Ok, that headline isn't even the least bit true (as far as we know) but, given the furious speed at which conference realignment rumors are swirling around this offseason, it probably at least made you think for half a second.
The backstory: for the first time in about 20 years, it looks like the college football landscape is headed for a serious shift. Rumors are that the Big 10 is looking to expand and that the consequent domino effect could end up changing nearly everything. The fact is, no one knows quite what will happen and we haven't written all that much about it because it makes our collective heads hurt.
But, as you surely know, one of the hot rumors is that, as part of all the chaos, Arkansas will get in touch with its historical roots and somehow jump ship back to the Big 12 (i.e. the old SWC). Steve Spurrier himself floated this one, and even though Jeff Long quickly shot it down, the chatter persists. For example, a quick search on "Arkansas conference realignment" pulls up more than 39,000 links on Google.
Today "Mr. College Football" himself, Tony Barnhart, dedicated his column to the subject of why the Hogs won't leave the SEC. His logic is simple (SEC = way more money) and makes sense, but that hasn't stopped people from picking it apart (definitely check out the comments section on that article).
Although I personally believe that the Razorbacks will stay in their current spot (if anything, it seems likely that the SEC will expand to include other teams), there's a certain "where there's smoke, there's fire" quality that's hard to ignore. That is, if this many people are making a point of denying the rumors, there must be some substance to the rumors after all...otherwise, why talk about it so much? At least that's one thought...now my head is hurting again.
The other element to all this is the subtext that Arkansas isn't really a worthy member of the SEC. That we've never really been accepted into the club and that the snooty other schools/fans would be quite happy to see us, the dirty interlopers from the other side of the Mississippi, take our Hog calls elsewhere. KevinHog covered this earlier in the week, and I couldn't agree more. I'll write more about this particular element as the offseason drags on, but suffice it to say it will make kicking everyone else's butts this fall even sweeter.
In the meantime, what do you all think? Is the SEC the right home for the Hogs, or should we be thinking about leaving? Vote in the poll below, then let us know your thoughts in the comments section.