You're pretty much correct Duck. Ole Miss & Tulane were our historic rivals Ole Miss and Tulane became irrevelant in the 70's and our focus was on Bama, Aurburn & Fla, all of whom had more tradiditional rivals. Arky was an attempt by the SEC that hasn't grabbed Tiger fans. Maybe aTm will evolve into one.
The fact is that we have no traditional rival and we don't really care for how the conference is trying to fix us up for the dance with their idea of what a rivalry is.
Arkansas was never pushed on LSU fans by the SEC as some sort of rivalry. The Golden Boot trophy, and the hopes of lore it would bring to the game, all came from an Arkansas fan living in Little Rock. He brought the idea to Broyles, Broyles called Joe Dean, and it went from there. Hell, both schools contributed money to make the trophy.
With the exception of what, three years, the game has been played every year since 1953. Yes sir, the mere length of this series defines traditional. And, based on feelings here, it certainly defines rival.
We also had a long standing tradition of rarely playing Auburn too. Speaking of rarely, it seemed like LSU rarely lost to Kentucky despite playing them more often than some other team you are referring to. Tradition? ... certainly defines rival? Please, no outside help from you defining what we deem a rivalry or tradition. We will tell you about when you can comprehend the concept. Bama fans don't really know shit about rivalries or tradition for that matter. One can have only one true rival and you must be the one rival of your opponent as well for it to be true. You Gumps don't even now who your rival is, so you pick two and tell us who ours should be? Really? How about, hell no and fuck off will you're at it?
Yes they did. It wasn't pushed on LSU fans but upon LSU itself. The whole "day after thanksgiving" game was an SEC-inspired plan to make LSU/Arkansas an annual rivalry game. Arkansas just never appealed to LSU fans. Tulane remains our traditional rival and we have learned that we don't have to play them every year to keep it one. Our "hot rivalries" in this century are Bama and Auburn, the teams that compete with LSU for the West.
We can't be their rivals since, they have each other to nut hug with and their own individual psuedo-rival with Big10 tradition (in their mind at least).
Arkansas fans feel it is a rivalry so they bought into that shit. I mean seriously, Arkansas hates LSU more than anyone else here (local bar that has all the SEC helmets here has the LSU one upside down, I actually tried to bet the manager that if LSU beat Arkansas in 2011 that they would have to turn it right side up and if Arkansas won I'd let them take a picture of me in Razorback gear since I go in there with LSU gear all the time and get hell for it. He was down for it but the owner didn't have faith).
I get around a good bit of the map that is encompassed by the SEC. I can tell you that the sentiment you notice towards LSU is not unique to Arkansas. LSU is by fair the most hated, disliked, feared and desired win against of any other school throughout the conference.
Man I wish I could agree, but i'm pretty sure bama holds that distinction. All those years of the Bear, and their fans are pretty obnoxious and arrogant, they think they ARE the SEC. I think TerryP, and a few others are exceptions to the rule and not like that, though.
