Rex Nelson: The Greatest Football Season In Arkansas History?

It has been a disaster of a football season for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks. Last Saturday’s debacle in Starkville was only the latest installment in a season gone sour.

The shame of it is that the Razorbacks’ struggles have somewhat overshadowed what might just be the greatest college football season from top to bottom in this state’s history.

Consider these facts:

• Arkansas State is 8-3 overall and 5-1 in the Sun Belt Conference in the first year of the Gus Malzahn era. The Red Wolves attracted almost 30,000 fans on a recent Thursday night for a game against Louisiana-Monroe in Jonesboro. On Dec. 1, what should be another large crowd will turn out at Liberty Bank Stadium in Jonesboro to see ASU play Middle Tennessee State for the Sun Belt title.
• UCA finished the regular season 9-2 with a share of the Southland Conference championship and a spot in the NCAA FCS playoffs. The Bears received a first-round bye and will take on traditional power Georgia Southern on the road on Dec. 1.
• UAPB also finished the regular season 9-2, tying the record for the most wins in school history. Coach Monte Coleman’s club ran away with the Western Division of the SWAC and will now play Jackson State in the conference championship game at Birmingham’s historic Legion Field on Dec. 8.
• Henderson finished the regular season 10-0 with a resounding victory in the Battle of the Ravine on Nov. 10 against a Ouachita team that finished 6-4. It’s the first undefeated, untied regular season in school history. The Reddies received a bye in the first round of the NCAA Division II playoffs and will now play Missouri Western in Arkadelphia with a noon kickoff this Saturday. Meanwhile, Henderson’s sensational sophomore quarterback, Kevin Rodgers, is one of eight finalists for the 2012 Harlon Hill Trophy. That’s the Division II version of the Heisman Trophy. During the 2012 season, Rodgers earned Great American Conference Player of the Week honors a record six times. He has thrown for more than 300 yards in seven games this year.
• Harding finished the regular season 9-1 and earned a berth in the Division II playoffs, where the Bisons fell to powerful Northwest Missouri State in the first round.
• Southern Arkansas finished the regular season 8-2 and earned a spot in a new bowl game in Texas for Division II teams.
• Seven of the 10 college programs in Arkansas will have winning records this year. The combined record of those seven teams is 59-15. Of the four Division II teams with winning records, there was only one loss to a team from outside Arkansas during the regular season. That was Ouachita’s loss at East Central Oklahoma.

As I said, it has been an incredible year for college football in Arkansas. Only three programs – Arkansas, Arkansas Tech and UAM – have had losing seasons. Two of those schools, Arkansas and Arkansas Tech, are now searching for new head coaches.

The days of Arkansans supporting just one college team are coming to an end. And that’s a good thing. That attitude now seems like something from the 1970s. Do people actually believe that those of us who live in this state aren’t smart enough to be able to follow more than one team? Why can’t I root for Arkansas in the SEC, Arkansas State in the Sun Belt, UCA in the Southland, UAPB in the SWAC and the Arkansas team of my choice in the GAC all at the same time?

I realize that I grew up a little differently from most Arkansans. Though I was a fan of the Hogs, the old Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference was my bread and butter since my childhood home was within walking distance of both the Ouachita and Henderson stadiums. Never was it a “Hogs or nothing” attitude for me when it came to college football.

Four recent experiences have convinced me that Arkansans are now becoming accustomed to supporting more than one team:

1. I was in Jonesboro for the Red Wolves’ Nov. 8 victory over Louisiana-Monroe. The atmosphere was electric. I even had the pleasure of being in the dressing room before the game to hear Gov. Mike Beebe give the pregame talk to the team. There’s no doubt that Malzahn’s hiring is drawing unprecedented attention to this program.
2. I was in Arkadelphia two days later as a record crowd of more than 12,000 people showed up for the Battle of the Ravine. I’ve attended more than 40 of these Ouachita-Henderson games through the years. I’ve always said that Alabama-Auburn is the top Division I rivalry in the country and Ouachita-Henderson is the top Division II rivalry because they divide families and are discussed 365 days a year. Never have I seen as much media attention leading up to a Division II game in this state. Never have I seen such a crowd in Arkadelphia. It’s proof that more and more Arkansans are starting to realize the fine quality of football played in the GAC.
3. This past Saturday night I had the honor of being in the new private suites at Estes Stadium in Conway as UCA defeated Eastern Illinois in the final game of the regular season. Those suites are as nice as anything at the NCAA FBS level. They’re further proof that the UCA program is here to stay.
4. I was at the Little Rock Touchdown Club on Monday as a huge crowd turned out to hear Malzahn speak. He was surrounded afterward by media representatives. In years past, the club wouldn’t have attracted half that number for an ASU coach.

Taken as a whole, college football has never been better in Arkansas.

Now back to that Razorback coaching search . . .