The Big What If…

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Rivalry week gripped the college football world last Saturday.

In states with populations or areas similar to Arkansas – Oklahoma, Mississippi and South Carolina – longtime intrastate foes squared off for annual bragging rights.

The University of Arkansas doesn’t schedule in-state competition, so nothing like Ole Miss-Mississippi State or Clemson-South Carolina erupts here. It’s widely believed the state’s other FBS program, Arkansas State, couldn’t beat Arkansas often enough for an authentic rivalry to flourish. The numbers support this: since 2001, UA and ASU have played the same opponent 21 times within the same season. Only four times did ASU lose to that opponent by an equal or smaller margin.

And not until this season did ASU beat an opponent that had, or would, defeat Arkansas. In September, Louisiana-Monroe beat Arkansas 34-31 in Little Rock. In November, ULM lost to ASU 45-23 in Jonesboro.

Continue reading Evin’s breakdown of a Razorbacks v. Red Wolves gridiron match up, here.

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This column originally appeared in Sync Magazine.


Little Rock native Evin Demirel is a freelance writer digging on sports and society. He attended the University of Arkansas and in a previous life taught 8th-grade Latin at the Episcopal Collegiate School.

Follow him on Twitter and check out Evin’s blog on the local Arkansas sports scene.

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