Forget Next Year, Arkansas Fans Want a Win Now

Nothing is worse for an Arkansas fan than hearing how good next year will be. Forget next year, we want that SEC win right now. We deserve it right now.

Do we really want to sit through another offseason with the SEC losing streak weighing on the program? Of course the answer is “no,” so with that said, why should Razorback Nation feel content with nothing but moral victories in all these close, in-conference games?

We want an SEC win! A real, hard-earned, battle-won, streak-ending, SEC win.

Does Brandon Allen pay $55 for his Arkansas sweatshirt? Does Jim Chaney have to drop $150 to see the Razorbacks play at home?

People take to Twitter and Facebook with their kind regards of how much Bret Bielema has improved the program and how good Arkansas will be next year, but in reality, these are fans who manage to grit their teeth and boldface lie to the rest of the public. If you are a passionate fan and you weren’t seeing red when Brandon Allen threw that game-ending interception, then you, my friend, are not normal. After yet another “almost get ’em” game in which Jim Chaney’s play calling and Allen’s inability to complete pass wasted away a 4th quarter lead, how can anyone not be ready to riot and pillage?

It’s good to think Arkansas will be a major SEC West contender in 2015, but we really don’t know that for sure. Just think about the “what ifs” for a moment. What if Arkansas continues to struggle at the quarterback position? What if the defense struggles without Trey Flowers? What if our marquee recruits don’t pan out right away? And worst of all, what if the Razorbacks don’t win an SEC game in 2015? This is all worst-case scenario and hopefully highly unlikely, but there’s no way of knowing without a crystal ball. Did all the optimists out there expect Arkansas’ current in-conference losing streak to reach 17 games as they have?

Losing to Texas A&M was tough, but it was something to rally around. Losing to Alabama stung, but there was a certain pride in the way our Hogs battled. There was the embarrassing day against Georgia and then suddenly, for three quarters in a game against the No. 1 team in the country, the Arkansas Razorbacks were finally going to get that monkey off the back. Absurdity again took over and crushed the hopes of so many back in Fayetteville. And while we’re time traveling; how about those Aggies? How bad does that loss sting knowing what we now know about their season?

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Something has to give, this current installment of Razorbacks have to find a way. There are three games remaining in the season. That’s three more opportunities to free Razorback Nation of this curse. Leaving the season with a 20-game SEC losing streak would be an absolute atrocious metric to have to live with until next August and so forth.

The optimistic approach has kept us sane throughout the season, but let’s face it, the “we’ll get ’em next year” reaction has gotten old. While we all remain excited for what the future holds in Fayetteville, there also remains a very large void left for the Razorbacks to fill before the current season ends.

We’ve been told, “it’ll come, it’s coming,” over and over again. Well…when? How much longer do we have to suffer? We want that SEC win and we want it now! Quite frankly, we’re all tired of waiting. Of course the players and coaches are tired of waiting as well, but they’re the ones with these games within their control.

You tell me whose suffering more, the players and coaches or the fans? Does Brandon Allen pay $55 for his Arkansas sweatshirt? Does Jim Chaney have to drop $150 to see the Razorbacks play at home?

Jim Chaney receives a handsome paycheck from the University while Brandon Allen is the recipient of a free education. Arkansas can be completely winless this season and at the end of the day it’s “Average Joe, Average Jane Hogs’ fan” who are left to suffer. They’re the people spending hard-earned cash on the tickets, the merchandise and the cable television programming. They’re the people who deserve the win more than anybody and they need it now.

Arkansas needs to play like a team with no tomorrow the next time they take the field. Lose the final three games and in reality, there may not be a tomorrow in Fayetteville for some.