A Battle Line Rivalry ... for a coach? What’s the better job, Arkansas or Mizzou?
Missouri and Arkansas are rivals only in the modern sense of college football. The states share a border but the programs have no deep history. Their football game only became an annual occasion by a Southeastern Conference scheduling decree after the Tigers joined the league.
But the game comes with a nickname, a trophy, a Friday position after Thanksgiving on CBS, and they’re playing at Arrowhead Stadium next season. A real rivalry with passion could develop.
How about a coaching search as a kick starter?
The Tigers and Razorbacks are in the market, along with many others, including fellow SEC member Mississippi. Throw Florida State in the mix as well.
Hot boards and prospect lists were posted moments after Arkansas fired Chad Morris on Nov. 10 after less than two seasons and when Mizzou fired Barry Odom after four seasons on Saturday.
You’ll find some candidate overlap, like Florida Atlantic’s Lane Kiffin.
Could Mizzou and Arkansas compete for a coach, and if so, what would the outcome say about the current state and potential of the programs?
Simply, what’s the better job today?
In one area, the answer is easy. Based on the salaries of the previous regimes, Arkansas will pay more. In the latest USA Today coaches’ salary survey, Morris made $4 million, Odom $3.05 million in 2019. Neither was in the top half of the SEC, but Odom was close to the bottom at the time of his extension.
Coaching salary doesn’t necessarily define a program. The same survey reveals Purdue’s Jeff Brohm (ahead of Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley) and Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald (ahead of Washington’s Chris Petersen, who resigned on Monday) as top paid coaches.
But the salary and the assistant coaches’ pool says plenty about a school’s search ambition. So will investment in facilities. Arkansas has poured $160 million in stadium upgrades since 2016. Missouri opened its $98 million South End Zone project this season.
The recruiting landscape is perhaps the biggest factor. Arkansas must draw heavily from Texas, and although the state produces some 400 Division I players a year, the competition for the top talent has never been greater. That was among the appeals of Morris, who was hired from SMU, but the results didn’t translate to victories.
Missouri looks in several directions, starting with St. Louis and Kansas City and stretching into the Southeast and Texas. The Tigers have been ranked behind Arkansas in six of the last seven recruiting classes, according to Rivals.com. Recruiting geography will be among the first topics covered in any coach interview and introductory news conference.
So far, the better job case is building for Arkansas, and that’s probably the national perception. In ESPN’s top 50 programs over 150 years released in August, Arkansas made the list. Missouri did not.
A ranking system of the greatest perception tool of ‘em all, The Associated Press poll, tallied its votes over the years and came up with the Razorbacks 19th, between Michigan State and Clemson, and Mizzou 32nd, between Oregon and Army.
So, Arkansas it is. But a couple other questions should be asked. Who is closer to having a successful season? Since joining the SEC, Missouri has won two division titles and has been bowl eligible in five of the seven seasons.
The Razorbacks have played in three bowls in the same time and have posted consecutive 2-10 seasons. And scoreboard is the most important consideration when comparing programs, Mizzou has won four straight and five of six as SEC foes.
Missouri seems better positioned than Arkansas for short term fortune because the Razorbacks have farther to go. It’s natural to wonder if Arkansas’ decision to fire Morris influenced Mizzou athletic director Jim Sterk — a rival is making a move, let’s not stand pat. Perhaps a school will outmaneuver the other for a coach.
Or how about this prospect: Arkansas hires Justin Fuente from Virginia Tech, and Fuente, reviving the success in Memphis, names Odom as his defensive coordinator.
That would be the clearest evidence of high stakes in the series, a Battle Line Rivalry for coaches.