The History of the Southwest Classic: Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Texas A&M Aggies

Week 5 of the 2026 college football season brings an underrated SEC rivalry to the nation's screens, the Southwest Classic between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Texas A&M Aggies.

Arkansas will make their first visit to Kyle Field since 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic as they resume conference play following a 34-6 win over Tulsa this past Saturday night.

Meanwhile, their foes from College Station will likely be dishing out some anger after suffering a 31-21 home loss to the Kentucky Wildcats two Saturdays ago and then a 35-6 manhandling by the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge in their most recent matchup.

The recent struggles by the Aggies could give the Razorbacks the opening they need to get their first conference victory, and the all-time record against the Aggies (42-37-3) also gives them the edge.

With that, let's take a little trip down Memory Lane at the history of the Southwest Classic.

Arkansas vs. Texas A&M: A Multi-Conference Classic

Texas A&M Aggies/Arkansas Razorbacks Football — Texas A&M Aggies linebacker Chris Russell Jr. (24) and linebacker Taurean York (21) and Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback KJ Jefferson (1) In action during the game between the Texas A&M Aggies and the Arkansas Razorbacks at AT&T Stadium. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The first matchup between the two schools took place in Houston on Halloween of 1903 and saw a 6-0 win by Texas A&M.

Game two between the schools wouldn't take place until seven years later in 1910, and saw Arkansas score their first win in the rivalry with a 5-0 triumph in Fayetteville.

After A&M's 27-0 win in the third meeting in 1912, the two teams had to wait 15 years to cross paths again, where the Aggies took a 40-6 win at Kyle Field.

1928: The Genesis

From then on, the two teams played every year, alternating between College Station and Fayetteville, as well as the occasional match in Arkansas' state capital of Little Rock, with the next baker's dozen of matchups from 1928 to 1943 seeing both sides win six consecutive games, not counting a tie in 1934.

1958-1982: Arkansas' Winning Streaks

From 1958 to 1966, it was all Arkansas as the Hogs scored nine consecutive victories over the Ags, outscoring their rivals 82-0 in the last three games of that winning streak, and also put together a six-game winning streak from 1977 to 1982.

1991: A Rivalry Goes Quiet

The two teams fought all the way until the 1991 season, where Arkansas departed the Southwestern Conference to join the Southeastern Conference. Texas A&M won the last battle at the time in November of 1991 with a 13-3 home victory.

2009: The Rebirth at Jerry World

The rivalry's dormancy lasted until March 2008, where officials from both schools announced a revival of the series, renamed the "Southwest Classic," and set to be played at the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, the allowing Dallas Cowboys owner and Arkansas alumnus Jerry Jones to take in at least one game from his alma mater every year.

The first game of the revamped rivalry took place on October 3, 2009, and led to a 47-19 victory for the Razorbacks, a result that would repeat itself the following two years.

2012: All-SEC, Texas A&M's Winning Streak

In July of 2012, the Aggies officially joined the SEC, reiginiting the "Classic" for good, and since then, it's been all Texas A&M.

After trading games in College Station and Fayetteville in the 2012 and 2013, both of which featured A&M wins, the series returned to the now-renamed AT&T Stadium, and it saw the Aggies win an additional seven straight games against the Hogs, including a 50-43 overtime thriller in 2017.

Texas A&M's nine straight wins from 2012 to 2020 marks their longest winning streak in the rivalry's history.

2021-2024: Arkansas Breaks Losing Streak, Final Games in Arlington

The 2021 edition finally saw the Razorbacks score their first win over A&M since they joined the conference, a 20-10 triumph and their fourth win in Arlington in front of Jones.

Cam Little's doinked field goal late in the 2022 game allowed the Aggies to escape with a narrow 23-21 victory, and A&M would also take the next two games in what would be the final matchups inside the home of the Dallas Cowboys.

2025-present: Back to the Schools, Offensive Masterclass in Fayetteville

In 2025, it was announced that the rivalry would return to the schools' respective campuses, and it was later announced that the teams would no longer meet annually, as the two teams were not named one of three protected opponents of each other in the conference scheduling, both teams instead being given the Missouri Tigers, LSU Tigers, and Texas Longhorns.

In the first game in Fayetteville in over a decade, Arkansas gave a then-undefeated No. 4 Texas A&M team a run for their money, nipping at their heels with a 21-20 deficit at halftime after scoring two touchdowns in just as many minutes.

Quarterback Taylen Green kept the Hogs in the fight throughout the second half, rushing for a one-yard touchdown and finding Jaden Platt for a score to keep the A&M lead to only a field goal, but a late touchdown run by Aggie running back Rueben Owens put the Aggies ahead by 10 with a little under six minutes left.

Green connected with CJ Brown for a four-yard touchdown, but by then, there were only 10 seconds left on the clock and after losing the onside kick, all that Arkansas could do was watch A&M quarterback Marcel Reed take the knee to run out the clock, giving the Aggies a 45-42 win in a game that saw the two teams combine for 1,024 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Looking to avoid a 14th loss in their last 15 games against the Maroon and White, the 'Backs travel to College Station this upcoming weekend for a primetime showdown at Kyle Field, with both schools looking for their first conference win in the 2026 campaign.

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