What is the worst job in P4 Football?

[FootLaw]

3 hours ago, Kevin C said:

Agree.   But as Texas Tech has shown, it only takes one BMD who’s willing to go all-in and a program can turn around much quicker than in the past or as Indiana has shown, hit a homerun on your HC (and overall coaching staff) then step up and pay him big to stay if you want to contend. 

With the new CFP and likely expansion (16-24 teams), the opportunity is there for any of these programs.   Look at Indiana, Vandy, Georgia Tech, Illinois, BYU, Texas Tech.    Indiana and Texas Tech are legit contenders and both programs were in the ditch 4 yrs ago.
 

Hook em!! 🧡🤘🏼🐂  

 

I'm not buying into the Tech hype yet. They haven't played a decent schedule at all. BYU and Utah are overrated (the Big 12 and ACC suck this year). They also lost to ASU without QB1. It wouldn't surprise me to see a quick Tech playoff exit.

The CFP rankings this season are suspect. There's no way ND, Utah, Michigan, and Miami should be as high as they are right now. Oregon and Ole Miss both belong ahead of Tech as well.

[ClubWhatever]

I think it’s Boston College.  Just a terrible place to try to build a football team. 

[CHorn427]

3 hours ago, Kevin C said:

Agree.   But as Texas Tech has shown, it only takes one BMD who’s willing to go all-in and a program can turn around much quicker than in the past or as Indiana has shown, hit a homerun on your HC (and overall coaching staff) then step up and pay him big to stay if you want to contend. 

With the new CFP and likely expansion (16-24 teams), the opportunity is there for any of these programs.   Look at Indiana, Vandy, Georgia Tech, Illinois, BYU, Texas Tech.    Indiana and Texas Tech are legit contenders and both programs were in the ditch 4 yrs ago.
 

Hook em!! 🧡🤘🏼🐂  

 

Indiana, Vandy, GTech, BYU and Texas Tech all have something in common- good schedule luck. 
 

Cignetti’s a fine coach. He’s also had very good schedule luck. Texas Tech benefits from NIL, but also not playing Texas and OU every year anymore.

Arkansas can get a great HC and invest more in NIL, but there’s nothing they can do about having one of the toughest SEC schedules for the next 4 years.

With LSU Texas and Mizzou as their 3 permanent rivals, that’s arguably one of the toughest 3 permanent rivals in the SEC for a program trying to get off the mat. 

[Glass Joe]

Arkansas is far from the worst in P4.  Let’s be serious.  
 
Regarding recruiting footprint, the state of Arkansas produces a small handful of 4-star caliber players each year (5-6), which is modest but also far more than the states of Kansas, Iowa, or Nebraska…or Oregon.  Further, the state Arkansas borders Mississippi, Louisiana, east Texas, and Memphis.  That’s plenty of regional talent to tap into, even if Arkansas is the 4th or 5th choice of prospects in these areas.

Arkansas is also part of the SEC, easily the marquee conference in college football, which itself is a premium recruiting factor relative to the other three P4 conferences.

University of Arkansas is also located in a fast growing, relatively modern area of the south (Northwest Arkansas MSA is > 600,000 population), making it larger than places like East Lansing, Lexington, Lincoln, Lawrence, Eugene, Auburn, Oxford, Lubbock, Waco, etc).

Arkansas also puts 70,000 fans in the stadium (on average) every Saturday, which is a lot more than every single Big 12 school, and more than all ACC schools (other than Clemson).

Lastly, as mentioned in previous posts, there is no shortage of extremely wealthy donors in the Arkansas ecosystem (Walton heirs, JB Hunt, Tyson family, Stephens family, Jerry Jones, etc), which isn’t the case for many other P4 programs, including most of the lower half of the Big Ten who need a private equity payday loan just to pay their athletes the $20m revenue share.

There’s no question that Arkansas is a very difficult job within the SEC, but not relative to other P4 programs per se.  If Arkansas moved to the Big 12, they’d be a perennial top 3 program in the conference.  Ditto if they moved to the ACC.

[Inspired73]

15 hours ago, AusMOJO said:

Funny thing is that Arky has the big money guys, but I don't think any of them are interested in Arky football lol. 

As for the Waltons.  Don't they own the Broncos?  And, some of the immediate family lives in DFW area.  I don't think that family has the big emotional ties that a jerry jones might have.

Arkie's real issue is LSU and Missouri.  LSU mines northest texas and piney woods.  Missouri now plays in the St. Louis and Kansas City playground.   Arky should hire Traylor, if he would go.  He speaks East Texas.