Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

After word broke - erroneously, as it turned out - Thursday that Terrelle Pryor and four other Buckeyes would be suspended for the Sugar Bowl I couldn’t tell you who was more upset, Buckeye fans or Razorback fans.

At least now Arkansas fans can breath a sigh of relief. That’s right, I said Arkansas fans. And I would go further to say the Arkansas football team would much rather face an Ohio State team a full strength than the “Pryorless,” “Herronless” shell of a team they would otherwise play. The Ohio State players will be suspended, mind you, but that will happen to start the 2011 season.

The NCAA’s ineptitude aside, lets focus on the bowl game for a moment. The Razorbacks are a better team than Ohio State with or without Terrelle Pryor.

Don’t believe me? Ohio State’s strength of schedule this season was a lot closer to Boise State’s than it was to Arkansas’. Arkansas played half of its schedule against top 25 opponents. Arkansas has more wins over current top 25 opponents than seven of the 10 BCS bowl teams COMBINED, including Ohio State.

Arkansas is the only team in NCAA Division I football this season to have a 3,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard rusher and five 500-yard receivers. The Razorbacks did it against one of the toughest schedules in the nation, in the strongest conference in the nation, where defense typical trumps offense. Arkansas put more points on Auburn than any other team could this season. Arkansas limited South Carolina freshman sensation Marcus Lattimore to fewer than 25 yards in their meeting this year.

In the three tough (and I am using that term very liberally) games Ohio State played this season, Pryor had two touchdowns passing, three interceptions, and one rushing touchdown on a combined 141 attempts. He only passed for more than 200 yards once and only rushed for more than 100 yards once, and both of those instances came in the Buckeyes' games against the Miami Hurricanes - the same Hurricanes who ended the season 7-5 in the ACC and put Randy Shannon out of a head coaching job.

I had a caller on my radio state that perhaps the SEC West was overrated this season, and that’s why Arkansas' strength of schedule is so high. Was Alabama overrated? Alabama, the defending national champion, began the season as everyone's No. 1 team and finished fourth in the West at 9-3. That record can win the West in some years. Mississippi State, which finished inside the national top 25 but fifth in the SEC West, was 16th in the nation in rushing yards per game and never lost to a non-SEC West opponent.

Ohio State hasn’t faced a team with as much firepower as Arkansas all season, which is the primary reason why the Buckeyes' defensive numbers are so impressive. People said the same things about LSU’s defense before Arkansas put up 31 points and ran the ball down the Tigers throats in the fourth quarter. Arkansas is balanced and dangerous.

The best thing for Arkansas fans was a scenario in which they got THE Ohio State, not just Ohio State. Now, the Buckeyes have no excuses.

The NCAA has decided that “I didn’t know I couldn’t do that,” is a legitimate defense. What they really mean to say is, “We stand to lose too much money by upholding the rules appropriately.”

But, at least in this instance, Arkansas reaps the benefits. The Arkansas fans are happy with this decision because it gives the Hogs an opportunity to prove their worth against a team that has no excuses - only permanent reminders they aren’t nearly as good as they thought they were.

TJ Carpenter is host of The TJ Carpenter Show on ESPN 92.1 The Ticket in Northwest Arkansas, every weekday from 3 to 6 pm. www.tjcarpentershow.com www.twitter.com/tjcarpentershow