Yes, it’s time to talk about playing in-state schools again

Another writer brought up the subject, so longtime media cohort Mike Irwin can’t accuse me of stirring anything up this time.

But this week, which is one of the more boring sports weeks of the year — the subject of Arkansas playing the community college in Jonesboro came up again.

Former athletics director Jeff Long basically ducked behind the shadow of Frank Broyles to get away from the issue. Since Frank was against it, then Long said he was, too.

That may have been the only thing of Broyles he used when it was convenient. Whether he actually believed it or not only he knows and he likely doesn’t care now that he’s the new boss at Kansas.

New athletics director Hunter Yurachek should be all over this. Anybody that tells him it’s not a good idea is living in the distant past.

Arkansas State athletics director Terry Mohajir was quick to congratulate Long … and try for a future game.

Congrats on the new gig @jefflongKU. You’ll do a great job! Now can we play? Home and Home? Too soon?

— Terry Mohajir (@TerryMohajirAD) July 5, 2018

Then Florida scheduled South Florida for a three-game series and that got pointed out to Arkansas folks.

See, Arkansas? It can be done! Now quit cowering and schedule Arkansas State!
Florida and South Florida agree to future three-game football series starting in 2022 https://t.co/5yEFOtSxLK via @CBSSports

— Henry Apple (@NWAHenry) May 22, 2018

Truthfully, the time has come for the Hogs to play ASU in all sports, not just football. They’ve only met one time in men’s basketball and Nolan Richardson squeaked out a win back in the 1980’s.

This shouldn’t be about just football, but every sport. Throw in women’s basketball, softball, baseball and let ’em come to a track meet if they want.

In my opinion, Broyles’ excuse for not playing in-state schools was silly when he first said it and nothing has changed. In a different day and age, saying he didn’t want to divide the state would fly. Not anymore.

Let’s face it, if Arkansas loses any fans or recruits by playing or even losing a game to ASU, then, well, they have bigger problems than an occasional fan or possible player. Most players are going to play in the SEC and not the Sun Belt if they are really good unless there’s a far more personal reason that makes playing a game not relevant.

And, while we’re at it, the Hogs should also schedule games against Central Arkansas and Arkansas-Pine Bluff, too. I mean, really? There’s an issue there?

Now don’t get me wrong. Playing these in-state schools should all happen in Fayetteville.

I wouldn’t even offer them a guarantee, but give them the usual visitor tickets and let them keep the revenue from that. Trust me, they would sell at a premium every one they could get their hands on.

Say it was 7,500 tickets for the game to the visiting in-state schools and they sell them for $100 apiece. That’s $750,000 to play a game in the state, which will have minimal travel cost. They could even make it part of their donors’ ticket packages for an extra bump there, too.

Without knowing all the financial details at the UA, it appears like a win-win.

Even politically, this is a no-lose deal. It’s surprising our elected officials haven’t demanded it before now. That’s happened in Florida and Mississippi in the past, by the way. That’s the only way Florida or Florida State would play Miami. Ole Miss and Mississippi State weren’t happy about playing Southern Miss, but it was forced on them for awhile.

These games should not be played in War Memorial. That would be the Hogs giving up too much. They shouldn’t be playing ANY games in that delapidated wreck of a stadium, but they are at the point now where they can see the light at the end of that tunnel.

No, if those schools want to play the Hogs, come to Fayetteville.

Arkansas has pretty much played every school in the Sun Belt and some in the Southland, even a SWAC school on occasion.

Why not keep the money in state?

Besides, despite what some fluff-talkers like to say, none of those teams would beat Arkansas on the football field more than once every 20 years … if they wanted to keep the series going that long.

In case you’re wondering, the Hogs have lost once since 1920 to a team from the Sun Belt, Southland or SWAC. Yep, in 2012 in Little Rock to Louisiana-Monroe.

Ranked No. 8 in the country (albeit seriously over-rated before the season, opening at No. 10), they collapsed in the the second week.

The program didn’t exactly fall apart. Razorback Stadium was over-flowing the next week against Alabama and the following week against Rutgers before things got a little thin.

And that’s the only time in history the Hogs lost to a Sun Belt team.

No, Arkansas State wouldn’t beat Arkansas. In my opinion they wouldn’t have last year (although, admittedly, I would be counting on an effort like against Texas A&M or Mississippi State as opposed to Coastal Carolina).

A friend in Las Vegas in the legal sports betting business told me this week if the two were playing this year the Hogs would be a 14-point favorite at home right now.

But we won’t know anytime soon exactly how things would play out.

We’ll see if anything changes.