be made that historically VT may be further ahead than South Carolina as a football program. At least if VT had a stadium the size of William-Brice Stadium and closer to the Gulf Coast Region for recruiting, then there is a good possibility that VT would consistently finish in the Top 4 in East Division. If you look at South Carolina's past seasons prior to joining the SEC, then you will see that South Carolina has never achieved the level of "success" that VT achieved prior to joining the ACC.

WRT the comparison between Arkansas and VT, Arkansas may have a "better" history than VT. However in terms of recruiting, Arkansas may be historically less fertile state than Virginia. It is worth noting that Arkansas did have some early success in the SEC under Danny Ford and Houston Nutt. Even Bobby Petrino found "success" in 3 of the 4 years he was their HC. As to why Arkansas was never able to sustain it? It is probably a combination of a number of factors that would require a more intimate knowledge of the program than I have at this time. It is possible that Arkansas's location within the state (northwest part) may be a factor. Also, Arkansas has been dividing its home games between 2 stadiums since 1948 and today's recruits may not be fond of this arrangement. Arkansas plays most of its home games at its on campus stadium (Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium), but it also has to play 2 games (at least 1 game has to be a conference game) each season at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. It is also possible that Arkansas has not re-invested as much into upgrading its facilities compared to the other SEC schools.