What the Hell Just Happened?
Posted by Brett Kincaid on December 5, 2012
A whirlwind day that started with Butch Davis and moved with near “certainty” to Mike Gundy ended with Bret Bielema as the new Arkansas Razorbacks football coach. The only universal truth associated with this hire is its shock value. The former Wisconsin head coach was never on anyone’s radar. And now he’s in Fayetteville, tasked with quickly righting the ship of what was once the nation’s fastest moving program. Of all the annoying tendencies employed by national writers, I found one theme pissed me off more than any other today. Many scoffed at Arkansas, calling this a “middling SEC program” or “middle of the pack” job. While 2012 was an obvious disappointment, the 2010 and 2011 seasons produced 21 wins and back-to-back Top Ten finishes. While Arkansas is not Alabama, it aint Ole Miss either.
While the hire certainly turned heads, there is no consensus about this being a “great” hire. The chattering class ranges from standing ovation praise to outright dismissal. I had a hard time getting my head around the move earlier today. After some perspective and a little reaserch, I’m firmly of the opinion that Jeff Long made a very strong hire. Bielema plays big boy football, puts linemen in the NFL regularly, 
and has the arrogance highly successful coaches need. Look at him, then look at his wife. Tell me that isn’t a guy that knows how to win big with fewer tools than his competitors.
Let’s take a look back at what others have been saying.
Yahoo! Sports – Pat Forde (who broke the story)
It will be an interesting fit for Bielema, who has spent his entire playing and coaching career in the midwest. He was a nose guard at Iowa and an assistant coach at Iowa and Kansas State before moving to Madison. But clearly Long was less worried about getting someone with Southern ties than he was getting someone with an established winning record.
But when it comes to coaching and developing hard-nosed football teams committed to running the ball and playing sound defense, Bielema has cornered the market on that brand of football in the Big Ten.
It just so happens to be the same brand that wins championships in the SEC.
As for what this means for Arkansas, the Razorbacks are getting a coach who’s a proven winner. It’s not often that coaches with three consecutive conference titles in a BCS conference are available for the taking, but Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long pulled it off. Considering the way things have gone in Fayetteville over the last year from the Bobby Petrino embarrassment to the John L. Smith disaster, things couldn’t have played out any better for the school.
Sports Illustrated – Andy Staples
Bielema can succeed at Arkansas. If he can keep the future Darren McFaddens and Tyler Wilsons in state and then pluck the rest of his roster from Texas, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida — bringing along current Wisconsin assistant Charlie Partridge would do wonders in the Sunshine State — the Razorbacks can be competitive in college football’s toughest division. At Wisconsin, the former Iowa defensive lineman identified diamonds in the rough and put tough, disciplined teams on the field. If he continues to prefer an offense that lines up and hands off and then uses play action to set up the pass, then he’ll fit right in with Alabama, LSU, Georgia and Florida
College Football News – Pete Fiutak
Can Bielema go into a living room and get a kid to turn down Saban, Les Miles, and Will Muschamp? Maybe, but he has yet to prove he can beat the powerhouse salesman.
Pittman said
It seems like most of the people describing Arkansas as a middle of the road program are either Big Ten fans or sport writers from the Big Ten. Every year they complain that the SEC is overrated and every year the SEC win the BCS (not this year I hope, go Irish!). Since the beginning of the modern era of the SEC and college football starting in the late 90′s, Arkansas has regularly been competitive in the SEC and occasionally in the national championship race (even under Houston Nutt). Basically, we’re LSU without the championships.
I like this guy. I like that he gets linemen that end up in the NFL. I like that he runs a balance offense and a defense that not only get stops but makes plays. But more than anything else, I like the fact that next year, we won’t have to endure watching the horror that was Razorback football in 2012.
Adam Butler said
Pittman–
I am glad you are posting. You always bring something interesting to the discussion.
Jim Gooch said
I like the hire too, but I agree with Andy Staples that Arkansas is the 6th best football program in the SEC (for all the reasons he outlined in his article, namely, access to recruits). And I don’t think that’s anything to be ashamed of.
Brett Kincaid said
I see what you mean, Gooch, and I don’t necessarily disagree with Staples’ argument. The problem I have is lazy phrasing by professional writers. A mid-level SEC job is a Top 20 job nationally, maybe even higher than that. Add to it the recent success Arkansas has achieved, and the use of a phrase like “middling SEC school” paints an inaccurate picture. Does there need to a qualifier at all? Now that Vanderbilt is winning, Kentucky is the only SEC school that you can look at objectively and say, “That’s a bad job.”
By characterizing Arkansas as a “mid-level SEC job” the writer immediately implies “average” even with the context of the SEC. If you put Wisconsin in the SEC, they, too, would be considered a “mid-level SEC job.” Why go with that description rather than a “Top 20 nationally” job? Compare Arkansas and Wisconsin on an even level, and it’s not hard to argue that the job – at least on paper – is a far better situation than the one in Madison despite Bielema’s run of sustained winning. In the end it doesn’t really matter, but it points to a larger problem of the Arkansas brand.
To the reporting specifically, it shows how writers hear something and repeat it without thorough investigation. My hunch is that this is a byproduct of the current media culture where timing is more important than accuracy. Which basically means there is nothing we can do about it other than complain. Which is why we started BlogHawgs.com in the first place: to complain.
Maukavelli said
I thought the reason you started the blog was to impress women?
Adam Butler said
I agree, BK. I would say a Top 5-6 SEC team equates to a Top 15 team nationally these days.
The writers aren’t getting it. BB all but came out and said: I came to the SEC because Arkansas can win the SECW and if you win the SECW you play for the National Championship (or in a few years are in the 4-team playoff).
Adam Butler said
Agree, Gooch.
Jeff said
The key phrase there is “in the SEC.” My dad (a 44 year resident of Iowa) called me yesterday wondering why Bielema would leave Wisconsin to come here. I told him. It’s an SEC job.
By the way, I have bad news for our own BWOT. You are not not the only BWOT. http://bloghawgs.com/bloghawgs-com-dictionary/