Arkansas FB: Will Bobby Petrino Stick Around To Feed the Monster?

Bobby Petrino is going to breathe new life into a divided Razorback fanbase—and several weeks after his hiring, the healing has already begun. 

Right now though, the question on everyone's mind is this one:

How long will Petrino stick around to bleed Razorback red?

Houston Nutt came to Arkansas in December of 1997 like an evangelical preacher on a crusade, and hit the ground running with a passion that lit the entire state on fire.  That enthusiasm carried over into his first season as he began 8-0 and ended up playing Michigan in the Citrus Bowl. 

Nolan Richardson, the Arkansas basketball coach at the time told Nutt after his first year, "Congratulations, now you have created a monster and you will have to continue to feed it."

Those words stood true over a 10-year period where Nutt to his credit brought Arkansas out of the tumultuous Danny Ford era, but lost a lot of the fanbase after two losing seasons in 2004 and 2005 and a myriad of off-field drama in 2006 and 2007. 

Despite his last two years being his best, the damage was too much for many Hog fans.

Finally, the monster chased Nutt to Ole Miss, where he is now the head coach of the Rebels. In his news conference the day after he was hired did not mention a "National Championship Under Construction" like he did at Arkansas. 

This time Nutt only said, "My goal is to win a Southeastern Conference Championship." 

Maybe the "Right Reverend," as ESPN likes to call him, has finally learned not to make such promises behind the pulpit of a tough SEC.

Enter Bobby Petrino.

Coach Petrino, unlike Coach Nutt, is laid-back and more of a quiet leader.  In his own words, "I like to walk softly and carry a big stick."

Those were refreshing words for Arkansas fans.  Coach Petrino is the perfect fit for Arkansas and the timing was right for both parties. 

Regardless of what you hear out of Atlanta, nobody is going to care when the season starts next year.  Why should they care anyway?  Only the Razorback faithful understand what it's like to be a hog and the passion of watching a game on the Hill on a crisp fall afternoon.

The burning question everyone would like to know about Petrino is whether he will be here in a few years.  It is my belief that Razorback fans should not worry about this one bit.

Let's say he goes 9-4 his first season and wins the Cotton Bowl.  That's pretty good for his first year, right?  Let's say the next season he goes 11-2 with a loss in a BCS game.  In the years of Nutt that is what fans wanted—a coach to take them to a BCS game and it never happened.  Finally, in his third year he leads Arkansas to the National Championship game and...

I'll let you use your imagination to what might happen in that game.

In this scenario I have put a lot of expectations on Coach Petrino, but suppose all this happens and a team like USC comes calling.  Let's say Pete Carroll decides to go back to the NFL and they offer Petrino a $6 million contract.

Here is my point:  If this does happen, yes it would be a great loss for the University of Arkansas, but don't you think the program would be in better shape than when he found it? 

By that time, a lot of top-notch coaches would want the job.  The Tommy Bowden's of the world would no longer use Arkansas to help them get a raise, not that I think Bowden is in that class.

In my opinion, the great fans of Arkansas need to relax and enjoy the presence of an offensive genius and not worry about where he might go to next.  You never know, the state of Arkansas may remind Bobby Petrino of his native Montana and he might stay forever. 

However, let the prophetic words of Nolan Richardson not be forgotten—the monster will have to be fed, and Bobby Petrino is the man to do just that.