What the hell is going to happen at Arkansas?

So Arkansas looks bad, really bad. Like we may only win 4 games bad. Bielema's buyout is enormous, and doesn't come down into even a semi-reasonable range until the end of next season. Arkansas may not just be simply failing to meet expectations under Bert, we may be in the process of unraveling. If we unravel and don't make a tremendous turn around, what is going to happen?

Will Arkansas actually pay the insane buyout? Doubtful.

Will Arkansas get rid of Jeff Long for the terrible contract? Doubtful.

Will Bert and Arkansas agree to end the relationship by letting Bert take another job? Possibly, but what school would take him that he'd leave Arkansas for? Obviously he won't be taking a step up, at best it would be a lateral move. It would have to be the perfect fit - a school bad enough to take him but good enough for him to go to. Maybe Kansas St if Snyder finally retires? Bert coached under Snyder. I just don't see him taking a mid or lower tier Big10 job - his ego is too big. There are probably less than 10 schools that would fit the necessary criteria, and who knows if they will make a coaching move and if they do wehether they would want him.

So if Bert can't find someplace else, then what? I've read that "sources" say Long will try to "negotiate the buyout." Absent some dirt that Long may be holding onto, Bert is not taking a penny less than the buyout number in the contract. Why would he? He doesn't want to be fired and be deemed a failure anyway. Can you imagine being perceived as so bad that your employer would pay you $10M to leave? Yeah, you're set for life, but then you become a has been and he's too young and again has too big of an ego to already become a has been.

One final possibility is Bert invents a non-football reason to resign. Something about needing to take a break and focus on his family and newborn. He can't say health issue because then for sure no one is taking a risk on him. This too is unlikely. It would be too transparent as admitting failure.

So basically we're left with Arkansas actually paying the enormous buyout, or Bert stays and things probably stay the same or get even worse, either way It's a huge black eye for Jeff Long to tie up Arkansas in such an unfavorable contract.

Remember how crazy things got near the end of the Nutt era? Arkansas fans flying banners, doing FOIA requests, etc... If we refuse to pay the pay the buyout then both Long and Bert are going to receive proverbial hell from a certain part of our fan base, assuming the passion still exists. Honestly, I don't know if it does.