Hogs should also play Arkansas State, UCA … at home in Fayetteville

With the announcement Wednesday the Razorbacks will host Arkansas-Pine Bluff in football a couple of years down the road they might as well set games with the other schools.

And, yes, that includes the community college in Jonesboro. The UA should have been playing them for years except Frank Broyles was scared to death losing once every 20 years was somehow going to affect the Razorbacks.

New athletics director Hunter Yurachek seems to have a pretty good respect for history while not letting it hold you back from improvement.

It was a ridiculous paranoid position because if it did have an effect, then the problem could be easily fixed with a personnel change. None of those are getting in the SEC which will dwarf anything they will ever be able to do financially. That’s not a knock on them, but simply the numbers.

While they’re at it, might as well throw in a game with Central Arkansas, too.

The guess here is that might not be as far-fetched of an idea as you might have previously thought.

It will likely — and should — happen in every sport.

Paranoid folks in Fayetteville for decades have held the misguided view that playing them might somehow elevate them to a dangerous stature, which means they obviously can’t do basic math with a modest amount of forethought.

Think about it … if one of these schools beats the Hogs they aren’t going to miraculously start out-recruiting them in any sport or getting close to revenue. Little Rock’s coach said after the Trojans beat up on the Hogs at Baum-Walker they couldn’t compete in recruiting even after a 17-7 win earlier this year.

Playing the Hogs will do nothing but help the smaller schools from a financial standpoint, which could benefit the UA if you follow the money. The UA could even argue for a little bigger piece of the state budget appropriations because they are kicking back to the other schools.

But let’s not get carried away with this.

If the state schools want to play the Hogs, well, load up and come to Fayetteville. No, the Hogs should not play Arkansas State in Little Rock. They should never play another game there, but they’ve got to go through the charade for a few more years because some can’t drop the romantic notion that dilapidated War Memorial Stadium is fit for an SEC game.

But, like UAPB is doing in 2021 and 2024, come on up to Fayetteville. When the fans of the Golden Lions and Little Rock came here for baseball earlier in the year, it was an event for the fans that came to Baum-Walker.

When the Razorbacks play the other state schools they should keep the biggest share of the money. It’s probably not a wild guess they will make more as the visiting team in Fayetteville than they would make for a home game.

Yes, I’m aware that in one column I’ve now ignited the passions of people on the Hogs-ASU playing each other AND the whole War Memorial thing.

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I’m in favor, though, of playing every college in the state of Arkansas they can schedule (and if they could play DII schools I would encourage that). It’s a simple matter to me that, quite frankly, I’m surprised the state legislature hasn’t jumped squarely in the middle of.

Broyles took care of that decades ago with his political prowess and it still carries some weight, but a lot of things have changed over the last 50 years … especially in Northwest Arkansas.

More importantly, though, is the economic consideration.

This year the Hogs have home games against Portland State, Colorado State, San Jose State and Western Kentucky, which is the closest of those opponents (591 miles away from Razorback Stadium).

The Hogs’ band will be bigger than any of those visiting fans’ groups.

Money is the ultimate reason why the UA should consider playing every in-state school at least once a year (it probably should be two games, but baby steps first).

ASU, UCA and UAPB will bring more fans than any of the teams coming in this year. Safest bet for 2021 is Golden Lions’ fans will buy every ticket they can get. The same would be true for the other state schools.

Don’t throw out the argument the Hogs get nothing from playing these schools unless you can answer one simple question:

What do they get playing any of the schools on the schedule the last two years?