Didn’t realize its basketball team is ranked 19. And its football team is ranked, too, or close to it. In a bowl game regardless. It’s really disheartening to know Mississippi State has a better athletic program than Arkansas’s. Not really debatable.
So does Oklahoma State, and several other perinneal athletically mediocre to bad schools. You could even argue Vandy has a better athletic program right now.
Embarrassing. And yet we seem to tolerate it pretty well. Good for us.
Currently, Hogs have the #1 overall athletic program in the SEC.
As you stated, MSU had a better football team and their basketball team is currently ranked higher.
MSU & Vandy not even ranked in the top 70 overall.
Any given year does not a program make. Starkville, MS. is not likely to ever be a very desirable place.
Man, everything you post seems to be so negative toward Arkansas. The Hogs’ athletic program is in good shape, just not football. Basketball team is young and as CMA says the best thing about piglets is they grow up to be Hogs. Baseball is coming off national runner-up. Yes, it’s very much debatable, just not in football.
Puzzling how some are always searching for negative stuff about their own Razorback program. Taking a snapshot status at a given moment and declaring that status as the status on a historical basis is a good example of that.
To clarify, I am understandably very negative about the recent history of the overall athletic program (which to me is really just football and men’s basketball). Not a snapshot, but about six years worth of mediocrity, sprinkled in with a few utterly horrible periods and a handful of good. I do have some hope for football, but it’s a very open question. I’ve got little to no hope for basketball. Auburn, Tennessee and Miss. State all win big in hoops after hiring new coaches and we are back to just blah, even with Gafford. More of the same with Mike it seems.
I’d just like to be able to sniff a decent bowl game and a Sweet 16. I know. You all think more waiting, more patience is required. That’s what you always say. I guess I’ve got no other choice. But it’s discouraging. Lots of other athletic programs seem to be light years better in terms of management and expectations.
Year end, Razorback blues.
Mississippi State has us right now. They have been a bottom feeder in the SEC for their entire existence, but we are now below them in the major sports. Dave Van Horn’s superb baseball program has us in the conversation, but they are pretty good in baseball, also. We are getting killed in football and they are better in basketball, so you have to give them an edge even if you are wearing those Rick Schaffer autograph rose-colored glasses. I had a pair of those once, but somebody dropped a sunshine pump on them and broke 'em.
I really like Hunter Yurachek and expect him to get us rolling again.
Okay you started with Mississippi State in your original post and expanded that to Auburn and Tennessee to support your argument. Fine. Here are the facts.
In last 4 years
Arkansas has been to NCAAT 3 times. Finished second in both regular SEC season and SECT.
Miss State has been to NCAAT 0 times and of course none under the new coach in 3 of those years. And not even a sniff of even top tier SEC or SECT.
Auburn has been to NCAAT once with the new coach and lost in 2nd round. They won SEC regular season last year.
Tennessee has been to NCAAT once and tied with Auburn for regular season title. 3 of those years under the new coach. They won SECT last year.
I know you are frustrated with football and let that carry over to basketball which has had better success than football and you somehow ended up feeling better about football. Current recruiting class perhaps? Prisoner of the moment perhaps?
Of the three schools you brought up, Tennessee is poised for a great year with a highly experienced squad. Williams and Schoefield returning as seniors with experience along with an experienced supporting cast is a lot different than Gafford returning as a sophomore with 10 newcomers.
If you are disappointed that those three schools are ranked this year and we are not, you have a strong point. If you are disappointed that Arkansas has not made it to Sweet 16, you have a strong point and shared by all of us. These two are good arguments and are supported by facts.
You have a fair point about football programs of those three schools being in a better shape over the last several years, but to throw basketball in there, it is just not supported by facts.
Pretty odd overall statement. I disagree
Across the board we are in better shape.
Do some reasearch or just state that right now their men’s and women’s basketball are doing better and ranked and not our hogs. Also the football team is in a bowl game and ranked.
Look in a few months and our young piglets can catch up. Maybe honest Ben gets them in trouble with the NCAA.
I’ll take our coach (CMA) over the one they have.
In football I wonder what direction Moorehead will take them?
I think HJB is a Sooner lean.
I get it my man - don’t really follow CBB, but Anderson has been here a long time and can get the frustration because it looks to me as if the program has plateaued.
As for football you were one of the biggest advocates for hiring Morris on this board and described him as being a great hire multiple times, but now you seem to be criticizing those preaching patience…what the Hell? Did you think it was going to be a quick fix?
You got your guy…I’d suggest supporting him and being patient as he try’s to rebuild.
No, I said I have hope for football. Open question. Didn’t like some CCM’s in game coaching during the season. That has negatively clouded me on him a little. But, no, there is hope especially with the football recruiting. It’ll take another two years I’m afraid.
I’m just engaging my periodic bitching about how badly the UA has screwed things up over the past few years. Many football programs of our general standing run smoothly and win a decent number of games without falling off a cliff. We can’t even manage to do that. It’s nearly like the death penalty. So crucial to maintain sustained success.
Long and Bielema really nailed us to the wall. And here we sit at 2-10 during bowl season, hoping to win 5 games next year.
On this we are in agreement - Long and Bielema set the FB program back years. Bielema is the worst Arkansas football coach ( not counting interims) since Otis Douglas.
How could you guess that? He bleeds OU.
Yeah, sure, I bleed OU. Just because I don’t worship at the SEC alter and am not an SEC/Bama blind loyalist. Please.
You made your argument and then moved the goal post closer.
Arkansas’ overall athletic program is in great shape - financially and in terms of competing.
It’s football program - in my opinion - is the outlier as evidenced by winning only 6 of its last 26 games.
Dudley people move the goal post in order to justify their point of view. If we all have blinders on and don’t follow everything hogs related in athletics we would be just as blind.
Football will get better.
Of course I did, Dudley. Football criticism is low-hanging fruit. We could all go on all day about that. It’s the most important sport too. By far.
Still, I’m afraid we are spinning our wheels with basketball and Anderson. I grew up in the Eddie and Nolan years. Lots of us did. I know you did too, and worked for both. Certain expectations arise from that era.
Mike is far better than Heath or Pelphrey, but I do not see him as ever being an Eddie or Nolan caliber coach. He’s got a sizeable body of work here and just does not have it. Arkansas can play and win basketball games at a much higher level than this and I can’t be convinced otherwise.
The other sports? Glad we do well, but they really don’t matter to most, except for baseball. DVH flat out gets it done.
Look, he admits it’s his periodic bitching. What I don’t understand is why ya’ll respond to such a post.
I think the use of the word “plateaued” is a excellent choice, I feel he will get us to the dance about 60% of the time and bow out in the first round about 85% of the time. I think that is good enough for a majority of the fans and that’s great that they are content, myself I’m wrapped a little tighter and want more. WPS