Inside Arkansas Football’s 2026 Schedule: Notes & Insights

Image Courtesy: Ethan Doan

On Thursday night, the SEC unveiled the 2026 conference football slate for all 16 member schools. Here are some notes and insights for each of Arkansas’ opponents.

Plus, check out this video to see my thoughts on the Razorbacks’ 2026 schedule and the SEC as a whole.

Arkansas football’s 2026 Schedule:

Sept. 5
North Alabama
Arkansas will open the 2026 season and new head coach Ryan Silverfield’s tenure against North Alabama. The season opener will be the Razorbacks’ first ever meeting with the Lions.

North Alabama didn’t face any Power Four opponents this season, but the Lions did open with a tough matchup against Western Kentucky on Aug. 30, falling 55–6. The Hilltoppers went on to finish among the stronger Group of Five programs, posting an 8–4 record overall and a 6–2 mark in Conference USA.

Later in the season, on Oct. 11, North Alabama dropped another non-conference game to Central Arkansas; Arkansas’ in-state counterpart; by a score of 49–21.

The Lions matched the Razorbacks with a 2-10 record in 2025.

Sept. 12
@ Utah
Arkansas will travel to Salt Lake City for their required Power 4 matchup against a respected Utah program. The Razorbacks and Utes have never faced off on the gridiron before but it has not been long since the Razorbacks have played in the “Beehive State.” Arkansas traveled to Provo and defeated BYU 52-35 back on Oct. 15, 2022.

Utah finished with a 10-2 overall record and seven wins in their second season in the Big 12. The Utes were ranked No. 15 in the final College Football Playoff rankings, just five spots away from an at-large bid to make an appearance.

There is also another piece of familiarity between the Razorbacks and the Utes. One of the top players in Arkansas, Greenwood quarterback Kane Archer, signed with Utah in the early signing period on Dec. 3. He likely won’t be playing for the Utes on Sept. 12 but seeing one of Arkansas’ own on the other sideline will be interesting.

On Friday, Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham announced that he will retire after his team plays in the Las Vegas Bowl versus Nebraska on Dec. 31. Whittingham spent 32 years with the Utes and 21 of his years as head coach. Defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley, who was named coach in waiting back in 2024, will take over for Whittingham in 2026.

The Utes will travel to Fayetteville to finish the home and home series against the Razorbacks on Sept. 15, 2029.

Sept. 19
Georgia
Arkansas faces Georgia for the first time since they met as AP top 10 opponents on Oct. 2, 2021. The Bulldogs defeated the Razorbacks 37-0 on their way to the first of back to back national championships between the hedges.

They travel to Fayetteville for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic effected ten game SEC slate season on Sept. 26, 2020. Georgia struggled in the first half but with a strong second half, they defeated Arkansas 37-10. It was Sam Pittman’s first game as head coach since leaving Athens, where he succeeded as the Bulldogs’ offensive line coach.

Six years later, the Razorbacks will begin their 2026 SEC campaign against Georgia in Fayetteville. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 12-4 versus the Razorbacks.

Sept. 26
Tulsa
Arkansas and Tulsa have many times on the gridiron. The Golden Hurricane will return to Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium for the first time since Oct. 20, 2018, when the Razorbacks pitched a 23–0 shutout.

Tulsa won just four games during the 2025 season. In his final season as the Memphis head coach, Ryan Silverfield’s Tigers dominated the Golden Hurricane 45-7 back on Oct. 4. Silverfield will hope to do the same against Tulsa on Sept. 26.

Looking ahead, Tulsa is set to host Arkansas in the 2027 season opener on Sept. 4, marking the Razorbacks’ first-ever trip to Tulsa. Arkansas has won 54 games over the Golden Hurricane while Tulsa has come out victorious just 16 times over the Razorbacks.

Oct. 3
@ Texas A&M
Arkansas welcomed Texas A&M back to Fayetteville on Oct. 18 for the first time since 2013 and fell 48-45 in a shootout. Now, the Razorbacks make the return trip to College Station for the first time since the 2020 where they lost 42-31.

After facing Georgia two weeks earlier, Arkansas will open SEC play against back to back opponents that made this seaso’s College Football Playoff, as Texas A&M makes its run at a first national championship when they play No. 10 Miami on Dec. 20 in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

The Aggies have dominated Arkansas of late winning the last four and thirteen of the last fourteen. However, the Razorbacks still lead the series against the Aggies 41-37.

Oct. 10
Tennessee
Arkansas will welcome Tennessee back to Fayetteville two years after upsetting them. The Volunteers were ranked No. 4 in the AP Poll when they fell to the Razorbacks on Oct. 5, 2024.

With the pressure on from fans, Josh Heupel and Tennessee cannot lose this game or his seat may become warm after failing to make it to back to back College Football Playoffs in 2024 and last season in 2025.

The Volunteers ended the Razorbacks’ four-game winning streak in the series with a 34-31 victory in Knoxville on Oct. 15. Tennessee’s victory extended their advantage to 14-7 over Arkansas all-time.

Oct. 17
@ Vanderbilt
Arkansas has not played Vanderbilt in Nashville since Oct. 29, 2011. In Bobby Petrino’s final season as head coach, the Razorbacks defeated the Commodores 31-28. Another October matchup between the two schools looms.

Now, Vanderbilt is rejuvenated under head coach Clark Lea with a chance to establish themselves as a true SEC contender in the post-Diego Pavia era at quarterback. The Commodores will face the Razorbacks for just the 11th time and in Nashville for just the fourth time ever.

The Commodores beat the Razorbacks 45-31 the last time they faced off on Oct. 27, 2018 in Fayetteville. But Arkansas holds the all-time series lead 7-3 over Vanderbilt entering the 2026 matchup.

Oct. 24
Arkansas will spend their bye week on Oct. 24 having completed non-conference play and the first four games of SEC play. Rest will be important for the Razorbacks with five more SEC games over the final five weeks of the season.

Oct. 31
Missouri
While Missouri’s success against Arkansas is well documented on the gridiron, the Tigers will travel to face the Razorbacks on the road for the second consecutive season because of the new nine-game conference slate being introduced in 2026. Missouri ended the 2025 regular season with a 31-17 victory over Arkansas just a few weeks ago.

Missouri will play Arkansas on Halloween in 2026 instead of the final weekend of the regular season for the first time since entering the SEC as a result of the new annual opponents for the nine-game schedule. The Razorbacks and Tigers have closed the regular season except the pandemic shortened 2020 season against each other since 2014. They will draw former Big Eight and Big 12 rival Oklahoma the final weekend of the regular season instead.

Missouri’s lead in the series remains large at 12-4 against Arkansas on the football field.

Nov. 7
@ Auburn
Arkansas has gone into Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn and defeated the Tigers back to back times with victories in 2022 and 2024. However, Auburn has not lost in Fayetteville against Arkansas since the crazy four-overtime game in 2015.

While both programs have not been successful over the last few seasons, both programs have new head coaches. Arkansas’ Ryan Silverfield has a perfect 3-0 record against Auburn’s Alex Golesh, who came over from South Florida. Golesh was rumored to have been hired by Arkansas on Nov. 26 before accepting the Auburn job opening on Nov. 30.

Now, a new era in this SEC series begins on “The Plains” to begin November for both programs.Auburn has a seven game lead on Arkansas all-time at 21-14.

Nov. 14
South Carolina
Until Missouri joined the SEC in 2012, South Carolina was Arkansas’ annual cross-division rival in the east division. The Gamecocks dominated the Razorbacks in their last meeting as permanent staples on each others’ schedules on Oct. 13, 2013 by a score of 52-7.

Since, the teams have split the next two meetings ahead of their 2026 game in Fayetteville. Arkansas and South Carolina will meet in the month of November for the first time since Nov. 11, 2012.

If quarterback LaNorris Sellers returns to Columbia to play his junior season for South Carolina, his offensive coordinator will be Kendal Briles. Briles, who came over from TCU, was Arkansas’ offensive coordinator from 2021-2023 and directed an offense with a similar quarterback to Sellers, KJ Jefferson.

Arkansas has a 14-10 lead on South Carolina in the series all-time.

Nov. 21
@ Texas
While Arkansas will welcome Missouri back to Fayetteville in 2026 for a second consecutive season, they will have to return to Austin to face Texas as a result of the nine-game SEC schedule. The Longhorns went up and down the field on the Razorbacks in a 52-37 win back in November.

Texas missed out on a third consecutive College Football Playoff appearance by just a few spots, being ranked No. 13 in the final poll. Next season, they will look to put an exclamation point on a strong season with a senior day win over Arkansas.

Arkansas and Texas have split their last four meetings but the Longhorns lead the series 58-23.

Nov. 28
LSU
The Battle for the Golden Boot returns to its regular season finale position in the schedule on Nov. 28. Arkansas and LSU met on the final weekend of the regular season from 1992 when the Razorbacks joined the SEC through the 2013 season. Now, the rivalry will return to the last weekend of November for at least the next four seasons.

In their final season under head coach Brian Kelly, LSU struggled to a 7-5 record. After firing Kelly, interim coach Frank Wilson’s Tigers beat the Razorbacks 23-22.

A familiar name takes over for Kelly in Baton Rouge. Ole Miss’ Lane Kiffin left the Rebels for LSU during their best season in program history at 11-1 on Nov. 30 just two days after his team beat Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl.

Razorback fans will want nothing more than to end their seasons by beating Kiffin and the Tigers under new head coach Ryan Silverfield. However, LSU has dominated the series against Arkansas 44-23.

Looking Ahead:
Arkansas will not face Alabama, Ole Miss, Kentucky, Oklahoma Florida, or Mississippi State during the 2026 season. The Razorbacks will face those teams and annual opponents LSU, Missouri, and Texas in the fall of 2027.

They will host Alabama, Kentucky, Ole Miss, and Texas and head on the road to play Florida, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, and Oklahoma in a year and a half.