Arkansas’s Fayetteville — Early in 2025, Arkansas coach Sam Pittman’s success—or lack thereof—will be scrutinized, as it has been in many previous seasons. It shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Because the Razorbacks play in the SEC, the most competitive football league in the world, they will always have one of the most difficult schedules in college football. Arkansas will host Alabama A&M in week one, Arkansas State in Little Rock, Ole Miss, and Memphis before returning home to host playoff runner-up Notre Dame in week four. Most teams will be padding victories during the first four weeks, like Missouri, which doesn’t play a single game away from Farout Field until October 18.
Alabama A&M shouldn’t be a squad that puts up much of a fight, just like UAPB did the previous season. The game does offer Arkansas’ offensive some opportunity to adjust before the highly anticipated matchup with Arkansas State.
In the end, road trips to Ole Miss and Memphis in back-to-back weeks will reveal whether Arkansas can advance as a program. If the Razorbacks split or win both, it should propel them into the AP Poll rankings against the Irish. If they lose both, it will be a long road to bowl eligibility once more.
The only other club with a comparable start is Florida, which plays Long Island in the first week before traveling to South Florida and Miami for two straight games before hosting title challenger Texas on October 4. Every year, the Razorbacks receive these gauntlets, but the SEC schedule planners have engaged in some somewhat odd conduct toward the Gators, who were formerly the conference’s favorite team.
Schedule strength is being destroyed by conference expansion and restructuring, particularly when it comes to postseason bids. Just a few days ago, Josh Pate, host of his own college football show on CBS Sports, did a great job of illustrating the discrepancy surrounding college football.
Missouri again takes the easy route while researching the schedules of other SEC teams. The Tigers won’t leave Farout Field until October 18 to take on a third-year coach Hugh Freeze’s Auburn team, which is in neutral.
On February 1, our Bob Stephens talked about the scheduling differences among SEC teams, with Arkansas’ slate easily ranked first based on its opponents’ 2024 winning %. The Razorbacks will play two teams who were voted for, nine teams that took part in bowl season, and six teams that were listed in the final AP Top 25 Poll.
