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The prospect of
Arkansas and Texas playing
a home-and-home football series in 2008 and 2009 should be exciting to all Razorback fans. While Texas has dominated the series, 55-21, there is no other opponent that riles up Razorback fans as much as the Longhorns.
The Razorbacks and their fans have never experienced a setting as electric as the one before the 2004 showdown at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
A record crowd of 75,671 turned out for the contest and though the Hogs fell, 22-20, it was a fantastic football game, and a night few who attended will ever forget.
Personally, I believe the Horns and Hogs should play a home-and-home series from now until infinity if possible.
However, the leaked word that Arkansas and Texas have had discussions about playing annually in Dallas should the Red River rivalry between the Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners morph into a home-andhome series should not necessarily provoke a shout of "Sooie" for Hog fans.
Arkansas should certainly look long and hard before it leaps into such a setup because it might just land in a Texas-sized cow pile.
Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy a weekend getaway to Dallas as much as anyone, but why give away a home game every other year just for the right to play the Tea- sippers?
Yes, I understand the importance of Arkansas mining Texas’ fertile football recruiting grounds and I understand that Big D is as rich in gridiron talent as it once was in oil.
However, I believe the Razorbacks would get just as much bang for their buck by playing Texas in Austin as they would in the not-soneutral site of Dallas.
The Longhorns are a substantial story to news organizations in Dallas no matter whom and no matter where they play because the preponderance of Texas alumni who live in the area.
The Dallas Morning News is going to cover Texas and its opponent the same way no matter where the game is played. The same is true of the TV stations in the Metroplex.
If the Hogs are playing Texas, they will get the same media exposure in the Lone Star State no matter if the game is in Dallas or Austin.
And you can bet on this, no matter where the game is played, the Dallas Cowboys will be the lead story on Sunday, anyway.
So the media coverage would be a wash.
As for recruiting at the game, there would be an advantage to playing in Dallas.
Every other season, the Razorbacks would be designated as the home team, and if they choose to, they could invite recruits to the game.
It would certainly be easier to get recruits from Texas to attend a game in Dallas rather than Arkansas.
However, under current NCAA regulations, a school can only invite recruits to an off-campus game once a season.
If the Razorbacks decided to invite recruits to the Texas game, they would not be able to host recruits in Little Rock that season.
Also, while I understand the concept of a neutral site and realize the tickets would be split 50/50, it’s hard for me to think of a football game played in the heart of Texas as a home game for the Hogs.
While Dallas is home to a large contingent of Razorback fans, they are outnumbered by Longhorns like Crockett, Bowie and Travis were by Mexican troops at the Alamo.
Obviously, Hog fans still have an affinity for Dallas. Being the home of the Cotton Bowl and many Southwest Conference Tournaments, Razorback fans have always associated success with the city.
That’s a hard habit to break. Plus, the people in Dallas are so hospitable to Hog fans.
But, that brings up another key reason why the Hogs playing a home game in Dallas might not be the best idea.
Why are the service industries in Dallas so happy to see Hog fans?
One reason — money.
Dallas wants those tourist dollars, but if that money can stay home in Arkansas, I think it should.
Ask any business owner in town what a Razorback home game does for his bottom line.
And finally, if Arkansas is to give up a home game every other year, which city will lose out — Little Rock or Fayetteville?
Well, initially Fayetteville would.
The Hogs are contractually bound to play at least two games in War Memorial Stadium for the duration of the 15-year deal signed late in 2000, but once the contract is up all bets are off.
Many believe all the home games will be moved to Fayetteville at that point if War Memorial Stadium is not expanded or another stadium built.
Hog fans probably shouldn’t worry too much about all this though.
Some feel the talk about an annual UA-UT game in Dallas is being used by Texas as a bargaining chip against OU, which would rather switch to a homeand-home affair with UT.
The Longhorns know they have a good thing going, playing their biggest rival in their home state each year.
Texas doesn’t want to lose that advantage if it can keep from it.
In what has become a rite of the late winter, Oklahoma has signed another football recruiting class considered by many to rank among the elite nationally. It has become the norm in Bob Stoops’ seven seasons with the Sooners. The 2006 class was unveiled by Stoops Wednesday, the first day of the two-month national letter of intent signing period.
“Typical of our recent classes, this one is well-balanced,” Stoops said.
“These players are a talented and strong group. Skill-wise, you see a lot of athletic ability and multi-sport success. They’ve been successful across the board and set records in a number of sports.
“I also really like the character and academic accountability in this class. It reminds me a lot of last year’s class in that way. Every year we are seeing players pay more attention to the academic side of things and they’re coming to college more prepared. The biggest majority of our players are that way.”
The 2006 signing class includes 28 prospects at nine different positions. The Sooners addressed a number of needs, but none more than in the offensive line where seven players were signed.
“We felt we needed to bolster our team along the offensive line because we had the fewest number of scholarship players returning at those positions,” Stoops said. “We feel like we met our needs. We recruit the kind of players that we feel can play early in their careers and we hope we have some in this class that can do that.”
OU inked four defensive backs, three players at defensive end, running back and linebacker and two each at quarterback, wide receiver, tight end and defensive tackle.
All but three of the signees came from the high school ranks. The three exceptions were junior college transfers Chris Patterson, Sherrone Moore and Brandon Walker. Moore is already enrolled at OU and Walker has three years of eligibility remaining rather than the customary two among most junior college recruits.
Four of the signees are already on campus. Moore and fellow junior college transfer Joey Halzle, a quarterback, enrolled at OU during the semester break as did high school prospects Chad Roark and Quinton Carter.
Once again, the OU class reflect geographic diversity although the states of Texas (10) and Oklahoma (nine) combined to provide 19 of the signees for Oklahoma.
“Texas, with its great football tradition and population base, will always be a big factor in our recruiting efforts,” Stoops said, “but Oklahoma has great football tradition too and we are always anxious to have players from our state on our roster when they match the needs of the program.”
The Sooners signed two players whose hometowns are in Illinois and Nevada and one each from California, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan and Virginia.
“With the success of our program and the media attention we have received we feel we can attract players from all over the country and our recent classes reinforce that idea,” Stoops said.
With the 2006 signing day complete, Oklahoma now turns its attention to spring practice. Those workouts, which are open to the public, begin March 20. The spring game is slated for April 8, although the starting time is yet to be determined.
OU was 8-4 last season while playing the nation’s most difficult schedule, and capped the campaign with a 17-14 victory over No. 6 Oregon in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl.
The 2006 team will feature 26 players who started at least one game last season.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma has hired Northwestern offensive line coach James Patton to serve in the same position on the Sooners' staff.
Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops had an opening on his staff after receivers coach and passing game coordinator Darrell Wyatt left for a job with the Minnesota Vikings last month.
Kevin Wilson had been the Sooners' offensive line coach but was promoted to offensive coordinator to replace Chuck Long, who became the head coach at San Diego State in December.
Stoops also announced the juggling of coaching responsibilities within his staff. Wilson will now coach tight ends and fullbacks. Kevin Sumlin, who's coached tight ends for three seasons, now will coach receivers and add the titles of co-offensive coordinator and passing game coordinator.
Patton spent the past seven seasons at Northwestern, five as offensive line coach.
One of the most intense rivalries in college football in the 1980s is being renewed, as the University of Miami and the University of Oklahoma have signed contracts to play in 2007 and 2009. The two schools made the announcement jointly on Thursday.
The Hurricanes will play at Oklahoma on September 8, 2007, and the Sooners will visit the Orange Bowl on September 12, 2009.
The games represent a continuance of the marquee match-ups represented on OU schedules of the recent past and near future. The Sooners face both Washington and Oregon in 2006 then go to Washington in 2008.
In 2010, Florida State visits Norman before the Sooners return the game in Tallahassee the following year. Negotiations are ongoing for games in 2012 and 2013, but OU will host Tennessee in 2014 before returning to Knoxville in 2015.
Since Bob Stoops arrived in 1999, Oklahoma’s regular season non-conference schedule has included two games with Alabama, two games with UCLA and single games, to date, with Oregon, Notre Dame, Louisville and North Carolina.
“This is another wonderful series for college football,” said OU Athletics Director Joe Castiglione.
“We have great enthusiasm for games of this stature. Intersectional contests featuring the traditionally strong programs generate the kind of energy that makes college football so special. That is why we work hard in following a very specific scheduling philosophy that helps us maintain match-ups that attract national attention, while also seeking to keep our program on course for championship contention.
“The previous match-ups between our two schools have been legendary and we have great respect for the Miami program. We also cherish our history with the Miami area, something that is significant not only to our athletics program, but to Sooner fans everywhere.”
Miami athletics director Paul Dee echoed Castiglione’s sentiments.
"Each of us has won a national title since 2000,” he said. “This will be a great series played by two of college football's legendary teams. I'm pleased that the new 12-game schedule has allowed the playing of this game and several others which we have scheduled."
Miami leads the all-time series between the two, 3-2. The Sooners claimed wins in 1974 and 1975 before the ‘Canes reeled off triumphs from 1985-87. The 1986 and 1987 games featured No. 1 Oklahoma against No. 2 Miami. One of the two programs has been ranked for all five of the previous meetings.
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