COLLEGE FOOTBALL REPORT / WEEKDAY UPDATE : AROUND THE NATION : SWC Allows Arkansas to Stay in 1991

The Southwest Conference Council voted Thursday to keep Arkansas in the league for the 1991 football season with all rights and privileges, including competing for the championship.

“Arkansas will be treated in 1991 just like it’s a normal season,” said Dr. James Vick of the University of Texas and president of the conference council.

Vick said the vote was unanimous to keep the Razorbacks in the league. Arkansas had originally planned to play football as an independent next year before joining the Southeastern Conference in 1992.

Arkansas, a charter member of the 76-year-old SWC, voted Aug. 1 to join the SEC by 1992 in all sports except football.

Arkansas Athletic Director Frank Broyles said Wednesday: “We’re happy to do whatever (the SWC) wants to do in the 1991 season.”

Arkansas had a change of heart for 1991 when it discovered the difficulty of trying to schedule games for the eight SWC slots they were losing.

SWC Commissioner Fred Jacoby said, “It is the professional and the right thing to do on the part of the conference.”

Jacoby said he felt the SWC presidents would approve the move when they meet here Oct. 7. That vote is considered a formality.

The action also provides relief for the Cotton Bowl, which is involved in discussions with CBS over its contract. The Cotton Bowl, which has the SWC champion as its host team, will now get another year of grace because the Razorbacks will be available to play in bowl game should they win the SWC title in 1991.

The SWC also announced other sweeping changes in Thursday’s meeting of faculty representatives and athletic directors.

Those included:

--Changing home gate receipts from a 50-50 split so that the home team would retain all gate receipts in football and basketball beginning in 1992. Schools would be allowed, however, to work out minimum guarantee packages with one another.

--Changing fees for teams participating in bowls. Teams will get to keep $500,000 off the top before the SWC splits the remainder. The current figure is $300,000. The move will take effect after this year’s bowl games.