The SEC West sent a 3-loss USC to the SECCG. LSU and Bama were clearly the best teams in the West
Are you kidding me? Do you even watch football? LSU has one of the worst offenses in college football right now. Bama's offense was mediocre.
To say that Arkansas is "emerging as a powerhouse" is a bit overconfident, IMO. They have played better as of the past 2-3 years
"Better?" That's an understatement.
and Nutt did a great job of elevating the program from where it had been
Do you watch football at all? Nutt was, and continues to be, one of the biggest disappointments in college football history. How we was able to convince Broyles to let him stay for 10 years still amazes me. He did not elevate this program from anything. Because of him, we WERE still on the same page as the Mississippi States and Ole Misses of the world. Now, we're given a bit more consideration, and will be given more and more in the years to come.
but Arkansas ranks just above MSU and well below Bama in the SEC West in terms of "powerhouse" teams.
That's a loaded statement, considering MSU is a good team as of late, and the SEC West is the best division in any conference in college football.
I do not think Petrino is the answer. He will do well, but you will run him off in about 5 years when Auburn, LSU, Tennessee, Bama and Florida continue to pull the better talent to the true "powerhouse" teams.
How is Auburn a true "powerhouse" team more than Arkansas? Your statement makes no sense. Furthermore, Petrino isn't going anywhere anytime soon: his contract proves that. He's invested here.
Until Arkansas steps up to the plate and hires a top-tier coach
Petrino is a top-tier coach. The fact that schools like Florida were trying to hire him before and after he came here proves that.
and spends millions and millions on their facilities
1. Arkansas spends more per undergraduate student on their football program than any other SEC school, and is #10 in the country overall in dollars spent. Do your research.
2. We just unveiled plans for a new 80,000 sq. ft, state-of-the-art football facility, priced between $24 and $35 million. That the kind of facilities you're talking about?
3. The above mentioned facility is built at the request of Bobby Petrino, and it's more proof that he has no intentions of leaving anytime soon.
they will be mired where they are....a spoiler, and a hurdle for the teams that will usually make it to Atlanta.
We'll see. Your post has proven how little you know about our program, our coach, and where we are headed. I'll trust my gut over your delusions.
All that said, Petrino has the team moving in the right direction, as did Nutt, but they aren't there yet, and I don't think they are going to "get there" under Bobby.
The fact that you continue to recognize Nutt as moving this team anywhere proves how little you follow our program. Houston Nutt did not advance this program in any way, shape, or form. Even in his best years, he won with other coaches' recruits or with players who played well in spite of Nutt's lack of direction. If you don't think Bobby Petrino will take Arkansas to the next level, you've lost your marbles.
Bama is going to win the SEC next year (unless LSU can keep its luck rolling). They are stacked for several years to come, and then Tennessee is rebuilding quickly. They will again be a force in 2-3 years.
Based on what? Bama is losing their starting quarterback and their best running back along with a myriad of key players. Arkansas is returning almost its entire starting lineup, possibly even Mallett. Even if not, Wilson is more than capable of delivering at the quarterback position. The SEC West, again, will be a toss-up. You'll see Arkansas, Alabama, LSU, Mississippi State, and maybe even Auburn competing for the title. The only team without a shred of hope is Ole Miss, because they have a laughing stock as a head coach.
Ark is Ark. They will play every game like its their last, and beat the hell out of you before you usually walk away with the win. You have to beat them to win the SEC, just like MSU and USC. But they've never been a consistent favorite to win their Division, and that isn't going to change anytime soon.
We shall see. The pundits say otherwise, and they seem to follow the sport a little more closely than you.
And to try and compare Arkansas' tradition and history with Ohio State's is laughable.
Now you're not only delusional, but also illiterate. Read my post again, then come back.
As an SEC fan, I recognize the merits of both, and Arkansas cannot hold a candle to the success and tradition of Ohio State. OSU is and forever will be mentioned among the giants of college football. Arkansas may get there one day, but it won't be in our lifetimes. With all the success Florida has had over the past 20 years, even they still are not always mentioned among the Michigans, Ohio States, Alabamas, Penn States, Oklahomas, USCs and Notre Dames of the world (think about that.....as bad as Notre Dame has been over the past 20 years, they're still one of the most successful teams in history).
That's the point. You and everyone else talk about the "tradition" of college football, the past, history. I'm talking about the present, the current condition of the sport, what's relevant now. I was the first to point out that Arkansas's history in the sport isn't as decorated as Ohio State's, but it's future certainly will be.
Truth is, in my mind, both teams played sloppy in the Sugar Bowl, but the better team still did win.
That makes you and Kirk Herbstreit on the same page, along with other delusional Ohio State fans. The rest of the followers of the sport say otherwise.
Ohio State is one of the best programs in the country, and in the history of college football.
In history? Sure.
Currently? Sure, but only if we're comparing to all the programs out there is Ohio State a top tier program. When compared to all of the SEC, they'd fall somewhere in the middle.
Other than Woody Hayes' temporary insanity (and I think Woody was one of the greatest coaches ever, who would be remembered as such if not for a momentary rush of emotion that got the better of him) I cannot think of a blemish on OSU that is of any consequence.
1-9 against the SEC in the post season comes to mind.
Their contribution to college football has been honor, tradition, and respect.
Sure, if it's "respectful" to spit on the rulebooks and pay the NCAA to forgo punishment for your players' malfeasances.
Class program that has had great success. Losing to OSU is nothing to be ashamed of. Most do, and most will.
No one here is ashamed of losing to Ohio State. We're ashamed that we did not play the way we have the rest of the season. It was one of our worst performances, by far.
College football didn't start in the 80s or 90s. Its going to take a LONG time for Arkansas to rise to the level of Ohio State in the annals of the sport. They will have their years, but this wasn't one of them. They will have to play better, win more, and do it consistently for 20-30 years to reach the level Ohio State is sitting at today.
Again, we can preach the history of the sport all we want. The fact remains that Ohio State wins games year after year against mediocre teams. I'd love for them to come play our schedule for just one year, just as proof of how weak their team actually is.
Petrino is a building block, but he isn't the answer.
Again, I'm not sure where this is coming from. Petrino is a premier commodity in college football right now. He's proven he can recruit the best players, build the best offense, and put together winning teams. If he can do it at Louisville, he certainly can do it at Arkansas. His first two years were plagued with weeding out the piss-poor players Nutt had left the team with. You've only just begun to see what Bobby Petrino is capable of. He will win us a national championship in his time at Arkansas. Maybe not next year (but I'm not ruling it out), but definitely in the next 5 years.
All that said, your problem is this: you know nothing about Arkansas or its football program. You look down on the program because it's easier to ignore it than to actually acknowledge it. When you've read up on the current state of our program and the time, money, and energy being exhausted to better it, come back with some better discussion points. Because right now, all you have done is spout mindless dribble that makes little sense and has no merit.
