What Realistic Expectations Should Be For Silverfield's First Year at Arkansas

Bowl eligibility should kickstart program turnaround for Razorbacks in 2026

Arkansas Razorbacks defensive lineman Quincy Rhodes after a stop against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. | Arkansas Communications

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — When the 2026 schedule was released, the Arkansas coaches knew they would be in for a tough slate as with most years.

Having College Football Playoff caliber teams such as Georgia, Texas A&M, Texas and LSU on the schedule for a Razorbacks' program on the rebound with new coach Ryan Silverfield was predictable action from the SEC.

To help shore up depth issues, he immediately went to work in identifying who he needed to make his roster competitive for next season and was able to do so through the transfer portal.

Arkansas lost a total of six games by one possession and remained within striking distance of Texas and Missouri before falling in both. That capped a 2-10 season full of what could've been that fell in line with the other five seasons under Sam Pittman's watch.

Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback KJ Jackson on the field against the Texas A&M Aggies at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. | Ted McClenning-allHOGS Images

Arkansas Football 2026 Schedule

Sept 5 North Alabama
Sept 12 at Utah
Sept 19 Georgia
Sept 26 Tulsa
Oct 3 at Texas A&M
Oct 10 Tennessee
Oct 17 at Vanderbilt
Oct 24 OPEN DATE
Oct 31 Missouri
Nov 7 at Auburn
Nov 14 South Carolina
Nov 21 at Texas
Nov 28 LSU

Most Likely Wins

The Razorbacks only have two supposed guaranteed wins on the schedule for next season in North Alabama and Tulsa, respectively.

However, home tilts against South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Auburn will bring the Hogs close to traditional bowl eligibility under a first-year coach since Houston Nutt in 1998. Pittman earned a spot in the Texas Bowl after notching three SEC wins in what likely would have been a season with six or seven wins had the old schedule been played, but he, instead, drew an SEC-only schedule that added No. 1 Georgia and a highly ranked Florida team to a typically difficult conference slate.

However, when it came time to play in the bowl game, TCU was unable to compete because it said COVID-19 wiped the roster to numbers too low to play. Because of guidelines, the Horned Frogs weren't required to forfeit, so Pittman didn't get credit for a bowl win and most forget the Hogs made it into the bowl.

Of course, thinking the Razorbacks have a chance to make that happen in what is now a loaded SEC is hard to do, but the same can be said about what Nutt was able to accomplish rather quickly in Fayetteville.

The Gamecocks will enter Razorback Stadium with a coach on one of the hottest seats in the country with an offensive coordinator very familiar with the Razorbacks in Kendal Briles. Arkansas is four seasons removed from Briles' time calling plays for the Hogs and,d thanks to the transfer portal, there is no one left on the roster from that up-and-down 2022 season.

South Carolina is 3-8 all-time in the state of Arkansas with its last win coming in a massive 52-7 blowout in 2013 during Bret Bielema's first season. That Gamecocks team finished the year with an 11-2 record and No. 4 ranking in the final AP Top 25 poll.

Arkansas Razorbacks running back Braylen Russell on a carry against the Alabama A&M Bulldogs at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. | Ted McClenning-allHOGS Images

Silverfield will go head-to-head with old American Athletic Conference rival Alex Golesh when Auburn hosts the Razorbacks to begin the month of November.

There's reason for optimism on the Arkansas side. Silverfield had Golesh figured out at all times, going 3-0 at Memphis against USF the previous three seasons.

That includes a come from behind home upset of the Bulls, who were slotted as the top Group of Five team and potential playoff caliber team. The Tigers got the benefit of a holding call with four seconds left that pushed USF just far enough back to miss the tying field goal wide left as the clock ran out, one of many proverbial bounces that continue to go Silverfield's way as a coach.

Auburn didn't put together an inspiring transfer portal haul as On3 ranks it dead last in the SEC and No. 64 nationally. Although games aren't played on paper, Silverfield appears to have the upper hand by signing the No. 3 class among SEC foes, No. 8 in the country.

Early SEC rival Tennessee comes to Fayetteville again, and with Josh Heupel's up-and-down tenure on Rocky Top, it's easy to see why the Razorbacks could pick them off again. Arkansas hasn't lost at home to the Volunteers since 2001.

As for Vanderbilt, there's no way it can continue to replicate the Diego Pavia era in Nashville. However, throw out the historical data now as none of that matters in the current landscape of college football.

Oddly enough, the Razorbacks are 3-3 all-time against the Commodores in the state of Arkansas, but the visitors are set to suffer from dramatic key losses after reaching the 10-win mark for the first time in program history. It just makes too much sense that Arkansas will use this game to get back on track at midseason, especially if the Commodores choose to use this season to break in 5-star true freshman quarterback Jared Curtis by throwing him to the wolves.

Possible Losses

At first glance, Utah brings a mighty challenge on the road at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Yet, Arkansas will likely have more talent on paper, but with a first-year coaching staff in place on both sides, this one might come down to the wire and dictate the outcome of the season in Week 2.

For the second consecutive coaching change, Arkansas is set to host a top-ranked Georgia team in Fayetteville. Pittman's first team debuted in the COVID-19 season and led the Bulldogs 10-5 midway through the third quarter before future Heisman Trophy winner Stetson Bennett came in and crushed hearts of Razorbacks fans.

Georgia will once again compete for its place in the playoff on the back of starting quarterback Gunner Stockton, a terrific defense and a coaching staff motivated to win another championship.

Two weeks later, the Razorbacks travel to Texas A&M in what will be their first road trip to Kyle Field since 2020. By the first week of October, the Aggies should have their offense figured out as the unit transitions from offensive coordinator Collin Klein to Holmon Wiggins.

Arkansas Razorbacks linebacker Bradley Shaw during practices on the outdoor fields in Fayetteville, Ark. | Andy Hodges-Hogs On SI Images

With quarterback Marcel Reed, running back Reuben Owens, and dynamic receiving duo Ashton Bethel-Roman and Mario Craver slated to return, it should make for a seamless transition.

Meanwhile, until Arkansas can prove it can knock off Missouri more than once a decade, the Tigers should continue to be picked each year in the fabricated Battle Line Rivalry.

Back-to-back games against playoff caliber opponents to close the season is going to be tough for Arkansas to overcome, but it's certainly not impossible. The Razorbacks have been known to knock off its rivals with national title aspirations. Just see Texas (2003) and LSU (2007, 2010).

Both games will be counted as losses for now, but 6-6 is at least a good start for a first-year coaching staff at least. That should raise the expectations for Year 2 as Silverfield attempts to revive a program in a trance of mediocrity in recent years.