Cowboyinexile
I have spoken
It's a geological fit but really makes no sense for either party. Arkansas is, from a brand stance, better than anyone not named BYU. Plus more games/exposure in Texas which would help recruiting. However with A&M they already get that (and Morris is a Texas HS guy which probably does more than how many games they play in the state) and although Arkansas is a respectable program they don't add the tv sets a headline religious school or a directional Florida school would. Plus they probably wouldn't be more competitive now than they already are in their current conference. Morris is a good coach but time will tell if he can win in the SEC. Bama is a juggernaut but aside from them you have a bunch of solid programs that can beat anyone on any given day and all P5 conferences are the same way. The road to a natty is easier in the Big 12 vs the SEC but to be a consistent 10 win type program it probably doesn't matter which conference you are in.
So Arkansas can have better money in the SEC and the same amount of recruiting access and wins with either conference. The Big 12 can get a steal but ultimately benefits more monetarily from someone like South Florida or Cincinnati (or even Memphis which gets them into the Arkansas market at a lower introductory cost). 20 years ago brand name mattered more but in today's game the money has to work for both sides and it won't here.
So Arkansas can have better money in the SEC and the same amount of recruiting access and wins with either conference. The Big 12 can get a steal but ultimately benefits more monetarily from someone like South Florida or Cincinnati (or even Memphis which gets them into the Arkansas market at a lower introductory cost). 20 years ago brand name mattered more but in today's game the money has to work for both sides and it won't here.