What do Oklahoma (twice), Georgia (twice), UCLA, Tennessee, North Carolina, Michigan, UNLV, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Missouri have in common? They've all defeated the Hogs in bowl games during our current stretch of bowl futility...that's 12 losses in the last 14 postseason games if you're counting.
Why are the Hogs so bad in bowls? If you have a good theory, I'd love to hear it in the comments section because I'm out of ideas. There doesn't seem to be much of a common thread other than the little white Razorback logos on the helmets...different coaches, different players, different opponents (some good, others not so good). Some haters might blame Frank Broyles, but he was never down on the field making things happen (or not) so I don't buy that.
I know it's not a fundamental law of the universe that we must lose bowl games because we were actually doing pretty well for awhile there...six wins and only three losses between 1975-1985. So what's the deal?
Personally, I think the whole bowl/poll/BCS system is an incredibly dumb way to determine a "champion" and would be first in line for a playoff if the Powers That Be ever came to their senses about that whole situation. But, it would still be nice to win a bowl game every now and then.
First of all, a standard-issue Razorback bowl loss is just a depressing way to end a season. And more importantly, the way you play during your bowl game is hugely important in setting the scene for the next season...a bowl win helps you in the preseason rankings which puts you in position for a better bowl and so on and so forth.
On the bright side, the 2008 Cotton Bowl gives Stephen and me more fodder for the "Hogs always lose their bowl games" jokes that we love so well. And who knows, maybe the Bobby Petrino era will see a turnaround in our bowl fortunes. At any rate, it's behind us now...onward and upward.
