Quote:
Originally Posted by HolyHandgernade
Well, when Arkansas moved to the SEC, their Texas recruiting dropped off dramatically.
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Some facts that would be helpful in that analysis...
1) The period around joining the SEC (1991) was a low part in Arkansas football because of coaching turmoil. Jack Crowe was an unmitigated disaster, and was fired after losing a game to The Citadel in 1992. They played out the string with an interim coach in 1992 and then brought in Danny Ford, who was washed up and had been retired before coming to Arkansas.
Hard to maintain recruiting ties when you go through four coaches in a four-year span.
2) TV was different back then . The SEC was not on TV as much, and didn't have the reach on ESPN and CBS it currently does.
3) The brand was different. The SEC, while being a great conference, was not yet the clear and undisputed best overall conference like it is now.
4) There was not a team in Texas in the SEC for Arkansas to regularly play. The SWC was still in existence, and Rice, SMU, Houston, etc. were much bigger players for Texas players than currently, in addition to UT, aTm, Oklahoma, Baylor, Tech.
It's a different situation for Missouri than it was for Arkansas. The Tigers enter the SEC with a strong, established coach, a program that - 2011 hiccup aside - is in the best shape it has been since the 1960s. From all indications, Texas A&M will be Missouri's cross-division rival, so they'll be in Texas frequently. And the SEC is all over the place as far as TV broadcasts.
I like the idea of playing from the SEC East, with aTm as the cross-division rival, for recruiting purposes, too. Having home-and-away with Georgia and Florida gives the Tigers the chance to do the same thing in those states it has in Texas - mine overlooked kids to build the athleticism of the roster.
I'd expect the Tigers to land a few more in-state kids, get a few less from Texas, and shift emphasis from Oklahoma to beefing up efforts in Florida and Louisiana and Georgia.