Nothing Changes for Razorbacks When it Comes to Football Schedules

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The SEC will bring in six new coaches to the conference next season after what could be considered one of the wildest coaching carousels in recent memory.

While it wasn't on the level of the 2021 cycle that saw Lincoln Riley leave Oklahoma for USC, Brian Kelly from Notre Dame to LSU, and Mario Cristobal from Oregon to Miami there was still plenty of chaos.

Arkansas fans and various members of the media prepared themselves to have former USF coach Alex Golesh in the bag with a reported deal in place on a Tuesday. Then, it fell apart come Sunday morning when the Razorbacks announced the hiring of Ryan Silverfield instead.

Coach	Old School	New School
Ryan Silverfield	Memphis	Arkansas
Lane Kiffin	Ole Miss	LSU
Pete Golding	Ole Miss DC	Ole Miss (Promoted)
Alex Golesh	USF	Auburn
Jon Sumrall	Tulane	Florida
Will Stein	Oregon OC	Kentucky

Like his predecessor Sam Pittman, Silverfield must prepare himself psychologically for the mental grind that the SEC brings week after week. Non-conference games are scheduled long before, and this season fall begins a home-and-home series with Utah.

Arkansas Razorbacks football coach Ryan Silverfield speaks to the crowd during halftime against the Louisville Cardinals at Bud Walton Arena. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

The SEC requires home-and-home out of league games to begin on the road with the turnaround game played either the next season or down the road.

For Silverfield, he'll be facing a Utes team fresh off an 11-win season, bringing back its electric quarterback Devon Dampier, and promoted its defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley while serving 2025 tabbed as the 'head coach in waiting" ahead of Kyle Whittingham stepping down.

Things don't get much easier come Week Three as the Razorbacks welcome the defending SEC Champions Georgia Bulldogs to town coming off another College Football Playoff appearance.

The Razorbacks will also play on the road against three other teams expected to contend for a playoff bid in 2026. Week Five brings Arkansas to Kyle Field to face the Aggies before the final two SEC games present the challenge of facing Texas on the road before closing the regular season at home against LSU.

2026 Razorbacks Schedule

Sept. 5 Nort 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. 31 Missouri
Nov. 7 at Auburn
Nov. 14 South Carolina
Nov. 21 at Texas
Nov. 29 LSU

CBS Sports ranked the new SEC coaches from 1-6 on which one will face the hardest schedule in year one, and as fate would have it the Razorbacks and Silverfield are at the top of the list. If bowl eligibility is the goal in 2026, Arkansas has a very unfavorable slate to make it happen.

Not only does Silverfield take over rebuilding SEC program, but he inherited the most unforgiving combination of roster, schedule and expectations of any of the league’s six new coaches.

Arkansas went winless in SEC play in Sam Pittman’s final season, which means Silverfield is starting from the deepest hole of anyone in this coaching class. There is no momentum to lean on, no safety net built from recent conference success.

Arkansas Razorbacks coach Ryan Silverfield visiting with fans at basketball game against Fresno State at Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock, Ark. | Ted McClenning-allHOGS Images

Even his boss, athletics director Hunter Yurachek admitted his program was nowhere near ready to not only compete for a national championship, but the SEC as a whole.

That challenge is magnified by a schedule that provides almost no breathing room as the SEC shifts to a nine-game conference schedule that begins this fall.

Even with five home conference games, the going will be tough for Silverfield as he attempts to pull Arkansas out of the SEC basement.

The Razorbacks went winless in conference play in Sam Pittman's final year and will be hard-pressed to improve upon that dreadful mark with six of their nine league opponents landing in the way-too-early top 25 rankings.

A road trip to Utah is also one of the trickiest spots for any SEC team in nonconference action. It will take a handful of upsets for Arkansas to go bowling in Year 1 under Silverfield.
Carter Bahns, CBS Sports

Talking season will finally be proper again as coaches know exactly what they will have on their team throughout spring practice and into a new season this year. Now, coaches will feel a sense of normalcy again, and with the Razorbacks now led by a Silverfield, who's thrived in both landscapes, it's possible a turnaround can be made rather quickly due to confidence in himself.

"We’re going to outwork everybody in this country," Silverfield said at his introductory press conference. "Our players are going to believe that. We’re going to do that, we’re going to do it the right way, we’re going to build an excellent culture, a sustainable one. Year in, year out and we’re going to make our fans very, very proud."

2026 Razorbacks Schedule

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