What has a monopoly of the state and playing in the SEC really gotten Arkansas on the field?

[KaysFieldTouchdown]

Jonesboro is growing because the rest of the area is a whole lot worse.  I could continue to expound on how much the area sucks, but I don't want to sh*t on your home.

I would obviously beg to differ but neither of us will convince the other. I would not choose to live anywhere else in Arkansas, maybe a second home in Heber.

I really like all of Arkansas, what part are you from?

[31to6]

We hear in SEC and Asu debates about arkansas benefitting in different ways. From not playing instate teams, keeps the hog fanbase alive around the state and dont lose money and publicity.
In the SEC, its playing in the top conference and getting a good dose of money. Money and exposure from a state and national perspective is understood. But how have we benefitted from this on the field where it counts? We still have periods of mediocrity and we still have players and coaches that leave the state to play elsewhere and be more successful. We only have 4 bowl wins in nearly 30 years and we still havent won a SEC title. On top of that, the fanbase is very fairweathered and bitter. So a bigger question lies: does the program focus too much on money and exposure rather than on the field success?

The giant bags of cash from the SEC has managed to keep Arkansas as one of the 15 or so athletic programs in the nation that turn a profit instead of being a financial drain on the school--and this in small and poor state.

I love the Razorbacks and I love when they win, but the purpose of the University is to educate young Arkansans and prepare them for life.

The Razorbacks are the marketing and revenue-generating arm of the school. Money flows *to* the academic side because of the athletic program. The academics at the UofA has improved dramatically over the recent decades and that has required major fundraising efforts.

The SEC means more visibility, which keeps the Razorbacks on the TV's of the very large expat alumni population--which results in more donations and more merchandising (Arkansas consistently ranks very high in terms of merchandise revenues.)

So, it is great if we win. But even if we don't, the move to the SEC and the drive to keep UA the top dog in the state in terms of big money boosters has been and still is the smart play for the university as a whole.

(And we have proven that we can win a lot of games in this conference--we just haven't gotten over the hump and won in Atlanta. We just need to get conference championship or two under our belt in the next few years and all will be well with the world.)

[Sweet Feet]

The giant bags of cash from the SEC has managed to keep Arkansas as one of the 15 or so athletic programs in the nation that turn a profit instead of being a financial drain on the school--and this in small and poor state.

I love the Razorbacks and I love when they win, but the purpose of the University is to educate young Arkansans and prepare them for life.

The Razorbacks are the marketing and revenue-generating arm of the school. Money flows *to* the academic side because of the athletic program. The academics at the UofA has improved dramatically over the recent decades and that has required major fundraising efforts.

The SEC means more visibility, which keeps the Razorbacks on the TV's of the very large expat alumni population--which results in more donations and more merchandising (Arkansas consistently ranks very high in terms of merchandise revenues.)

So, it is great if we win. But even if we don't, the move to the SEC and the drive to keep UA the top dog in the state in terms of big money boosters has been and still is the smart play for the university as a whole.

(And we have proven that we can win a lot of games in this conference--we just haven't gotten over the hump and won in Atlanta. We just need to get conference championship or two under our belt in the next few years and all will be well with the world.)

Good post

[Sweet Feet]

It's a bit troubling to see so much insecurity expressed about playing an opponent. 

+1