FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas coach Bret Bielema spent Sunday and Monday talking up the Razorbacks' season finale against Missouri.
"I think it's something we've been trying to build with our players with the borderline rivalry, with the trophy and all that goes into it," Bielema said. "We'll have the trophy out there every day this week (at practice); let them understand it and feel it, and what it represents."
More than a trophy, any extra motivation for Arkansas will probably come from the comments made by Missouri linebacker Eric Beisel, who in an interview with reporters Monday mispronounced "Arkansas" four times and said the Razorbacks would be making a "mistake showing up in Columbia, Missouri," according to the Columbia Daily Tribune.
"I expect Ar-kansas to prepare this week," Beisel said, according to the Tribune, with emphasis added to his mispronunciation of the state name. "Whether they decide to get on a plane and show up at our stadium on Friday, that's their call. I'll tell you what, if they do decide to come, it's going to be hectic. Our fans are going to bring it, and we're going to bring it.
"We're going to take some aggression out on Ar-kansas this Friday, this Black Friday. It's going to be a black-out game. They're not going to see what's coming. If they do decide to show up, like I said, it'll be a huge mistake."
Beisel's words seem odd given the Tigers are 3-8 overall, 1-6 in the SEC and their defense just gave up 63 points at Tennessee - the most surrendered by Missouri in 17 years.
His comments are reminiscent of Les Miles mispronouncing "Arkansas" in the same way prior to the Razorbacks' win over No. 1 LSU in 2007.
But Beisel may have hit a nerve in a series that needs a jolt if it is ever going to turn into more than just another game on the schedule.
The SEC-mandated, insurance company-sponsored "rivalry" game has yet to take hold among the fan bases. There is a lot apathy for this series, no matter how much the schools try to market it as something more.
Last year's game was attended by approximately 40,000 people in Fayetteville (the Razorbacks didn't provide an actual attendance) and drew the lowest TV rating of any game on CBS in 2015. Missouri won the SEC East championship by beating Arkansas the year before.
There are many tickets remaining for this week's game. Attendance will likely be sparse again.
Truth be told, Missouri fans would likely prefer playing Kansas this week. Arkansas fans miss their season finale game against LSU.
It feels like Arkansas is trying to recreate the LSU series against the Tigers of the SEC East, with a trophy concept and design similar to The Boot and playing the game on the day after Thanksgiving.
The trophy and national TV audience were great, but that's not what made the Arkansas-LSU series a must-see event most years. The quality and importance of that game made the difference.
David Bazzel, the creator of the trophies for the both the LSU and Missouri games, said he thought the LSU series would take 30 years or more to become a rivalry game. That process was accelerated when the Tigers hired Nick Saban and entered a new rung on the college football ladder. A trip to the SEC Championship Game was on the line five times during a 10-year span, including a winner-take-all game in 2002 and a No. 1 vs. No. 3 matchup in 2011. And there were some upsets.
The Arkansas-LSU series caught lightning in a bottle. It helped that Arkansas and Louisiana are very much college sports states, whereas Missouri competes more for attention with professional sports teams in Kansas City and St. Louis.
The Arkansas-Missouri game may make it to that LSU level, but it's going to take time - perhaps 30 years like Bazzel expected for The Boot. The interest will grow with upsets, meaningful games and probably some off-the-field news.
Eric Beisel did his part to generate some buzz for the game. Now maybe the game can create some, too.