Bret Bielema brought some extra noteriety to Friday night's kickoff event in the Springdale Convention Center. While speaking to fans and donors, with members of the local media nearby, Bielema threw some gasoline on the fire that is the modern Arkansas-Auburn rivalry.
"Probably doesn’t need to be said in here how much I hate Auburn," Bielema said, via the Arkansas News, in the process of previewing each week of the Razorbacks' 2015 schedule.
It was just one phrase, reportedly said without hostility, but it was certainly calculated. Bielema and Gus Malzahn's relationship is not nearly as contentious as it was during the 2013 SEC Media Days during the well-publicized debates of hurry-up, no huddle debates.
The rivalry has heated up over the last couple of years with allegations of doctoring game film during tape exchanges, faking injuries and mysterious elevator malfunctions that kept coaches from meeting with their players during halftime.
For Bielema, some of this fan angst is something he has inherited as Arkansas' head coach. Gus Malzahn is, after all, a former Arkansas offensive coordinator and 5A state champion head coach at Springdale High School. But Bielema's actions and comments are more than chum for the fans. The stylistic divide and Bielema's desire to put Arkansas at the top of the SEC West make Auburn a natural enemy for the program.
Bielema didn't need to go into details about why he wants to beat Auburn so badly on Oct. 24 because the antics of the last two years have made this rivalry part of the modern SEC mythology.
