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A reminder that season is long Tuesday, Nov 22, 2005 By Harry King LITTLE ROCK - Lately, there have been plenty of reminders that we are in too much of a rush to know. It's true in sports, politics and just about everything else. On June 1, the Houston Chronicle ran a giant tombstone with the Houston Astros' logo. The team was 19-32 at the time, but went 70-41 the rest of the way and reached the World Series. Two months ago, remember the snickering on the morning after Tennessee 30, LSU 27 in overtime. Coming from Oklahoma State where Jan. 1 bowl games occurred every 50-something years, Tigers coach Les Myles was over his head at Baton Rouge, people said. Now, LSU is No. 3 in the country, needing a victory over Arkansas on Friday and Georgia on Dec. 3 to remain in the running for the national championship game. Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer? He's sweating bullets in Knoxville. Only last month, the 78-year-old coach at Penn State was supposedly snookered by Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, who convinced an official that his call for a timeout was unheeded. Two seconds were added to the clock and the Wolverines scored the winning touchdown with one second to play. Too old for the game, Joe Paterno has his Nittany Lions going to a BCS game and Carr is being criticized for an outdated offense. Two weeks ago, a poll showed Republican Asa Hutchinson in front of Democrat Mike Beebe in the race for governor of Arkansas. A week earlier, Beebe was in front of Hutchinson in another poll. In about 350 days, we'll know for sure who will be Arkansas' next governor. Friday afternoon, Arkansas will be in the record books at 4-7 or 5-6. Going against Mississippi and Mississippi State the past two weeks, the Razorbacks seem to be much improved, but the quality of the recent opposition tempers my enthusiasm. LSU's defense is very good, more complete than anything quarterback Casey Dick has seen in his three outings. And, the LSU offensive line will protect better than the Mississippi State sieve. Not since Arkansas joined the SEC in 1992 has there been such a disparity between the best and the worst in the league. Auburn, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina are finished with the regular season and each is 5-3 or better in the SEC. LSU will be 7-1 or 6-2. At the bottom of the pile, either Tennessee or Kentucky will finish 3-5 along with Vanderbilt. Arkansas can get to 3-5 with a victory. The others are destined for 2-6 or worse. Not one team will have four league victories. The only other time that has occurred since Arkansas signed on was in 2002 when seven of the 12 were 5-3 or better, but 6-2 Alabama was ineligible for the championship. The line between top and bottom is clearly defined because of the lack of upsets. Arkansas, Kentucky, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt only beat the other have-nots and Mississippi State has not won a league game. Tennessee over LSU was the lone exception. The fallout includes a lack of bowl-eligible teams from the SEC, and that shortage dovetails with the demise of Tennessee and Arkansas. The last time the Vols missed out on a bowl game was the 5-6 team of 1988. Arkansas' string of six straight bowl games ended last year. There is some irony in the fact that Fulmer and Houston Nutt, also on the hot seat, will meet in 2006 for the first time since 2002. When the Razorbacks moved to the SEC, the Vols and South Carolina were staples on the schedule from the Eastern Division. Now, only South Carolina is every-year for Arkansas. Along with Southern California, Alabama and Mississippi, the Vols are part of an extremely attractive Fayetteville schedule. To pad the record, there is Louisiana-Monroe, Southeast Missouri and Utah State. For those unwilling to wait, add the Mississippi schools and Jay Cutler-less Vanderbilt and the Razorbacks will be bowl bound. ----- Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media Group's Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com. |
