Recency bias is one of the most peculiar phenomena in sports. How quickly fans and even the media forget the recent past is unnerving.
Just 14 years ago, Arkansas football was on top of the world. Ranked No. 3 heading into the final week of the regular season, the Razorbacks had a chance to beat No. 1 LSU and make a national championship appearance.
Of course, fans know all too well what has happened over the last decade and a half. Arkansas is nowhere near the heights of the 2010s currently and shows no real signs of reviving the magic under Bobby Petrino, despite being back on campus as the offensive coordinator.
But by no means are the Hogs incapable of reaching that level again, contrary to the opinions of certain Outkick Hot Mic Podcast hosts.
Outkick podcast void of reason
Josh Pate of the Josh Pate's College Football Show joined Jonathan Hutton and Chad Withrow to preview the SEC football season. The Arkansas section was doomed from the start as soon as Hutton kicked it off with a not-so-subtle slam of one of the Razorbacks' most cherished traditions.
"Woo Pig Sooie is only cool if you're winning," Hutton offered unprovoked.
Withrow chimed in soon after, painting a very bleak picture of the Arkansas football program. He equates the Razorbacks to a motivated yet delusional student with dreams of grandeur that need their spirit crushed before life does it for them.
"The world needs ditch diggers, too," said Withrow. "[Arkansas fans are] fine going 8-4. It is totally acceptable to be happy with 8 and four and the occasional 9 and three. You are not a championship program. You're never going to be a championship program in this conference. Lower your goals."
Of course, if either one knew anything about Arkansas football history, they might have spoken a little more cautiously.
Yes, Arkansas hasn't done great since joining the SEC. But it hasn't been horrid except for a couple of seasons under Chad Morris, either. In addition to the Razorbacks' latest push to glory under Petrino, Houston Nutt nearly took Arkansas to the promised land in his first season, but Clint Stoerner's fumble after he tripped over guard Brandon Burlesworth's foot ended that hope.
In 2006, Nutt led the Hogs to the SEC Championship. Arkansas took Tim Tebow and the eventual national champions, Florida, to the wire and were only a couple of interceptions at the end of the game away from knocking them off.
Thankfully, Pate was the voice of reason.
As the host went on their mini-diatribe about Arkansas football, Pate was visibly uncomfortable. "This is one of the more sadistic things I've ever participated in," Pate responded.
While Pate skipped over Arkansas’ past, he made sure to note the huge amount of money backing the football program.
"You are telling Walmart ownership, you're telling Tyson chicken ownership, you're hopping into a JB Hunt tractor-trailer and telling them you are a second-class citizen," said Pate.
👀👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/QBsYLRhREV
— Matt Mosley (@MosesMosley) August 17, 2025
You can say a lot of things about how head coach Sam Pittman has handled himself since taking the reins, but the one thing he's hit on the nose is about how proud Arkansans are. It's not likely they'll let subtle insults like that slide, especially those with money to do something about it, such as the leadership at Walmart, J.B. Hunt, and Tyson Foods.
Folks outside the Natural State shouldn't confuse the Razorbacks' current limitations with the program's potential. Like how Eric Musselman awakened the sleeping giant in Bud Walton Arena, all the gridiron Hogs need is a similar figure to bring them back to former glory.