I am beginning to wonder if we truly can win consistently here. I didn’t realize until tonight that Arkansas has only been to a bowl game for 6 straight years. Can we win yearly or is 10 wins a target every 3-5 years?
People have romanticized the 60s as our golden era, but we weren’t in a bowl in '63, '66 or '67. Of course we turned one down in '66 after the death of a player and the season-ending loss to TTech that kept us out of the Cotton. But 63 and 67 we deserved the holidays at home. (Also turned down bowl in 70 at 9-2).
So many more bowls now than other decades. We would have gone by today’s qualifications in 1972 (6-5), 1973 (5-5-1), 1974 (6-4-1), 1976 (5-5-1), 1983 (6-5). So after the losing season of 1967, Arkansas would have been bowl eligible every year from 1968 till 1989. Would have been some minor bowls no doubt in some years, but there are lots of those around these days that get coaches contract extensions, and not just at UA.