Alabama. Crimson Tide. Nick Saban. Hate. All of these words fit together like peas and carrots. Alabama has won as many SEC West games as the Hogs this season, and while the Tide may appear to be a little weaker than in the past, that is no reason to detest them any less. There was a period in Shula history when your hatred gave way to pity, but I doubt anyone feels sorry for Saban or Alabama this week or any other. It’s always a good time to detest Alabama, but this week is particularly enjoyable. Let’s go!
1. 104-0. Alabama has a 7-0 record versus the Hogs. To make matters worse, Alabama has scored 52-0 against the Hogs in each of the last two years. The first came shortly following [unnamed game], while the second came immediately after a 52-7 loss to South Carolina. Alabama visited Fayetteville in 2012 and commented, “Oh wow. You’re all upset and depressed, and I’m going to kick you even harder,” which they did. We could not stop them. Arkansas headed to Alabama in 2013 to face the same fate as the previous year. This season, Alabama may be the team that is already a little beat up. A little down. While Ole Miss did a lot of kicking on Saturday, Arkansas is ready for some metaphorical kicking in the retribution area.
2. 1964. Okay, we’ve already written about this. However, this does not affect the fact that Alabama will continue to claim it without asterisks or anything. After the dust settled at the end of the regular season in 1964, the AP Poll ranked Alabama’s 10-0-0 record higher than the Razorbacks’ 10-0-0 record. Alabama lost to Texas in the Orange Bowl, but the Hogs defeated Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl. However, because the AP Poll at the time did not alter its poll following the bowl games, the Tide retained the 1964 championship. Coincidentally, the travesty prompted the AP to modify its policy, and they have since issued their final poll following the bowl games. In a tragic twist of fate, Arkansas went undefeated in the regular season the next year, but fell to LSU in the Cotton Bowl and did not win the 1965 title.
