Arkansas Football: Could Razorbacks, Not Alabama, Be SEC's At-Large BCS Team?

The Razorbacks need to make up their minds so we can stop this whole debate about whether or not they're for real. For the past two weeks, most of the attention has been focused away from them and on the LSU-Alabama game, but now that it's all over, we can take a look at Arkansas. 

As for making up their minds, the Hogs have not done it yet. They seem to keep flirting with the idea of becoming a part of the SEC elite but never really want to make that commitment. Dealing with Arkansas is like dealing with that girl who will never make up her mind because it's "too hard."

Wrong. It is a simple choice, and it takes no effort. They see Alabama and LSU among the SEC elite and want to be like them, but then they want to stay king of the "middle of the pack" SEC. It's like you're either a starter on the B team or a backup on the A team, but you can't choose both.

Yesterday, the Razorbacks owned South Carolina. It's unfair to assume the Gamecocks were at their best, though, considering that they were missing their best player in Marcus Lattimore. But they're still a great team, and Arkansas's domination was very "SEC elite."

However, jump back to the previous two weekends. The Hogs won two close games by a grand total of eight points over Ole Miss and Vanderbilt.

I'm sorry, I must have heard myself wrong there because there is no way any one of those SEC bottom-feeders could be playing with the Arkansas Razorbacks, an SEC elite fringe team.

Nope, it was Ole Miss and Vandy, two of the most undistinguished football teams in their conference. Like I said, Arkansas needs to make up its mind on who it's going to be.

However, the Razorbacks's dominating win over South Carolina might be a sign that the they may have finally made a decision. With big home games against Tennessee and Mississippi State before taking on LSU, Arkansas still needs to prove to us that it has the talent and skill to remain elite, though.

With statements in those games, the Razorbacks may set themselves up to be the SEC's at-large BCS bid just like last year. The killer, though, will be the LSU game at Death Valley.

A victory over the best team in the nation is the key to winning a BCS berth and possibly a trip to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game. With a win there, the SEC West would be thrown into a three-way tiebreaker that only the BCS rankings could break.

Considering I'm no clairvoyant, I have no way of predicting what rankings any of these teams could possibly be if Arkansas and 'Bama win out. The LSU-Alabama-Arkansas quagmire would come down to who's top dog in the rankings unless the second-ranked squad is less than five spots behind them, in which case it's determined by the head-to-head matchup.

Now, I could go through every single outcome and try to determine where everyone would be if that happens, but the main point is that if Arkansas does topple No. 1, it would be heading for a BCS Bowl. Whether the Razorbacks are going as SEC champions or just an at-large bid doesn't really matter, but the requirement at this point for stealing that bid is winning their regular season finale in Death Valley.

If the Razorbacks don't, the Tide will in most cases continue to rank just above them, providing them with the at-large bid and Arkansas with a trip to the Cotton Bowl.

The Razorbacks have a tough road ahead if they wants to head to a BCS Bowl for the second consecutive year. As for beating LSU in Death Valley, though, I wish them all the best.