A couple of years ago, a national sports analyst rated Arkansas football fans as the fourth dumbest fan base in college football. If I remember correctly, I believe Alabama fans were rated the dumbest. I was really bothered about this, mainly because I would have thought we were in first place. I think it's a real shame that Arkansas can't be first in something. If you spend any time at all reading Razorback message boards, you would certainly think we could compete for the dumbest fans. Personally, I think we need a recount.
As a case in point, Arkansas just finished recruiting the 25th ranked class of football recruits in the nation but, from what some of the fans are saying, you would have to conclude that we ended up somewhere near the bottom.
While it's true that Arkansas wasn't able to persuade a couple of high-profile recruits to commit on the last day, the fact that Arkansas was even in the running for them is different than how things used to be. A sizable chunk of our fan base seems to think we can't compete with the big boys like Alabama, Florida State, LSU and the like. This simply is not true. While those schools usually do get higher ranked classes, we did get some recruits that were also recruited by some of those schools. One thing that stands out is the recruits we do get are high character guys who do the right thing on the field and off of it. Head coach Bret Bielema has done a great job of recruiting young men who want to play football and also want to get their education. Graduation rates have never been higher. The razorback players are truly student-athletes.
Another example of unrealistic expectations on the part of our fans is how senior quarterback, Brandon Allen, has been treated over the course of his time at Arkansas. This past season, Brandon had a good year, but you wouldn't know it from reading what some of the fans wrote about him, not to mention what they have said and written about him the past three years. And it wasn't always just verbal abuse -- Brandon had his pickup trashed after one game and someone burned it the following season. The young man has suffered more than his fair share of hate while he was at Arkansas. Many of his present-day supporters had nothing but contempt for him the first two years he played for Arkansas. Once he started winning, they changed their tune for the most part, although there were a few diehards who simply could not pay the boy a compliment. While Brandon may not have been the most talented quarterback to play at Arkansas, a case could be made that he was one of the most improved players to ever play here. Brandon holds a number of records at the quarterback position, including throwing for the most touchdowns.
On the other hand, Arkansas fans are not as obnoxious as some other teams fans. At least not like, say, LSU fans. Most of the time Arkansas fans are respectful of other teams and their fan bases. The typical Razorback fan has an expectation of seeing their team win and compete with the Alabamas, Auburns and LSUs of the world. That is certainly my expectation, so I was very glad to see the Hogs beat Auburn and LSU this year. In fact, in the last six games with LSU, the Razorbacks have won three, which in my book constitutes competing with them. It is Alabama we can't seem to beat, but the same holds true for nearly every other team in the nation. LSU has lost to the Crimson Tide six years in a row now.
Here's the bottom line: we have a great coach, a very good team, and a really nice recruiting class coming in to play football at Arkansas. And the fourth dumbest fan base. What more could you ask for? Woo Pig!
Sam Byrnes is a Gentry-area resident and weekly contributor to the Eagle Observer. He may be contacted by email at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 02/10/2016