While the big brothers of the state’s college football claim historical success, the current form of Arkansas State football provides more entertainment and excitement than the Arkansas Razorbacks.

In my time writing for this sports page, this will probably go down as my most controversial opinion. However, hear me out before you tune out my rambling.

The Razorbacks still reign as the state’s top team. They have a history of success despite their recent seasons of misery. A claimed and unclaimed national championship in 1964 and 1977 respectively trumps the meager Division II title A-State once held.

But you cannot deny the fact that Arkansas has become a shell of its former glory. 

The team has yet to crack a double-digit win season since Bobby Petrino led the Razorbacks in 2011. They hit rock bottom in the college football juggernaut Southeastern Conference (SEC) nearly every year, except for a 2021 campaign that led to an AP Poll top-25 ranking.

While the situation seems dire in Fayetteville, Jonesboro fares nearly the same. 

In a weaker conference, A-State floats between winning and losing seasons nearly every other year. Under current head coach Butch Jones, the team holds an overall record of 28-39. Their drought of AP Poll or College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings continues to last since the program’s beginnings in 1911. 

However,  between two teams sitting in a similar state of mediocrity, A-State produces the more entertaining football product. It all comes down to the teams’ competitiveness in their respective conferences. 

The Razorbacks boast a seat in the conference of college football royalty, but their performance has produced zero conference titles and leaves them mostly sniffing the dream of topping the SEC. They made the title game three times, but lost each visit in brutal fashion. 

Meanwhile, A-State stays in the mix of the top teams in the Sun Belt Conference (SBC). Since joining the conference in 2001, the Red Wolves have claimed the top spot in the SBC five times. While their last title came in 2016, the team continues to hold leverage in the race for the championship game. 

With the CFP expanding the field and giving more opportunities for Group of Six conference champions with an auto-bid, the Red Wolves have more hope of reaching the playoffs and possibly competing compared to the Razorbacks.

In terms of actual play, the SBC keeps A-State football entertaining with the strength of the rest of the conference. 

While the SBC is much weaker than the SEC, it gives A-State the opportunity to approach each match with the chance to win and stay competitive. In fact, the Red Wolves hold winning records in conference play in all but three years since 2011. 

Meanwhile, being among the greatest teams in college football has not gone well at all for the Razorbacks. Their SEC play has only produced two seasons at .500 or above in the same time frame. Each matchup against opponents in the conference almost always seems to net negative results for Arkansas. 

However, this is not to say the Red Wolves are the better football team, as evidenced by the 56-14 blowout the Razorbacks delivered last year. But comparing the two teams in their current state, A-State’s competitive level reigns over the Razorbacks, as success is easier in the SBC than the SEC and gives the Red Wolves a better opportunity to reach the postseason with the current CFP landscape.

Even as the weaker program, A-State provides entertainment with their competition that Arkansas can’t produce in their current state. Hopefully, both teams can begin to develop an upward trajectory and work towards creating a worthwhile rivalry in the Natural State that really puts our programs on the map.

Categories: Sports