Brando says: Arkansas to Big 12 eventually?

[DKW 86 7,451]

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LSU's defense is going to stack the line, daring Darren McFadden and the rest of the running game to beat it.

The Hogs are not going to be down too much longer.

But the bigger question Arkansas must answer is administrative.

Once Frank Broyles is no longer athletic director, will Arkansas contemplate an exit to the Big 12 Conference?

It won't happen under his watch. But the question long term is a legitimate one.

Consider where Arkansas would be right now if it was in the Big 12 North instead of the SEC West?

You can make a case that the Razorbacks are better than everyone in that division of the Big 12. Then, in the same breath say that even if they got a lot better in the SEC West, they're still looking up at LSU, Alabama and Auburn.

The fan base in the Ozarks misses the matchups with Texas and other Big 12 teams from the old days in the Southwest Conference.

Broyles would counter by pointing out the financial upside of the SEC. And he would be right in pointing that out.

The facts are, however, his program has less of a chance of being a player in the national landscape as long as it remains in the SEC West.

Arkansas' basketball program was, and may be again, an asset to SEC hoops. But from a football standpoint, little impact nationally has been made either by their team or from the conference by their presence.

Houston Nutt is an outstanding coach. Early calls for his ouster are as off the chart as what Ole Miss did to David Cutcliffe last year.

That really worked out well in Oxford didn't it?

[tarheeltiger 0]

Question.

Knowing the SEC needs to pick up some big market appeal (and TV ratings).....

Who?

[Ryan Sanders 123]

If Arkansas ever decided to leave.. I say we send Vandy and Kentucky with them. :-/

[brankster 0]

If Arkansas ever decided to leave.. I say we send Vandy and Kentucky with them. :-/

201327[/snapback]

Kentucky represents the SEC fairly well in basketball, they are worth keeping around… unlike AR and vandy!

[PChamp119 96]

If those teams were to leave, other teams would just continue their path of losing. Then everyone would say "Send Ole Miss and State to the Sun Belt" or some other confernce. Each conference has its teams that do nothing, the SEC has Vandy and Kentucky. Arkansas is just too far away for me to want to travel there again. This year was a once in a lifetime thing to do that.

The real question isn't who would replace Arkansas, but who would Arkansas replace?

[Fluffed 0]

1. Wouldn't the Big 12 have to WANT Arkansas?

2. Would it be called the Big 13 then & would they have to add to make it 14?

3. Arkansas has been ok in recent years -- they were #9 or so two years ago when we beat them. Mississippi State's recent years however... and Ole Miss... erm...

4. They want to be Big 12 for games against Texas? Just schedule Texas as OCC. Easy to fix this.

5. Don't diss Vandy -- they were shockingly close to an 8 win season. (they have 5 wins now but should have beaten 1: MidTenSt 2:Kentucky 3:Vandy ..more?) They had a good year rare as it may be..

[Texan4Auburn 1,626]

I don't think Arkansas would replace anyone in the Big 12. You have SMU, TCU, Houston, Rice all right there in the state of Texas. These teams would probably love to get into the Big 12 as it would give them more money, and easier travel schedules.

[chinook 0]

i don't think arkansas would do much better in the big 12. they need to focus on things @ the university rather than @ the conference level.

[Tigermike 3,066]

I am not a resident of Arkansas nor am I a fan of Arkansas football. But I expect them to stay in the SEC. Financially Arkansas would not be any better off in the Big 12 than the SEC. They are building rivalries with 5 teams in the SEC West and big games with teams in the East.

At some point, I expect Nebraska and Oklahoma to be very competitive on the national scene. Neither school will tolerate much less. So you would have the Big 12 with the big three of Texas, Nebraska & Oklahoma and all others trying to catch up. In the SEC there is FL, GA, TN, AL, LSU & AUBURN. Huuuummmmmm, on second thought the competition in the Big 12 would be easier on them wouldn't it?