FAYETTEVILLE — Julie Cromer Peoples did her best to convince the country she's in charge at Arkansas on Friday night, both with the firing of Bret Bielema and the immediate search for his successor.
The Razorbacks interim athletic director still has work to do to convince the Arkansas fan base that's the case, given the appearance of the school's Board of Trustees' sudden interest in the football program.
What isn't up for debate is the current state of that program, one mired in its worst six-year stretch in nearly 70 years — a run of disappointment many fans of the school fear could become the norm in the ultra-competitive Southeastern Conference.