ALTOONA, Pa. -- It'll be We Are vs. Woo Pig Sooie. Finally. The bowl matchup yours truly has been looking forward to since I started covering Penn State in 2006.
Penn State will play Arkansas in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1 in Tampa, a fantastic destination for the Nittany Lions, who went just 7-5 bit still managed to land in an excellent bowl game. Arkansas is 8-4 (4-4 SEC) and ranked 21st.
This is a good football matchup -- which I'll break down a bunch in the coming weeks -- and for me personally, a pretty cool deal.
For those who don't know, I'm from Arkansas. Born and raised, went to college (University of Arkansas at Little Rock) and spent the first 25 years of my life there. I was never really a big Razorback fan -- I did the whole rebel against the local team thing and became a Syracuse fan -- but believe me, I know full well what the Hogs mean to the fine folks in Arkansas.
Take, for instance, one of the silliest and yet most storied traditions in college sports -- calling the Hogs.
Woooooooooo ... pig sooie
Woooooooooo ... pig sooie
Woooooooooo ... pig sooie, Razorbacks
What the heck is all that? If you're not familiar with Arkansas athletics, you'd no doubt ask yourself what in the world those folks are saying, and why. And they'll be doing it at Raymond James Stadium, for sure, when they play the Nittany Lions in a few weeks.
Here's an example of calling the Hogs, from a basketball game in Fayetteville.
There is a tremendous connection between Arkansas and Penn State that I'll get to in a second. Talk about a small-world kind of deal.
But first, let me explain what the Hogs mean in Arkansas.
There are no major pro sports franchises in the state, so the Razorbacks are it. The whole shebang. Sort of like in Nebraska, the college sports teams mean everything to the overwhelming majority of fans in the state.
For comparison, Pennsylvania is huge, and there are numerous college programs. Penn State is the most successful in football, and there are Nittany Lion fans all across this huge state.
In Arkansas, nothing else matters to most folks. It's all Razorbacks, all the time.
"Razorback athletics, specifically football, is a large part of many Arkansans' lives. Razorback football is not a religion, but very close," said Reid Miller, a local kid from here in central PA (Hollidaysburg) who played for the Razorbacks a few years ago under coach Bret Bielema.
Now, about that Penn State connection. This one is pretty cool.
Arkansas' sports teams were called the Cardinals long ago, until 1909. Then this happened:
There are dozens of Lions, Tigers and Bears, but in all of college athletics there is only one Razorback – but it wasn't always that way. The university's teams were known as the Cardinals until Arkansas football coach Hugo Bezdek fatefully called his players "a wild band of Razorback hogs" after a big win over LSU in 1909.
See that coach's name -- Hugo Bezdek. He later became Penn State's head coach in 1918 and remained in that position until 1929, compiling a record of 65-30-11. He also was Penn State's athletic director from 1918-36 and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954.
Miller learned that story about Bezdek coining the Razorback nickname during his time with the program.
"Shortly after, fans created the 'calling the Hogs' chant to motivate the players," Miller said. "In my opinion, calling the Hogs is a way for all Arkansans -- Razorback fans and Arkansas student-athletes -- to show support for one another. It's unique, and Razorback fans take pride in that."
But wait, there's even more to the Bezdek story! He also was the Pittsburgh Pirates' manager, believe it or not, from the middle of the 1917 season through 1919. He compiled a record of 166-187.
Penn State fans can relate with the "We Are" chant.
I asked some friends in Arkansas to describe why calling the Hogs is so meaningful. Here's what Jeremiah Oltmans from my hometown of Bryant said:
"Calling the Hogs is an awesome tradition, and in my opinion is used in victory and also used in moments that are crucial to encourage/spur the players to rally!"
Oh, then the Arkansas fan threw a little shade at Penn State.
"Explain to me what 'We are Penn State' means," he said. "Do you all always need reminders of who you are? LOL. I say all that tongue-in-cheek. Look forward to playing a worthy adversary and winning our first bowl game in way too long!"
Another Arkansas fan, Greg Minor, said, "The Razorbacks are ONE OF A KIND. There are all kinds of animals used multiple times as mascots. BUT there is only ONE Razorback."
One little personal story. My family doesn't go back to Arkansas much, but we did take our young twins there a few years back for the first time when they were 3 years old. My son, Chase, took a look at the Razorback logo and said with a smile, "He's a mad guy."
Pennsylvania has the Steelers, Eagles, Pirates, Penguins, Sixers, Flyers and a slew of big-time college programs, including Pitt football and basketball, and Villanova and Temple basketball.
There is something for every sports fan in this state, and also plenty of rivalries and topics for debate.
In Arkansas, there is the Razorbacks.
"Even the Arkansas State coach, speaking to Little Rock Touchdown Club recently, said, 'Everyone loves the Razorbacks,'" my mentor and longtime Arkansas sportswriter Bob Wisener said.
"An Oaklawn trainer once said, 'They haven't got a helluva lot else to do here."
