LIKE IT IS : Postponement unfortunate, but the right call
Posted on Sunday, September 14, 2008
During the dog days of summer, when football still seemed an eternity away, a debate was born on an afternoon call-in show.
Of the 12 games on the Arkansas Razorbacks’ schedule, which one would be the biggest victory ?
Callers to The Sports Animals had a variety of answers, with Ole Miss getting some expected attention, as well as Tulsa and LSU. Even Western Illinois got a couple of votes.
The battle, though, was between Texas and Alabama.
A lot of Razorbacks fans younger than 35 probably don’t know the importance of flashing an upside-down hook ’em Horns sign, but as witnessed at Alltel Arena in North Little Rock during the NCAA Tournament, the vast majority of Razorbackers remember the decades of football and basketball showdowns with the Longhorns.
The boos every time the ’Horns took the court were long, loud and a little embarrassing since they were our guests.
Yet, on the radio there seemed to be no age boundaries when it came to knowing the significance of winning the first SEC game of the season.
When it was announced late last week the Arkansas-Texas game was being postponed, the first thing that came to mind was that is a good thing now, but in two weeks it could be a bad thing.
The two extra days to prepare for the Tide — mostly for the coaches to break down film and come up with new ways to attack on offense and defense — can’t hurt.
Sure, there were a lot of people disappointed that Saturday’s game was rescheduled because plans had been made to visit the bustling metropolis of Austin, where great Mexican food can be found on almost every corner, which is always a plus.
Some who had airline reservations discovered they were going to have to pay an additional $ 150 per ticket to change the travel dates, and with a music festival in town the week of Sept. 27, hotel rooms were not as plentiful and they were more expensive.
All of which was considered by Texas officials, who thought about moving the game to Dallas and keeping it as scheduled.
It is highly unlikely moving it to Fayetteville was ever a consideration since the Longhorns were removed from next season’s schedule and replaced with Texas A&M.
So they couldn’t just trade years, and to the Longhorn nation it was like being dumped for the Aggies, and salt in the wounds is that game will be in the new Dallas Cowboys stadium instead of the ancient Cotton Bowl.
There is a chance that after the Sept. 27 game the Hogs and ’Horns will never meet in a regular-season game again.
The Aggies are on the schedule for the next 10 years, and the odds of playing two Big 12 schools in the regular season are astronomical.
The Longhorns do owe the Razorbacks a game in Fayetteville, but if UT wanted to buy its way out it probably could. Texas may have problems, but money isn’t one of them.
If ABC, which has a contract with the Big 12, or ESPN doesn’t pick up the game in 13 days, look for it to be on pay-per-view.
When all the call-in votes were tallied last summer, Alabama was voted the most critical game on the Razorbacks schedule. It just made sense.
The logic was that it is the first SEC game of the season, and starting league play with a victory would be huge for this baby-boomer bunch of Razorbacks.
By having Saturday off, no one got hurt and it gave a little extra time for guys like Elston Forte and Jerell Norton to heal and get back into playing shape.
The main thing about the decision, what made it a nobrainer, was the safety of all the players, coaches and fans.
Hurricane Ike is a serious threat, and playing a football game Saturday would have been a mistake.
As it is, the Hogs and ’Horns will meet Sept. 27, and it very well may be the curtain call on a series that will never be forgotten.
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