(07-21-2022 03:53 PM)Poster Wrote: That was 1979 when Arkansas supposedly inquired with the Big 8 about membership.
And the only articles about that were written by Barry Tramel in 2010. More than 30 years after that supposedly occurred. I don’t know how true it really is.
https://www.oklahoman.com/story/sports/c...906959007/
Arkansas to the Big 8 was such a no-brainer. Yes, they are closer to four Big 8 schools (OSU, OU, Mizzou, KU) than to any SWC school, and K-State is about the same distance as SMU/TCU.
Not sure if Arkansas actually inquired about membership in the Big 8. There is also a rumor that Nebraska vetoed their application...I'm definitely not sure about that. In those days, competition mattered more than revenue, and it could be true that Nebraska saw Arkansas as being closer on the field to the Big 2 (OU/Nebraska) than the Little 6 (the rest).
Arkansas to the Big 8 would have made a ton of sense, especially in those days when Fayetteville could only be reached by two-lane road and had a tiny airport. Visiting teams flew into Tulsa before the new Northwest Arkansas airport was built.
There were rumors, or at least urban legend, of kicking a lower-performing school out of the Big 8 and adding Arkansas. Colorado (location and performance) and Kansas State (performance) were among those rumored of being switched out in favor of Arkansas. Again, I think that's purely rumor, speculation, and urban legend.
I don't understand, nor do I believe, the story Frank Broyles told that Arkansas would not have made the cut for the Big 12, and therefore looked to move out of the SWC first, to the SEC. Arkansas in 1990 was winning SWC football championships, was a national basketball power, and had a brand and fan base that any conference would have wanted.
Arkansas would have made too much sense for the Big 8. And, they would have greatly stabilized the Big 12. But they made a GREAT choice to join the SEC, even as their football program has been inconsistent.