]

Coach Leach,  Get everyone healthy, add a few plays OM hasn't seen yet and don't back off no matter the score.  I would like to see you beat them by at least 50.  Many of us feel you deserved a BCS bowl but things don't always go the way you hoped.

[FaulknerHogfan]

I am not a Nutt fan, but he does coach in the SEC.  I for one, am rooting for SEC win...not a Nutt win.  So, with that said..please hand 70, as long as OM hangs 71. 

[Tim Harris]

I am not a Nutt fan, but he does coach in the SEC.  I for one, am rooting for SEC win...not a Nutt win.  So, with that said..please hand 70, as long as OM hangs 71. 

Under most circumstances I would always be rooting for the SEC to win but in this instance I can not root for Nutt.

[Hoggish1]

Dear Coach Leach:

While the Cotton Bowl probably isn't what you hoped for, I only ask one favor.

Hang 70 on Ole Miss.

Rumor is that if you score fast enough, you can mess up their coach.

Love,
The State of Arkansas. (Well, some of us anyway.)

Great post.  But why stop at 70?

[GolfnHog]

I am not a Nutt fan, but he does coach in the SEC.  I for one, am rooting for SEC win...not a Nutt win.  So, with that said..please hand 70, as long as OM hangs 71. 

By osmosis, if I commit acts that are against your moral compass or family do you still root for me even though I live in your same neighborhood? I'd certainly rethink that position. As the UA is not going to any bowl ( and yes, Nutt plays a large part in that due to the bare cupboard syndrome) I hold that TTU helps my disposition by humilating the "can I get an extension and pay raise" imbecile and the team he inherited w/ another mans talent.

[Hornkiller]

Dear Arkansas fans

Thank you for your concern. Ironic that you write since I just spoke with Missouri coach Gary Pinkel. Not to rub salt in the wound but after have the best season in the your programs history and watch a team you beat get the big BCS cash, it's going to become a Big XII tradition to prove ourselves against one of those terrifying SEC defenses everyone talks about.

Coach Nutt, please meet Mr Harrell and Mr. Crabtree.

Also please note, I haven't lost to Ole Miss. And I don't plan on starting the new year out on the wrong foot. Enjoy the show Hog fans, and we'll see you bowling this year.

Sincerly Mike Leech.

[go hogues]

I am not a Nutt fan, but he does coach in the SEC.  I for one, am rooting for SEC win...not a Nutt win.  So, with that said..please hand 70, as long as OM hangs 71. 

Please just go away, troll. 

For the next month, I will become the biggest TT fan in the history of the universe.

[JIMMY BOARFFETT]

I always pull for the SEC during bowl season.  However,  I will not support any team coached by the embarrassment that is Houston NUTT!

I hope Hootie gets a beat down so severe that Ole Miss  rescinds the 2012 extension and pay raise.

[LLPL]

Dear Coach Leach:

While the Cotton Bowl probably isn't what you hoped for, I only ask one favor.

Hang 70 on Ole Miss.

Rumor is that if you score fast enough, you can mess up their coach.

Love,
The State of Arkansas. (Well, some of us anyway.)

Personally I think an SEC team laying the beat down on one of the better Big 12 teams would be pretty special.

My bowl wishlist....
1) Florida to unleash gods wrath on Oklahoma
2) The rest of the SEC teams to win out.
3) Damian Williams to show out on a national stage and get player of the game honors
4) Tulsa to be beat to a pulp
5) Texas and Ohio State end in a zero to zero tie and the NCAA decide they both lose. 

[NWASooner]

But, but...  How will Texas Tech overcome the great defensive team speed of Ole Miss?

Texas Tech - 52
Ole Miss - 17

[hammerhog]

I agree with nwa sooner as far as the TT vs OM

[havok]

I have a feeling the dork is going to play a "Moral Victory Gameplan". El-Dorkmeister will play to keep the game close if possible..and if he keeps the score within 17 points...he will use the usually Dork Moral Victory Speeches:

"We were so close..." 

"A Play or two going the other way, and we are back in there". 

"We get that __________(fill in the blank...Fumble, that interception, make that tackle, Get that first down)... and we pull this one out.

[JIMMY BOARFFETT]

I think the Dork does his usual, let the players party like it's 2012 and have to be given black coffee right before kickoff schtick, then gets his butt handed to him on a chafing dish.

[MJ2]

I hope Tech wins and wins big.... but, Nutt will have a Tex native at QB that will want to show his stuff to the nation and Leach will likely either be gone or linked to some big job change and his focus may be less than 100%.

I'm afraid all us Gus lovers will have to witness an OM 31 TT 28 game. Yuk!

[ac360]

Hey Mike - If you really want to mess with Nutt's head, have your fans to "Call the Hogs" when OM runs out on the field and score 21 in your first three possessions...... 

[RevEd]

Alright now.

Hornkiller and NWASooner, you get this ONE game and ONE game only.

CAPICHE??

[centarkswine]

Why stop at 70?

Hang 80 on Ole Piss.

[Bacon The Saddle Again]

Dear Coach Leach:

While the Cotton Bowl probably isn't what you hoped for, I only ask one favor.

Hang 70 on Ole Miss.

Rumor is that if you score fast enough, you can mess up their coach.

Love,
The State of Arkansas. (Well, some of us anyway.)

We should seriously do this.  Put this on a website with an address book of everyone who wants to sign it before it is sent to Leach.  I wonder how many people we could get to attatch their names to it.

[kgr]

Great post.  But why stop at 70?

What I was thinking.  Go for the triple digits.

[hoglady]

I will not root against the SEC.
It's in Arkansas's best interest for the SEC to dominate.
Ole Miss beat Florida and Arkansas, how does it help us to have them get killed by Texas Tech.

[hogchic2001]

I will not root against the SEC.
It's in Arkansas's best interest for the SEC to dominate.
Ole Miss beat Florida and Arkansas, how does it help us to have them get killed by Texas Tech.

Whatever.  The season is over.  This game has nothing to do with Arkansas' best interests.  I hope TT beats the he!! out of Ole Piss.  I will NEVER and I mean NEVER root for a team that is coached by Houston Nutt.  He just about ruined our program.  He got out when the getting was good....and with those golden handcuffs.

[pigz]

Personally I think an SEC team laying the beat down on one of the better Big 12 teams would be pretty special.

My bowl wishlist....
1) Florida to unleash gods wrath on Oklahoma
2) The rest of the SEC teams to win out.
3) Damian Williams to show out on a national stage and get player of the game honors
4) Tulsa to be beat to a pulp
5) Texas and Ohio State end in a zero to zero tie and the NCAA decide they both lose. 

[Tusks]

I'm pulling for a 100.

Mr. Leach....beat OMU by 100 and then take the Mississippi State job! 

[Prosciutto]

Whatever.  The season is over.  This game has nothing to do with Arkansas' best interests.  I hope TT beats the he!! out of Ole Piss.  I will NEVER and I mean NEVER root for a team that is coached by Houston Nutt.  He just about ruined our program.  He got out when the getting was good....and with those golden handcuffs.

Words of truth.

I hope TTU laps OM.

[joeyself]

Is Harrell going to be able to play?  I thought I heard he was hurt and maybe out for the year.

JcS

[hogsanity]

If TT shows up, and actually wants to be there, and all their players play with good effort, TT wins by 21+. 

[GolfnHog]

I will not root against the SEC.
It's in Arkansas's best interest for the SEC to dominate.
Ole Miss beat Florida and Arkansas, how does it help us to have them get killed by Texas Tech.

Hoglady- with all due respect, since the Hogs are not going to a bowl game it makes absolutely no difference for what is best for the Hogs. The upside (regardless of who wins or loses relevant to SEC schools in bowl games) is that the UA does get a piece of the financial bowl pie when the payouts are done, but AR won't be able to assist in the pie sharing this year. Thus, I'm all about being a fan of TTU in the Cotton Bowl.

[HoopS]

The better OM does, the easier recruiting becomes.   That hurts us. 

Go Tech!

[Buff]

TT thinks they deserved a better bowl, and they should be totally pissed off at game time, and be ready to make a statement.

OM, on the other hand, will think that the Cotton Bowl is the pinnacle of awesomeness, and will simply just be happy to be there.

Hopefully, the final score will be something that Pete Carrol only ever dreamed of hanging on Hootie.

[Dances With Hogs]

Dont come in here talking SEC crap.

Dear Arkansas fans

Thank you for your concern. Ironic that you write since I just spoke with Missouri coach Gary Pinkel. Not to rub salt in the wound but after have the best season in the your programs history and watch a team you beat get the big BCS cash, it's going to become a Big XII tradition to prove ourselves against one of those terrifying SEC defenses everyone talks about.

Coach Nutt, please meet Mr Harrell and Mr. Crabtree.

Also please note, I haven't lost to Ole Miss. And I don't plan on starting the new year out on the wrong foot. Enjoy the show Hog fans, and we'll see you bowling this year.

Sincerly Mike Leech.

[MacHog19]

Hoglady, sorry but you're wrong.  This is not an SEC thing.  Do you think for one minute that the Oxford Oaf wouldn't try to use his Cotton Bowl win to recruit against Arkansas?  No, there is nothing to be gained for Arkansas by Hootie and Ole Myth upsetting Texas Tech. 

[Beaverfever]

Despite my disslike for Nutt, I will still pull for the SEC.  Besides, OM winning the Cotton Bowl will buy Nutt several years to screw up their program.  This is our best bet for permanemt dominance of OM.

[Hawgin84]

Go Tech, hang a hunerd on 'em.

[hogsndawgs]

Dear Coach Leach:

While the Cotton Bowl probably isn't what you hoped for, I only ask one favor.

Hang 70 on Ole Miss.

Rumor is that if you score fast enough, you can mess up their coach.

Love,
The State of Arkansas. (Well, some of us anyway.)

I hate to say it, but in a year when the SEC is getting dogged for all of our out of conference losses I am going to have to hold my nose and cheer for OM. TTU is the #3 team in the Big 12, OM is the #4 team in the SEC. It would go a long way to getting some credibility back, especially based on the argument that the SEC has good defenses and the Big 12 is nothing but offense.

That said, I expect TTU to win. If OM wants to win the game, they'll have to get pressure on Harrell. OM may have the best D line TTU has faced this year.

[Dances With Hogs]

The U of A should be ashame on how they allowed the Nuttster to go to Ole Piss with the money he took with him, with his new contract he should be very rich.

Whatever.  The season is over.  This game has nothing to do with Arkansas' best interests.  I hope TT beats the he!! out of Ole Piss.  I will NEVER and I mean NEVER root for a team that is coached by Houston Nutt.  He just about ruined our program.  He got out when the getting was good....and with those golden handcuffs.

[Dances With Hogs]

I don't care what circumstances are there I will never support any thing to do with hootie.

I hate to say it, but in a year when the SEC is getting dogged for all of our out of conference losses I am going to have to hold my nose and cheer for OM. TTU is the #3 team in the Big 12, OM is the #4 team in the SEC. It would go a long way to getting some credibility back, especially based on the argument that the SEC has good defenses and the Big 12 is nothing but offense.

That said, I expect TTU to win. If OM wants to win the game, they'll have to get pressure on Harrell. OM may have the best D line TTU has faced this year.

[TexHog188]

It pains me that the Big 12 would pummel another SEC team (TT vs OM), but if FL pummels OU for the NC, all will be well.  AL vs TX would have been a beauty as well.  Then we would have really known who was the stronger conference this year.

[hoglady]

Whatever.  The season is over.  This game has nothing to do with Arkansas' best interests.  I hope TT beats the he!! out of Ole Piss.  I will NEVER and I mean NEVER root for a team that is coached by Houston Nutt.  He just about ruined our program.  He got out when the getting was good....and with those golden handcuffs.

If you don't think how the SEC performs in bowl games affects Arkansas - think again. Remember when an 11-0 Auburn team got left out of the Championship game - that would never happen now because the SEC as a whole has been outperforming every other conference in bowl games.
The SEC starts losing bowl games to the Big 12 - then the next time around it'll be an SEC team left out of the Championship game.

[Biggus Piggus]

I think the Dork does his usual, let the players party like it's 2012 and have to be given black coffee right before kickoff schtick, then gets his butt handed to him on a chafing dish.

I spat my own coffee on my monitor upon reading this.  Hilarious!

[hoglady]

Hoglady, sorry but you're wrong.  This is not an SEC thing.  Do you think for one minute that the Oxford Oaf wouldn't try to use his Cotton Bowl win to recruit against Arkansas?  No, there is nothing to be gained for Arkansas by Hootie and Ole Myth upsetting Texas Tech. 

I'm not worried about Nutt recruiting against Petrino - if he can't out recruit Nutt then we're in trouble anyway. In a year where the SEC dominance is being questioned - I will root for all the SEC to kill whoever they're playing.

[Hornkiller]

If you don't think how the SEC performs in bowl games affects Arkansas - think again. Remember when an 11-0 Auburn team got left out of the Championship game - that would never happen now because the SEC as a whole has been outperforming every other conference in bowl games.
The SEC starts losing bowl games to the Big 12 - then the next time around it'll be an SEC team left out of the Championship game.

Ain't going to happen even if OU wins. The Big 10's poor showing will hurt as well as ACC's. Unless the Pac-10 has an over the top year (like last year) and USC plays a killer non-conference schedule the SEC will never...ever... get shut out of a title game again.

[Hawgin84]

If you don't think how the SEC performs in bowl games affects Arkansas - think again. Remember when an 11-0 Auburn team got left out of the Championship game - that would never happen now because the SEC as a whole has been outperforming every other conference in bowl games.
The SEC starts losing bowl games to the Big 12 - then the next time around it'll be an SEC team left out of the Championship game.

Houston Nutt losing bowl games would simply be "business as usual".

[hoglady]

Houston Nutt losing bowl games would simply be "business as usual".

To me this has nothing to do with Houston Nutt.
He's gone - we have Bobby Petrino and are a thousand times better off.
Whatever Nutt did - we came out of this smelling like roses with one of the top 5 coaches in the country. I'm glad Nutt screwed up, cause in the end we are better for it.
I will root for every SEC school and I don't care who the coach is.

[Hawgin84]

To me this has nothing to do with Houston Nutt.
He's gone - we have Bobby Petrino and are a thousand times better off.
Whatever Nutt did - we came out of this smelling like roses with one of the top 5 coaches in the country. I'm glad Nutt screwed up, cause in the end we are better for it.
I will root for every SEC school and I don't care who the coach is.

Isn't Nutt the coach at Ole Miss?

[DeltaBoy]

Bang Bang Gun'them down Tech.

Wreck'em Tech

Punk ole piss

Stop the Rebels.

Lay waste to Ole Miss like Gen Sherman did on his march to the Sea.

[Hornkiller]

Alright now.

Hornkiller and NWASooner, you get this ONE game and ONE game only.

CAPICHE??

Well there are future OOC games to consider....

As many have pointed out because of the bowl tie-in structure it usually is the Big XII #2 or #3 vs. the SEC's #4 or #5. Other then 2000 and 20001 (When Arkansas manhandled Texas and then Kansas State came out and blew the doors of Tennessee) there haven't been alot of games that would cause people to think the power had shifted from the SEC to the Big XII. Tech could have done that when they played Bama but it came out as SEC defense > Big XII offense. Because I remember when the Cotton bowl was held in the same esteem as the Rose, Orange and Sugar and greater then the Fiesta I'd personally like to see more even match-ups.  But I can't blame the SEC teams for wanting to head to Florida when given the chance.

Leech beat Ole Miss twice before including Manning's senior season when the Rebs could have beat LSU and won the west (the Tigers title year of 2003)  Didn't see a titanic shift of power from the SEC to the Big XII. Even if the Sand Aggies hang 99 and stop because they can't hold tripple digits on the score board, it isn't going to affect the SEC's status as the nations best football conference.

Now if OU and or Utah bust out the whipping sticks, it's a different story. But I don't think the nation is going to judge Ole Miss as the SEC standard if they get drilled by a team that had a ligit case of being in a BCS bowl.

Of course the Hog fans can't lose. Tech creams the Rebs and it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. Ole Miss comes out and shocks Tech and it's a clear sign of the SEC superiority.

[rzrbaxfan]

I really don't care that some are down on the SEC.  If Fla face kicks OU, and Bama man handles Utah, no one will say "well TT beat Ole Miss, so the SEC sucks!"

The B 12 always has a middle of the pack team sniff the big 2, and they usually wind up in Dallas or San Deigo in the end, then fall back off the following year. While TT closed the gap more than any other team this year, the results are still the same. Let the B12 enjoy their 15 ninutes of fame, and win a few lower bowls and go 0-2 in the BCS, and meanwhile, the SEC will enjoy 3 straight national champions.

That said, I hope TT embarrasses Nutty boy.