It's hard to believe but it was 19 years ago this summer that Arkansas reached an agreement to join the SEC. 19 years!
There are pockets of grumbling here and there that say Arkansas should be in the Big 12, which is home to some of the schools that the Razorbacks spent the better part of the 20th Century developing blood feuds with. Overall, though, it's difficult to see the Hogs' move to the SEC as anything other than a smashing success.
And yet, I will admit that I periodically find myself missing our days in the Southwest Conference. Why, you say? Well, it's because of those blood feuds mentioned above, specifically the ones with Texas and Texas A&M (sorry Artiger: I know that your blood pressure probably shot up several points when you read that.)
I would have thought that the Hogs, after nearly two decades in the league, would have established some bigger, nastier rivalries. Perhaps these things take more time than I thought.
And yet - hope (or should I say, "hate"?) may be on the way.
In case you haven't noticed, during the last three seasons, we've had three pretty epic football games with LSU. In 2006, the Tigers oh-so-rudely snuffed out our faint but still legitimate hopes to reach the BCS national title game.
And then, in 2007, we pulled off a nice little upset. And last year, another nice little upset. Toss in the The Boot and the fact that this game is played on Thanksgiving weekend before a national television audience, and we might have something special brewing here.
Still, I have to admit that I don't yet feel much animosity toward LSU.
Of course, Ole Miss, coached by some crazy-eyed, compulsive texter who I seem to recall has a connection or two to Arkansas, could very well prove to be our next big rival. And then there's Alabama. The Tide's coach is not terribly likeable, and we've had some crazy games with them over the years. Maybe they will someday prove to be the enemy that we're looking for.
Regardless of who our next big rival is, I wish they'd hurry up and make themselves apparent. Going through life without someone to hate is no way to live.