Razorback fans, God love us, are bipolar. Sports on the Hill are either sitting on the precipice of a national title or ablaze in a dumpster fire.
Unfortunately, Razorback football currently is perceived to be burning. That is what 2-10 and winless SEC seasons will get you. Never mind the “but we were so close against top teams and had a top 10 offense” counterpoint. Fact is perception is reality. And the perception holds that a giant bonfire is ablaze inside the Fred W. Smith Football Center.
As college sports continue to evolve and the prospect of an SEC-Big Ten split from the NCAA lives on — at least for football — now is not a good time to not be good in football, the bell cow sport that makes virtually all others possible.
Arkansas’ historically bad stretch on the gridiron — and it is historic — could not have come at a worse time. Some Hogs fans, maybe a lot of ‘em, are afraid Arkansas will be left behind if a superleague is formed. Because of football. Relegated to whatever is left behind.
I say hogwash to such a nightmare scenario. If a superleague is formed, it is likely both top leagues will expand to 24 teams, and the top remaining ACC and Big 12 teams will be cherry-picked. (North Carolina to the SEC and Notre Dame to the Big Ten, for example.)
By every metric, Arkansas is among the top 48 in the nation. Ticket revenue, sales revenue, attendance, football pedigree (last two decades notwithstanding). Even brand power. [Insert Houston Nutt quote here.]
Football’s lapse has impacted Arkansas’ financial bottom line, sure, but Fayetteville still ranks among the top 15 schools in FY25 earning — royalties, licensing, advertising and corporate sponsorships, according to research from our friend Matt Brown at Extra Points. If Ryan Silverfield is able to even initiate a turnaround this fall, money will follow, impacting not only the revenue list but also significant things like available NIL.
Arkansas was late to the game in this new era of college ball, but it will get to the main table. Still, we might want to go ahead and initiate that turnaround this fall.
School Name FY25 Royalties revenue
University of Texas $51,956,322
Ohio State University $42,770,263
University of Michigan $35,556,501
University of Tennessee $33,004,839
Texas A&M University $30,337,025
University of Oregon $26,607,027
Pennsylvania State University $25,114,673
University of Wisconsin $24,757,630
University of Louisville $24,645,765
University of North Carolina $23,973,222
University of Georgia $23,506,854
University of Washington $21,732,337
Arizona State University $20,425,234
Texas Tech University $20,209,486
University of Arkansas $19,416,571
University of Oklahoma $19,200,045
University of Nebraska $17,941,341
Clemson University $17,906,491
University of Alabama $17,233,822
University of Utah $15,717,133
Virginia Tech $14,961,055
Mississippi State University $14,716,195
Michigan State University $14,240,446
Florida State University $14,187,618
University of Central Florida $13,883,426
Source: Extra Points
(As of this writing, the Senate bill that would possibly deter the formation of a superleague had gained new life with support from the SEC and Big Ten.)
