I Just Need Someone to Hate

by Stephen Expat on Aug 11, 2009 3:29 PM CDT Comment 8 comments

It's hard to believe but it was 19 years ago this summer that Arkansas reached an agreement to join the SEC. 19 years!

There are pockets of grumbling here and there that say Arkansas should be in the Big 12, which is home to some of the schools that the Razorbacks spent the better part of the 20th Century developing blood feuds with. Overall, though, it's difficult to see the Hogs' move to the SEC as anything other than a smashing success.

And yet, I will admit that I periodically find myself missing our days in the Southwest Conference. Why, you say? Well, it's because of those blood feuds mentioned above, specifically the ones with Texas and Texas A&M (sorry Artiger: I know that your blood pressure probably shot up several points when you read that.)

I would have thought that the Hogs, after nearly two decades in the league, would have established some bigger, nastier rivalries. Perhaps these things take more time than I thought.

And yet - hope (or should I say, "hate"?) may be on the way.

In case you haven't noticed, during the last three seasons, we've had three pretty epic football games with LSU. In 2006, the Tigers oh-so-rudely snuffed out our faint but still legitimate hopes to reach the BCS national title game.

And then, in 2007, we pulled off a nice little upset. And last year, another nice little upset. Toss in the The Boot and the fact that this game is played on Thanksgiving weekend before a national television audience, and we might have something special brewing here.

Still, I have to admit that I don't yet feel much animosity toward LSU.

Of course, Ole Miss, coached by some crazy-eyed, compulsive texter who I seem to recall has a connection or two to Arkansas, could very well prove to be our next big rival. And then there's Alabama. The Tide's coach is not terribly likeable, and we've had some crazy games with them over the years. Maybe they will someday prove to be the enemy that we're looking for.

Regardless of who our next big rival is, I wish they'd hurry up and make themselves apparent. Going through life without someone to hate is no way to live.

0 recs | Comment 8 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Big Orange T

I can’t believe you didn’t mention Tennessee. They’re orange. Their symbol is a big “T.” Anything sounding familiar here? What’s not to hate?

RazorWOP = An Arkansan of Italian descent

by RazorWOP on Aug 11, 2009 5:28 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm really glad the Hogs joined the SEC

I think the reason we don’t have fiercer rivalries built up is that we haven’t won consistently enough. Teams will start hating us more when we start winning more…up until now, we’ve mostly been an annoyance at best.

But, it’s also worth remembering that even when we were in the SWC we were never really anyone’s #1 rival. Even though we had some great games with Texas, for most of that history we always hated them more than they hated us (Oklahoma and Texas A&M typically came first).

Keeping that in mind, it might just be the drawback of being a small state surrounded by schools with other intense rivals. Why won’t anyone hate us??

by John Expat on Aug 11, 2009 5:38 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I hate LSU

by SWFLNole. on Aug 11, 2009 6:48 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Katrina's Impact and LSU

When Hurricane Katrina hit a large # of people moved from Louisiana to Arkansas. They brought their love, and overconfidence, of their Bayou Bengals. When I drive the state of Arkansas for my job I see a lot of college license plates. They run 75% Hog, 20% LSU, and 5% Other. The further south the more skewed it gets.

This along with the fantastic football games in the recent history of the series leads to LSU Hate.

by Arkbear on Aug 12, 2009 3:41 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

One of the biggest things

I can point to as a reason for the lack of someone to hate is in-state rivalry. I grew up in The land of the ACC in North Carolina. From my earliest memories there I was a Tarheel fan. That part of the country is bred for rivalries because of all the competing in-state schools of the same caliber. Just in NC you have UNC, NC State, Duke, etc. In SC, you have teh Gamecocks, Clemson, Etc.

If Arkansas had another university in the same caliber and conference as the Hogs, we would easily have someone to hate. Just a thought…

And just for old times sake:

Duke is puke, Wake is fake, but the team we hate is N.C. State! Go Heels!!!

"Go Hogs" is not a cheer or a drunken shout, it is a belief in something much bigger; however, shouting it during a cheer while drinking at a game is a lot of fun too!!

by rsnookjr on Aug 12, 2009 8:06 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

It is LSU for me

Maybe because I come from South Arkansas and possibly even more so because I have gotten to attend the LSU game in LR on a regular basis, I would say LSU is the team I have the most hatred for in the SEC. But since Ole Miss now has its reasons to garner plenty of Razorback spite, I offer this:

IZOD, IZOD, ALLIGATOR PISS, IF SHIT WERE A COLLEGE, THEY WOULD CALL IT OLE MISS! haha.

by KevinHog on Aug 12, 2009 8:33 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

+1

Very nice

"Go Hogs" is not a cheer or a drunken shout, it is a belief in something much bigger; however, shouting it during a cheer while drinking at a game is a lot of fun too!!

by rsnookjr on Aug 12, 2009 9:12 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

A lot of my fellow Longhorns fans do not agree with me, but I think Arkansas is a rivalry that Texas should seek to re-establish for the long haul. Aggie is barely a rivalry, as they’ve kind of been pushovers most of the past couple of decades, and of course OU has been a top-tier matchup many times the past decade or so, but I really wish things between UT and Ark would be re-kindled. I thought things were going in that direction with all the great games leading up to and during the Matt Jones years.

I do recognize that OU and aTm are the more recognized rivalries for Texas, but what makes Arkansas so much more dangerous is that the team that takes it very seriously just plain sneaks up on a team that doesn’t take the rivalry as seriously. If I recall correctly, didn’t Nutt set the upside-down Hook ’Em in motion?

by burntorangehorn on Aug 15, 2009 5:47 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs