LITTLE ROCK — CHRIS LOW
ESPN.com
There won’t be a U.S president in attendance, and nobody’s dubbing it the “Game of the Century.”
Not yet, anyway.
But it’s been a while since a game at Razorback Stadium was this anticipated or meant as much nationally as the one today when No. 1 Alabama pays a visit to No. 10 Arkansas. It’s the first top-10 matchup in Fayetteville in more than 30 years.
The measuring stick in the Ozarks, though, remains the 1969 classic between No. 1 Texas and No. 2 Arkansas. The Longhorns rallied from a 14-0 deficit to win 15-14 in one of the more legendary games in college football history. President Richard Nixon was in the stands that day, and the buildup to the game was almost surreal, even for that time period.
TOM DIENHART
Rivals.com
Alabama hasn’t lost an SEC game since Nov. 24, 2007.
But that streak is in peril as Alabama plays at Arkansas today. ... For Arkansas, this is a program-defining game. The Razorbacks (3-0) are coming off a 31-24 win at Georgia thathas many Hog-hat wearers thinking this may be the school’s best team since joining the SEC in 1992.
The Hogs have played in three SEC title games (1995, 2002, 2006), but they have yet to win the SEC or play in a BCS bowl. In recent seasons, Alabama has become the measuring stick for SEC teams. The Hogs know that. They also know that they must topple the Tide to have any chance to move up the pecking order.
CHARLES HOLLIS
Birmingham (Ala.) News
Maybe Alabama’s SEC opener Saturday at 10th-ranked Arkansas (3-0) will prove enlightening. For just tuning in, we get to find out a bunch of stuff.
Off the top of our head, we get to see:
If Alabama is as good as advertised.
If Arkansas is as good as advertised.
If Alabama’s young secondary is ready to go big-league against a bigleague passer, the Razorbacks’ Ryan Mallett.
And speaking of Mallett, isn’t it time he beat an Alabama, Florida or LSU?
He was 0 for 3 against the SEC’s marquee teams last year. Beating Georgia last week was a big deal for the program, but Mallett beating the Georgia defense? Join the club.
Sports, Pages 30 on 09/25/2010