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...
1. Frankly, They're A Little Frightening. Picture thousands of crew-cutted yokels from the Texas hinterlands raving and screaming like lunatics and zealously upholding about 500 bizarre football-related traditions. It's a bit much, right? Commenter Double D Down Under put it best when he said last year, ""Went to a game at College Station in the early 2000s, and I swear it was part Nuremberg Rally, part State Fair."
2. They're SEC Wannabees. As the Razorbloggers recently pointed out, it's hard to believe that it was only a few short months ago that the implosion of the Big 12 and Texas A&M's subsequent admittance into the SEC seemed imminent. But, then everyone got cold feet and the Aggies fell in line behind Texas to solidify their position within the Big 12, at least for a few more years. It's no secret, though, that a lot of their fans wish they'd made the jump...the Hogs need to give them a taste of what life in the big leagues is actually like.
3. We Have Long Memories. Kids, it's time for a history lesson: back in olden times, Arkansas used to be the only non-Texas school in the Southwest Conference. We fought the good fight for many years before leaving for greener pastures (and causing the SWC to implode in our wake). In memory of those days, it is of the utmost importance that we still conjure up copious amounts of animosity for our former rivals...they so richly deserve it.
4. This Is A Must-Win Game. Yes, that loss to Alabama was disappointing, but we still have high hopes for the rest of the year. If the Hogs are going to go on a run and tear through the rest of this season like we know they can, it has to start here. A loss to the Aggies (who, let's be honest, we really should beat) would ruin all those high hopes before we even get started. So, it simply can't happen.
5. No Respect. At least one A&M writer expects his team to gash the Hogs' "mediocre" defense. How dare he! Even more galling than that, though, is the fact that our request to an Aggie blog for one of our award-winning Q&A exchanges went completely unanswered. Yes, you read that right - no response whatsoever. We believe that probably happened by direct order from Mike Sherman. So, our message to Ryan Mallett, Jake Bequette and company is this: win this one for yourselves, win it for the school and win it for all the fans, but dammit - also win this one for your friends at Arkansas Expats, Inc.