Jimmy Carter.
Arkansas should be playing in a BCS bowl this year.
The Razorbacks are clearly one of the top five or six teams in the nation and both of their losses have come against teams that will likely play in the national championship game.
The Hogs will likely finish the regular season ranked as high or higher than they were last year in qualifying for the Sugar Bowl.
Arkansas won’t get a chance for a second consecutive BCS appearance because just two teams from each conference can qualify for a BCS bowl.
The exception is if Georgia beat LSU and the Tigers stayed in the top three with Alabama. The Bulldogs would earn the automatic bid, while LSU and the Crimson Tide could receive at-large berths.
Any way it works out, the Razorbacks won’t play in the BCS.
I think that’s BS.
If the system is supposed to find the 10 best teams in the nation each year, how can it limit the number of teams from one conference?
It is basically saying we want the best teams as long as we can make everyone happy and appease each conference.
That is prioritized before getting the best teams.
Just look at the Big East and ACC the last several years. Some of their qualifiers have been awful, but the system is set up to promote equality instead of the best teams.
Diatribe aside, the Hogs are likely headed to Dallas or Orlando in January.
The Cotton and Capital One bowls aren’t the BCS, but they’re about as high-profile as a non-BCS bowl gets.
The Capital One Bowl has long been considered the premier non-BCS bowl. A strong argument can be made that isn’t the case anymore.
It is projected to pay more – $9.1 million to $7.25 – than the Cotton Bowl, according to the Football Bowl Association projections. January in Florida is almost always markedly nicer than Texas.
Tennessee, Georgia and Florida – SEC East teams – helped build the Capital One’s reputation as a top-notch bowl game.
The Cotton Bowl has made strides in recent years, including last season when 10-win LSU beat a red-hot Texas A&M team.
The Cotton Bowl has the better venue hands-down. Cowboys Stadium is the nicest stadium in the nation, while the Citrus Bowl is a larger War Memorial.
The Capital One Bowl is a morning kickoff on New Years Day and has to compete with other games.
The Cotton Bowl is a primetime kickoff Jan. 6, the final major bowl game before the national title. The entire country is watching.
The Cotton Bowl is also more beneficial for Arkansas specifically this year.
Playing the Cotton Bowl in Texas provides added exposure and helps the Razorbacks gain notoriety in one of their largest and most-important recruiting bases.
The Hogs have 14 scholarship players from Texas, just three from Florida.
Arkansas fans travel very well to Dallas, located just five hours from Fayetteville. Orlando is a nicer winter destination, but is an 18-hour drive.
The Razorbacks would play a Big 10 team in the Capital One Bowl. Their opponent would likely be the loser of the Wisconsin-Michigan State game, Penn State or Michigan.
The Hogs would play a Big 12 team in the Cotton Bowl. Their opponent would likely be the loser of the Oklahoma State-Oklahoma game or Kansas State.
An Arkansas-OU or Arkansas-OSU matchup would generate much more excitement than an Arkansas-Big 10 game for most Arkansas fans.
It looks like an easy decision when you think about it.
The good news for Razorbacks fans is the Hogs can potentially have their first top five finish since 1977 if they win their bowl game.
That’s regardless of the bowl.
Jimmy Carter is the sports editor of The Arkansas Traveler. His column appears every Tuesday. Follow him on Twitter @jicartersports.