Arkansas' Bielema has no interest in playing Arkansas State

The non-existent rivalry between Arkansas and Arkansas State isn't about to start existing anytime soon.

When asked if he'd like to see his squad square off against the Red Wolves some day, Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema responded in frank fashion.

"No. Never. Never," Bielema said at the Northwest Arkansas Razorback Club Golf Tournament, according to Chad Neipling of Gridiron Now.

Arkansas has had an policy against playing in-state schools since the 1940s, when the Razorbacks' regime at the time believed Arkansas could claim the rooting interest of the whole state if they separated themselves from other nearby schools.

Bielema, though, added that there are no hard feelings between the two institutions. In fact, Bielema suggested he and counterpart Blake Anderson share a very friendly relationship.

"I just talked to (Anderson) over the last 48 hours, several times, about recruiting," Bielema said. "If I was competing against him, head-to-head, that wouldn't be the case. I think it's what makes the state of Arkansas beautiful."

Questions of a possible encounter between the two schools came up because of the black hole currently stamped on Arkansas' 2018 and 2019 non-conference schedules, which arose after Michigan backed out of a previously scheduled home-and-home series.

Bielema has also been a proponent of creating matchups with more stingy non-conference foes. Arkansas State, which plays in the Sun Belt Conference, probably wouldn't qualify as that.