This season we're resurrecting an old feature charmingly called Reasons to Hate. As a public service to you, the Hog fan, we'll be providing a handy pre-game cheat sheet detailing why you should hate each one of the Razorbacks' opponents this fall. Some weeks will be easier than others...
(Note: we put this image of the 3-time "Sexiest Bama Fan" winner here to get your attention...the full list of reasons is after the jump.)
1. 2007. In September of that year, when this blog was in its infancy and had yet to become the global sensation that it is today, the Tide dealt the Hogs one hell of a painful loss in Nick Saban's first SEC home game as Alabama's coach. At the risk of dredging up details that you've understandably blocked out, the Hogs, then ranked No. 16 in the country, fell behind by as many as 21 points before staging a furious rally to take a 38-31 lead in the fourth quarter. The unranked Crimson Tide, featuring John Parker Wilson in his 5,000th season as starting QB, then scored 10 unanswered points, including a last-second TD, for a 41-38 victory*. Unfortunately, this game set the tone for a very disappointing 2007 season.
2. Bear Bryant Bear Bryant Bear Bryant. In case you hadn't heard, Bear Bryant is the greatest Bear Bryant who ever Bear Bryanted. God Bear Bryants that he was Bear Bryant. And guess what - more than 25 years later, Alabama fans still love to Bear Bryant about how much they Bear Bryant Bear Bryant.
3. 1964. Alabama had a 10-1 record. Arkansas had a 11-0 record. And yet Alabama still claims it won the national championship that year. Yes, we know some "final" polls ranking Alabama No. 1 and Arkansas No. 2 came out before the bowl games, but come on. Look at it another way: can you imagine how the famously level-headed Crimson Tide fans would react if the situation were reversed?
4. Nick Saban. We'll be the first to admit that Bobby Petrino isn't the most lovable guy on the block, but he's our coach, meaning it's pretty easy to turn a blind eye to his less charming qualities. We have no such reservations about Saban, however, and are quite comfortable saying that he's a pretty unlikeable dude (and we stand by our decision to place him #11 in our prestigious SEC coach road trip rankings). That plus the fact that he's extremely good at his job makes him an easy addition to any list about reasons to hate the Crimson Tide.
* Earlier this year, because of some shenanigans involving players selling textbooks, the NCAA ordered Alabama to "vacate" this win. Years earlier, the NCAA ordered the Crimson Tide to forfeit its 43-3 win over Arkansas in 1993. So take heart, Hog fans: Even if Arkansas loses this weekend, it's entirely possible that someday Alabama won't be able to claim the victory!