Razorbacks Face One of Nation’s Toughest Schedules Once Again in 2026

Arkansas had one of college football’s toughest 2025 schedules and early signs suggest the Hogs will face another one this season.

Arkansas Razorbacks wide receiver Cam Shanks (15) returns a punt during the third quarter against the Missouri Tigers in a game at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Arkansas didn’t just dip a toe into difficult waters in 2025. It dove headfirst. According to Sports Illustrated’s national rankings, the Razorbacks finished with the toughest schedule in the entire FBS.

That’s No. 1. Not No. 10. Not “one of the toughest.” The toughest.

The numbers explain why. The combined winning percentage of Arkansas’ opponents came in at 66.7 percent, the highest mark in college football.

That means two out of every three games on the slate were against teams that usually win. That’s not scheduling. That’s survival training.

Maybe the biggest problem was the Razorbacks can't schedule a game themselves and have it count in any of these rankings.

It probably contributed to some folks getting fired and is a big part of a general lack of interest in Arkansas athletics compared to what we've seen in the past.

The Hogs didn’t land there by accident. Playing in the SEC already stacks the odds, and 2025 offered no soft corners.

Who has the toughest schedule in 2026?

🏈 @CoachGeneChizik: Missouri
🏈 @Harp41: Auburn
🏈 @colecubelic: Texas
🏈 @ESPNDari: Mississippi State pic.twitter.com/mRgEAdQwkR

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) December 12, 2025

Six SEC teams showed up among the top dozen hardest schedules nationally, and Arkansas led the way. That’s what happens when you share a neighborhood with programs that reload instead of rebuild.

Phil Steele’s preseason evaluation backed it up. He slotted the Razorbacks at No. 3 nationally for schedule difficulty in his magazine rankings.

So whether you prefer magazine math or post-season percentages, the result’s the same. Arkansas walked into 2025 carrying the heaviest backpack in the country.

Now here’s the uncomfortable part. There’s not much evidence that the road ahead suddenly turns smooth.

NEW: Hardest 2026 College Football Schedules via @CrainAndCone👀

Do you agree? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/TBwyGlNxxm

— On3 (@On3) February 10, 2026

No Shortcut Through the SEC

The Razorbacks’ ranking wasn’t built on one brutal month. It stretched across the entire calendar.

When your opponents win nearly 67 percent of their games the year before, there aren’t many weekends circled as breathers.

That’s the thing about SEC life. You don’t get many second chances, and you rarely get weeks off in disguise.

Arkansas’ placement at the top of the schedule rankings means every matchup demanded precision. Mistakes didn’t just cost drives. They cost seasons.

There’s a Biblical line in Proverbs that iron sharpens iron. Coaches like to say that. Fans repeat it when optimism feels necessary.

But iron also dents, which is the usual result coming into contact with itself. Playing the toughest schedule in America usually produces bad outcomes if you don't have better guys at playing football than the other team.

The Hogs didn’t simply face ranked programs. They faced programs that knew how to finish.

That distinction matters. Close games become coin flips when the other sideline is used to winning.

And when Steele’s list and Sports Illustrated’s data agree, it’s not just opinion. It’s confirmation.

What 2026 Might Bring

If 2025 was the steep climb, 2026 doesn’t look like it's going to be any easier. The SEC rotation doesn’t suddenly ease up. Conference strength isn’t fading and Arkansas isn't getting any breaks after a 2-10 season.

The folks already putting a number to these things are starting to point it out. It's about the only things the Hogs have ranked highly in the last few years.

When multiple SEC teams sit near the top of national difficulty charts, it suggests the league’s internal grind won’t soften.

Arkansas’ placement at No. 1 nationally in some of the rankings, but pretty much in the top five everywhere shows the company it keeps.

Programs across the conference continue to post strong winning percentages, and that reality rolls forward.

For the Razorbacks, that means development must outrun doubt. It means margins stay thin. They have to pile up a few years of better new players than everybody else because they are already starting so far behind.

And it means the Hogs can’t wait for scheduling mercy that may never arrive.

Because when your league produces half the toughest slates in the country, relief usually lives somewhere else.