FAYETTEVILLE — Belk Bowl executive director Will Webb got repeated earfuls of one of the iconic calls in the sports world a couple of decades ago.
It sounds like Webb might be in the mood to hear Arkansas Razorbacks fans calling "Pig Sooie" once again.
"We're very much looking at Arkansas and we're very intrigued by the brand, the ratings they could bring and Arkansas' fan travel," Webb said Friday when asked about the Belk Bowl's interest in the Razorbacks.
The Belk Bowl will pit an SEC team against a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference on Dec. 29 at 4:30 p.m. at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
"I'm a lawyer by profession, and in the '90s I worked in basketball a little bit," Webb said before making reference to the Arkansas basketball team's run to the 1994 NCAA Championship at Charlotte Coliseum. "I remember Arkansas was out here in Charlotte and I told some of the folks that by the time the weekend was over, I had heard more 'Pig Sooies' that weekend than I could take for a while. Well, it's 22 years later and I could stand to hear some more."
Official bowl bids will be announced Sunday afternoon by the SEC office.
Sources inside the Arkansas program indicated Friday they had no clarity about the team's bowl destination, but were of the belief that Charlotte was a leading candidate entering the weekend.
Webb said Arkansas was in the Belk Bowl's mix with a couple of SEC East teams.
"We're also intrigued by Kentucky, and we've got a school in a neighboring state here in South Carolina," he said.
ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach wrote on his Twitter account early Friday he was told Thursday night that the Belk Bowl would prefer to land South Carolina for geographical reasons, but "might get the Razorbacks."
South Carolina (6-6) is a likely candidate to play in the Birmingham or Independence bowls. Kentucky (7-5) is a favorite of the Music City and TaxSlayer bowls.
Arkansas also is on the short list for the TaxSlayer Bowl.
Webb said he planned to visit with SEC and ACC personnel Saturday. Alabama and Florida square off in the SEC championship game at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Clemson and Virginia Tech play for the ACC title at 6 p.m. Saturday at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
The ACC representative for the Belk Bowl will likely come down to Virginia Tech or North Carolina.
"Virginia Tech is a very good football team and Clemson better be ready," Webb said. "If Virginia Tech wins [the ACC title], then I think it's North Carolina on the other side [of the Belk Bowl]. If Virginia Tech loses, then I think it's Virginia Tech or North Carolina."
Arkansas has never played a bowl game in North Carolina. In fact, the Razorbacks have never played a football game in the state of North Carolina, according to the Arkansas media guide.
Matt Jones of WholeHogSports.com contributed to this report