UA home schedule is weak
Last updated Tuesday, December 12, 2006 5:47 PM CST in Columns
By Harry King
The Morning News
LITTLE ROCK -- Spoiled by home and home with Texas and USC, Arkansas fans may have to hold their noses when ponying up for season tickets in 2007.
Other than a mid-October game with Auburn, the in-state opponents are low on the buzz-meter. To soothe the acid reflux generated by such a lineup, chew some chalky burnt orange tablets. Texas, you see, is to blame for a non-conference schedule of Troy, North Texas, Chattanooga and Florida International.
In case you are unaware of the Sun Belt Conference, Troy, North Texas and FIU are members. That's the same league that includes Arkansas State University. In fact, the Indians beat conference champion Troy 33-26, North Texas 29-10, and FIU 31-6 this year. Chattanooga is in I-AA, a cut below the Sun Belt.
Enough about games that won't happen. Back to the blame game and the role of the evil Longhorns.
Beginning in 2007, Arkansas was supposed to have a home and home with TCU. Not much of a threat in the Southwest Conference after Frank Broyles established the Razorbacks, the Horned Frogs are a power in the Mountain West Conference and have been on the fringes of the national scene.
Frogs vs. Hogs was attractive.
But, during the spring, Texas and Arkansas agreed to a home-and-home beginning in 2008. Always eager to play the Longhorns, Razorback fans were ecstatic. Arkansas responded to the Texas agreement by booting the TCU series into the next decade.
No "name" team would be willing to come to Fayetteville for a one-game contract in 2007 and the Razorbacks needed eight home games to replenish the coffers.
Remember, Arkansas only played six home games in 2005 because of the USC game in Los Angeles and total revenue from a game at Razorback Stadium is about $3.3 million. If the Razorbacks had known that the NCAA was going to approve a permanent 12th game, the people in charge might have flipped the home and home with USC and invited the Trojans to Fayetteville two years ago. It's just as well that didn't happen. The 70-14 loss was bad enough; it would have been even worse witnessed by 70,000 in red.
With USC in Fayetteville in September, the Razorbacks had eight home games. It will be the same next year and then peel back to seven in 2008 when Arkansas plays at Austin.
Arkansas folks are touting the fact that seven of the opponents in 2007 are in bowl games, but there are 32 such opportunities and Kentucky football is in the postseason for the first time this decade. Alabama, Tennessee and LSU are bowl staples, but all three of those are on the road.
For the Arkansas team, there is a nice rhythm to the caliber of opponent in September and October. The Razorbacks warm up against Troy, then take a week off before opening SEC play at Alabama. After that comes four straight in-state games with North Texas the opening act for Kentucky and Chattanooga providing a pre-Auburn scrimmage. North Texas and Chattanooga were a combined 6-17 this year.
Florida International and Duke were the only Division I-A programs in the country that failed to win a game and FIU coach Don Strock resigned when the Golden Panthers were 0-9. Surely, somebody will be hired before FIU comes to Fayetteville on Oct. 27, a week prior to the Razorbacks' game against South Carolina.
In between November trips to Knoxville and Baton Rouge, Arkansas is in Little Rock for its SEC game of the year against Mississippi State. The Bulldogs haven't won more than three games since 2000.
When writing the check for tickets, tell yourself that $35 per seat is a small price to pay to see Darren McFadden's Heisman Trophy campaign.
Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media's Arkansas News Bureau. e-mail: hking@arkansasnews.com.
About this columnist
The dean of Arkansas sports writers, Harry King updates his column five days per week with the latest on the Razorbacks. A 35-year veteran of The Associated Press, King joined the Arkansas News Bureau in May of 2002. He's covered the Razorbacks since the Arkansas-Texas game dubbed the Big Shootout in 1969.
Reader Comments (1 comment(s))
The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsibility of their authors. The Morning News does not review comments before their publication, nor do we guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by our comment policy. If you see a comment that violates our policy, please notify the web editor.
Not already registered?
How disappointing! wrote on Dec 12, 2006 11:12 PM: