Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

Officially, the Arkansas season finale with LSU is moving from Little Rock to Fayetteville so the Hogs can avoid a third trip away from Reynolds Razorback Stadium to end the season. Travel is the primary reason cited in a university news release, Jeff Long’s comments to us and a Bobby Petrino radio appearance.

Finding room for another 20,000 or so fans also helps. It’s no secret the Fayetteville venue is larger and presents an opportunity to generate more revenue.

But as we’ve told you since December when we learned the move was being discussed,: recruiting is a major reason for the move.

That reasoning hasn’t escaped the notice of Tony Barnhart, national football columnist for CBSSports.com. Barnhart, known as Mr. College Football, was on the Tim Brando Show and offered his thoughts on the venue swap.

Barnhart doesn’t expect the LSU game ever gets moved back to Little Rock. That weekend is too valuable to recruiting, he said:

“That’s a big recruiting weekend. When you’re off campus, guess what? You’ve got no place to take them. There is nothing to tour. You don’t have the facilities. This is a huge recruiting weekend for Arkansas for obvious reasons. That’s why — I promise you — the LSU-Arkansas game will never go back to Little Rock.”

Never?

Long stressed to me last week that the move wasn’t necessarily forever.

I’m not so sure.