The Texas A&M-Arkansas football rivalry will be moving back to Jerry Jones’ Cowboys Stadium in Arlington beginning in 2014.  The Razorbacks wanted the series to be continued in the Metroplex this year, but A&M officials wanted to get the game on campus so the Aggies would have at least six home dates in 2012.  Next year, the game will be played in Fayetteville before moving back to Arlington.

The series — which was played at Cowboys Stadium in 2009, 2010, and 2011 — is contracted to return to the domed behemoth of a venue from 2014 through 2024.

Jones, for those who don’t know it, owns the Dallas Cowboys and is a former Arkansas player.  And into his house, the Razorbacks and Aggies will soon return.

The Southwest Classic between old SWC rivals and new SEC rivals Arkansas and Texas A&M will be moving back to Jerry Jones’ Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas in the future.  Supposedly.  But for the next two seasons, the Hogs and Aggies will do battle  on their own campuses.

This fall, Arkansas will visit Kyle Field in College Station.  In 2013, A&M will return the favor with a trip to Fayetteville.  By 2014, the plan is for the game to go back to the Dallas area, where it’s been played since 2009.  At least that’s the plan according to Arkansas spokesperson Kevin Trainor:

“After Texas A&M officially joined the Southeastern Conference, the Dallas Cowboys worked with both institutions to help address scheduling difficulties created for the Aggies with their entry into the SEC.  Discussions between both institutions and the Dallas Cowboys are ongoing and are focused on returning the series to Cowboys Stadium for the 2014 season and beyond.”

Jones is an Arkansas alum who knows full well that his school benefits from playing inside the Lone Star State in front of a bevy of Texas high school prospects.  The Razorbacks want to get the game back into the Dallas Metroplex.  In fact, they never wanted it to leave JerryWorld.

As for Texas A&M, well, that’s another story.  Now in the Southeastern Conference themselves, the Aggies would just as soon not give a rival like Arkansas a yearly passage into their recruiting turf.  Better to have the Hogs visit every other year and better to have those visits come to College Station, not to Cowboys Stadium.

We’ll have to wait and see how money and politics impact the final landing spot for what’s to become an annual SEC showdown. At the moment, it looks like two years on campus before a return to neutral ground.

GQ magazine has put together a list of the 15 worst fanbases in America (though one, oddly enough, comes from Canada).  They’re talking about “bleacher creatures, bottle-throwers, couch-torchers, sexual harassers, projectile vomiters, and serially indifferent bandwagon-hoppers.”

Here’s their list:


15.  Los Angeles Lakers basketball
14.  Oregon Ducks basketball
13.  Wisconsin Badgers football
12.  Dallas Cowboys football
11.  Montreal Canadiens hockey
10.  LSU Tigers football
9.  New York Yankees baseball
8.  Duke Blue Devils basketball
7.  Penn State Nittany Lions football
6.  Boston Red Sox baseball
5.  Maryland Terrapins basketball
4.  Oakland Raiders football
3.  West Virginia Mountaineers all sports
2.  Philadelphia Eagles football
1.  Philadelphia Phillies baseball


So why LSU?  You can read the full explanation here.  We would give you a sampling here, but some of the language is too salty for our pages.  Let’s just say it has to do with drunken behavior, cursing, team bus attacks and spitting.  Nice.

Just a couple of quick updates regarding possible SEC coaching movement:

* The name of Arkansas offensive coordinator Garrick McGee continues to bubble up in the great cauldron of coaching rumors.  McGee interviewed with UConn, but it’s believed the Huskies will move in another direction.  Former Miami O-coordinator Mark Whipple was expected to be Connecticut’s choice, but reports now link Dallas Cowboys assistant and former Syracuse head coach Paul Pasqualoni to the job.  McGee is still a possibility at Tulsa, however.  Bobby Petrino confirmed yesterday that his assistant did interview for the head coaching job at that school on Wednesday.  FootballScoop.com reports that McGee will meet with Tulsa’s president today.  Former Tulsa offensive coordinator Chad Morris is believed to be the front-runner for the Golden Hurricane job.

* Tennessee receivers coach Charlie Baggett has been reported to be a candidate for the same position with the Dallas Cowboys.  Baggett served in that capacity with the Miami Dolphins under Nick Saban.  Also on that Dolphins staff?  New Dallas coach Jason Garrett.

* Former Florida and Urban Meyer assistant Chuck Heater is expected to join Steve Addazio’s staff at Temple as defensive coordinator.  Heater was safeties coach with the Gators and co-coordinator.

* We’ve gotten some emails regarding rumors that Vanderbilt’s James Franklin is interested in luring defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel from West Virginia.  It appears — as far as we can tell — that that talk has died down and that Casteel will remain in Morgantown.  WVU head coach Bill Stewart announced last week that his “coaching staff for 2011 is complete” and that Casteel would be “heading up our defense.”

* And former Auburn offensive coordinator Al Borges is moving with Brady Hoke from San Diego State to Michigan.  Borges — the man who directed AU’s offense that last time the Tigers went undefeated back in 2004 — will serve as UM’s quarterbacks coach and O-coordinator.