Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

Arkansas has released its 2013 football schedule.

A few quick thoughts:

• No Missouri? Why didn't the league schedule the new, permanent, inter-division opponents for 2013?

Here's an explanation from Mark Womack, executive associate commissioner of the Southeastern Conference:

“That was part of the ‘bridge’ schedule and really part of trying to have either a conference game or a non-conference traditional rival game on the last week of the season that created some issues for us. It created the situation where we had to look at holding off going to those permanent opponents for a year.” 

This would seem to indicate a nine-game conference schedule is still under consideration. Keep an eye on this spring's SEC meetings in Destin, Fla.

• Alabama has been moved to the eighth game of the season. Opening with the Crimson Tide had been a point of contention for the Razorbacks.

• LSU-Arkansas is set for Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend. Will that get moved to Friday per usual? If so will it guarantee the end-of-the-year game for at least two years, the standard length of CBS' contract for the Friday post-Thanksgiving game? 

• If Little Rock fans didn’t like Louisiana-Monroe at War Memorial, imagine what they’ll think about hosting Samford.

• Those final nine games — particularly the Texas A&M, at Florida, South Carolina, at Alabama stretch — are stout.