Since Bobby Petrino’s hire this week, I’ve been trying to formulate an opinion about what I thought of the hire and the coach.  Here is what I have come up with:  As far as character issues, Bobby Petrino is Houston Nutt.  Petrino has lied time after time after time in regards to whether he is looking at going to another program, whether he is staying with a program, whether he has talked to different university officials. Etc. But my question is who hasn’t in today’s college football landscape?  Les Miles told Oklahoma State fans that he wasn’t looking at going to another program and that he was happy in Stillwater.  Then he jumps ship to LSU.  But who could blame him?  LSU had and has stockpiles of talent and play in the best conference.  Of course everyone is familiar with the Nick Saban controversy.  This has become commonplace among the coaching fraternity.  Coaches will tell fans, boosters, players, and recruits what they want to hear at that time, knowing in the back of this mind that he either wants that big time job or that he wants to make the jump to the NFL or that he has been in contact with other AD’s or GM’s.  Is it right?  Not necessarily, but that is the type of world we live in now in the business, and it is a business, of college football.  But let’s go back to Petrino.  I think what he did to the Falcons was wrong and most objective football fan would tend to agree, except for the ignorant Arkansas fans who think that it was ok and justified.  I can also understand where Petrino was coming from.  Who wants to coach a team so disheveled and out of whack that it almost became a circus in the locker room?  Of course you had the Vick fiasco, then you had DeAngelo Hall almost fighting one of his own coaches on the sidelines, Alge Crumpler publicly criticizing Petrino and the coaching staff, and at the Monday night game against the Saints, guys like Roddy White and Chris Houston (former Arkansas player) paying homage to Vick with eye black with #7 on them or shirts that say “Free Mike Vick”.  Is this really necessary to deal with on an NFL team?  Petrino should have no doubt faced the players in person to tell them of his decision and tell them how he felt, and the players to have that same luxury of letting Petrino how the felt.  But Arkansas had an enormous sense of urgency.  They had been turned down 3 times, which we know of, and they had to get a coach in order to stay on top of recruiting.  At the same time, Petrino could have done what Charlie Weiss did when he took the job with Notre Dame while he was with the Patriots.  He recruited when he didn’t have to be with the team, but still fulfilled his commitment to the team and their playoff run.  This might not have even been an option, but just something to think about.  Petrino has a chance to change the perception most of the college football world has of him.  He can do this by fulfilling his contract, not looking for other job opportunities, before, during, or after the season, and being honest with recruits and fans.  Earlier I said his character was similar to Nutt’s, but that is where the similarities end.  Petrino turned Louisville into a national contender while he was there, leading them to a BCS bowl victory, which is something that Arkansas has never had.  He was 41-9 in 5 years.  He recruited top athletes in Michael Bush and Brian Brohm, among others. No one can argue with the type of coach Petrino is.  He is widely considered as an offensive genius that can generate balance.  See the two names mentioned above.  Balance is what Arkansas desperately needs.  With only 8 returning starters next year, his coaching skills will be put to the test early and often.  Let us hope for the best for Petrino, on and off the field.