Arkansas and LSU are both walking into a freight train -- meteorologically speaking. Forecasts for the game in Fayetteville, Arkansas, are projecting temperatures in the high 20s, along with snow.
Granted, that might not terrify many Golden Gophers up in Minnesota. But if you play in the SEC, you almost never face those conditions.
Of course, things could be much worse, and leading up to the game, LSU and Arkansas fans are coming together to remember one of the most brutal environments a college football game has ever played in. Both teams faced one another in the 1947 Cotton Bowl, which has since been affectionately nicknamed "The Ice Bowl."
Both teams in that game were assaulted by driving sleet, ice, snow and rain. Temperatures hovered in the 20's, but more than 45,000 fans came out to watch the game, which had sold out weeks ahead of time.
The brutal conditions were a plague on both offenses. LSU managed to get in the red zone on five different occasions but failed to put up any points. Arkansas's squad could do even less, accumulating just 54 yards in the game. The Razorbacks only managed one first down the entire game.
Passing was a nightmare. LSU managed just 16 yards through the air. The only Arkansas pass that was caught was an interception. Both teams combined to throw five-for-21.
LSU did have a chance to win the game at the end of regulation, setting up for a field-goal attempt with the ball at the four-yard line. But, true to the rest of the game's play, the snap was botched, and the kick never left the ground.
In the end, the game was won by Mother Nature. LSU and Arkansas split a tie. Even in the immediate aftermath of the game, it was clear the Ice Bowl's legacy was set. LSU coach Bernie Moore called it "the worst football weather I’ve seen in 35 years of coaching."
