Yes, Arkansas deserves to celebrate bowl eligibility this season
Let's take a trip down memory lane, shall we?
On the evening of Aug. 29, as Arkansas prepared to open its 2024 football season vs UAPB in War Memorial Stadium, what were your predictions for the Razorback football team?
The consensus among fans and media alike were that Arkansas would likely win four or five games, with the sixth win needed for bowl eligibility being just out of reach.
So why, three months removed from an offseason full of pessimistic predictions, are Razorback fans so up in arms about the Hogs celebrating bowl eligibility?
It's completely fine to be frustrated with Arkansas' close losses to Oklahoma State, Texas and Texas A&M. It's understandable that fans were upset with Arkansas' blowout home losses to rivals in LSU and Ole Miss.
But before you decide to voice your frustrations on your Facebook page, it's important to take a moment to be thankful — especially during the week of Thanksgiving — for Arkansas' 2024 season, and remember that things can always be worse.
A year ago, Razorback fans polishing off Thanksgiving leftovers were treated to a 48-14 home beatdown by Missouri, which capped a 4-8 season.
Five years ago, Chad Morris' second and final Arkansas squad, led by interim HC Barry Lunney, fell to Missouri at War Memorial Stadium to complete consecutive 2-10 campaigns.
When Razorback fans sit down with their leftovers on Saturday afternoon and tune into Arkansas' matchup with Missouri, they'll be watching a team that has already clinched bowl eligibility, and a team that has a legitimate chance to spoil the season of the No. 21 Tigers. That is certainly something to be thankful for.
Arkansas's much-improved season
Winning six games and getting to a bowl isn't the expectation for Arkansas football, nor should it ever be. But the fact that the Razorbacks will partake in a postseason football game following the dumpster fire that was 2023 is nothing short of miraculous.
The fact that Sam Pittman's fifth Razorback team, which boasts a brand new offensive coordinator and quarterback, hit the six-win mark when they were expected to fall short is an accomplishment.
For Pittman, Arkansas' victory over Louisiana Tech means a fourth bowl appearance in five seasons. It also provides the program with some much-needed momentum going into the offseason.
For the players, especially the seniors, the bowl game represents one final opportunity for the team to practice and play together. It serves as a send-off for the seniors who stayed in Fayetteville when they had every reason to leave.
So before you decide to go on an angry social media rant, take a moment to consider these three statements:
- Bowl eligibility, while not the No. 1 goal of any program, deserves to be celebrated.
- Getting to a bowl a year after a disastrous 4-8 season should be celebrated.
- While not the coach who could get Arkansas over the hump and potentially competing for championships, Sam Pittman has provided Arkansas with stability and four postseason appearances in five seasons.
Nobody understands the frustration of losing to Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, LSU, Ole Miss and Texas more than Pittman and the players. Yes, many opportunities have slipped away from Arkansas in 2024, but it's safe to say that the 2023 team wouldn't have had said opportunities in the first place.
2024 has been a needed "right the ship" season. To say it's completely unacceptable for the Hogs to celebrate their bowl eligibility is to think of the Arkansas football program as something it's not. Arkansas wasn't propping itself up as a championship contender in the preseason, and many fans voiced the opinion that a bowl appearance would meet the criteria for a successful year.
Bowl eligibility is not and should never be the end gamer for the Arkansas football program, but one look in the mirror by fans should prove that it's not something to be taken for granted, either.