How Many Preseason Top 25 Team Will Arkansas Football Play in 2026?

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — As the regular season draws closer, the Associated Press released its Top 25 preseason ranking, and to nobody's surprise, the Razorbacks were not on the list.

However, what may have surprised fans is how many ranked teams Arkansas will face in the regular season this year, as first-year head coach Ryan Silverfield takes the reins of an incredibly daunting schedule.

Based on the initial ranking, half of the Razorbacks' games this season will be against ranked opponents, which could make for an incredibly challenging season as they continue to rebuild and seek sustainable success for the first time in years.

https://t.co/T23NtgfCyw
Ohio State and Oregon are 1-2 in the preseason poll while the SEC leads conferences with nine ranked teams. pic.twitter.com/KIcOlA5YyB
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) August 17, 2026

To give fans an idea of how grueling this regular season may be for the Hogs, I've broken down every game the Razorbacks will play this season against a ranked opponent.

No. 3 Georgia, Sept.19

For the eighth year in a row, the Georgia Bulldogs entered the season ranked among the top five teams in the country, remaining a powerhouse in the SEC heading into 2026.

This year, the Bulldogs will give Silverfield his first taste of SEC competition since coming to Arkansas, as the Razorbacks head to Athens in the third week of the season for a game that will serve as a benchmark to see where the program stands.

The Bulldogs are coming off a solid 2025 season, finishing 12-2 overall and remaining the favorite to win the SEC for the third year in a row.

While fans don't expect Silverfield to pull off an upset against Georgia in his first season, the game will show how much the program has grown since Silverfield took the helm earlier this year.

This will be the first time the Razorbacks face Georgia since they were dominated by the Bulldogs 37-0 in 2021.

No. 8 Texas A&M, Oct. 3

As usual, one of the biggest games for the Razorbacks this season will be against Texas A&M, who are coming off one of their best seasons in program history and will be looking to make a potential championship run this year.

The Aggies enter the season ranked No. 8, their highest-ever preseason ranking from the AP, after finishing 2025 with an 11-2 overall record and making the College Football Playoffs for the first time in program history.

Eight is GREAT! Got a pair of top ten Aggie teams to start the year 👍 pic.twitter.com/K70KX122w2
— Texas A&M Aggies 👍 (@12thMan) August 18, 2026

For the first time in his coaching career, Silverfield will face the Aggies as the Razorbacks enter Jerry Word on Oct. 3 in arguably the biggest rivalry game of the season for both programs.

Over the past decade, the rivalry game has been severely lopsided, with the Aggies winning 9 of the past 10 contests. However, Silverfield will have the opportunity to quickly earn the respect of the Razorback fanbase if he pulls off an upset win, which would shock the college football world.

No. 20 Tennessee, Oct.10

While the Tennessee Volunteers are coming off a somewhat disappointing season, finishing 2025 with an 8-5 record, they still secured a spot in the AP Top 25 for a fourth year in a row.

Going into the 2026 season, the Volunteers will look to regroup after finishing last year unranked by the AP for only the second time in Josh Heupel's tenure.

Meanwhile, when the Volunteers visit Fayetteville in October, it will serve as a solid test for Silverfield and his team to see where the program stands at midseason and whether they can compete with SEC heavyweights like Tennessee.

This year's contest will be the fourth time since 2020 that the Razorbacks face Tennessee, and the Hogs currently have the advantage in recent matchups, having won two of the past three.

No. 25 Missouri, Oct.31

Although they were just on the cuff, the Missouri Tigers were able to secure a spot in the AP Top 25 this preseason for the second time since 2020.

While they may not be competing for a conference championship this season, the Tigers will be another tough opponent on theRazorbacks's schedule, which appears to be dominated by SEC heavyweights this year.

This is the 12th time in program history that #Mizzou will begin a football season ranked in the AP top 25.

The others: No. 17 in 1950, No. 10 in 1969, No. 11 in 1970, No. 12 in 1979, No. 17 in 1980, No. 18 in 2004, No. 6 in 2008, No. 21 in 2011, No. 24 in 2014, No. 24 in 2015… https://t.co/Qm6qSzeysU
— Eli Hoff (@byEliHoff) August 17, 2026

The Tigers will arrive in Fayetteville on Halloween this year to cap off a rather scary month of football for the Razorbacks, and they will be their fourth straight SEC opponent.

This game will likely be Silverfield's best chance to defeat a ranked opponent in 2026 and potentially his first conference win with the Razorbacks.

However, the Battle Line Rivalry has been one-sided over the past several years, with the Tigers defeating Arkansas in eight of the past 10 matchups.

No. 5 Texas, Nov. 21

For a third straight year, the University of Texas enters the season ranked among the top five teams in the country, and the Longhorns will play with a chip on their shoulder this year after failing to make the College Football Playoffs.

Besides Georgia, the Longhorns will likely be the most difficult team that the Razorbacks face this season, as they will head to Darrell K Royal Stadium near the end of November for a game that will likely not go in their favor.

November's matchup will be the first time in his career that Silverfield faces the Longhorns and he may be in for a rude awakening as the team will be looking to secure a spot in the postseason for the first time since 2024.

Texas has won the past two contests against the Razorbacks, and while this year may not be any different, the matchup will measure how far off the program is from competing in the SEC again.

No. 11 LSU, Nov. 28

To the surprise of many across the country, LSU secured a top-15 ranking, although they are coming off one of their worst seasons in years, which cost former head coach Brian Kelly his job.

While the Tigers were not awful in 2025, they finished the year with a 7-6 overall record and a 3-5 record in conference play, which is well below program standards.

Now under the leadership of Lane Kiffin, the Tigers will look to return to grace in the SEC and potentially make an appearance in the College Football Playoffs for the first time since their championship season in 2019.

Meanwhile, Arkansas will be looking to cap off a grueling 2026 season and host the Tigers at Razorback Stadium for the final game of the regular season.

While Arkansas hasn't beaten the Tigers since 2021 and has only defeated them twice since 2015, I wouldn't rule out Silverfield pulling off an upset, as crazier things have happened between these two programs over the years.

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