Will Arkansas, Texas resume rivalry full time? Not if Hogs coach Sam Pittman has a say

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — When it comes to rivalries, Arkansas has wandered in a bit of a wasteland since leaving the old Southwest Conference and joining the SEC.

Conference schedulers have tried to push LSU and Texas A&M on the Razorbacks faithful for years, and the Arkansas administration has tried to build up its border battle with Missouri. But a generation after Arkansas left the SWC in 1992, no current rivalry for the Razorbacks resonates as deeply with the Hogs' fanbase as Texas.

The Longhorns and Razorbacks first met in 1894 and faced off in almost every season before Arkansas’ departure from the SWC. The series includes some of the most memorable moments in college football history, including the legendary “Game of the Century” in 1969.

So the arrival of Texas into the SEC next season will fill that rivalry void for Razorback Nation, right?

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Not so fast, Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said Wednesday at SEC media days.

When asked if he wants Texas as a permanent rival once the SEC settles on a scheduling format for the 2025 season and beyond, Pittman answered with one word: “No.”

The reason, Pittman said, is that the series with Missouri remains a priority for the Arkansas coaching staff even if it’s not for the Razorbacks' fans. Supporting any other permanent rival beyond Missouri could threaten Arkansas’ series with Missouri, he said.

Still, Pittman quickly praised the impact that the arrival of Texas and Oklahoma will have on the SEC. A native of Oklahoma, Pittman said he hopes that Arkansas plays the Sooners for just the fourth time since 1926. He also acknowledged the passion that his program’s fans have for playing Texas, as evidenced by the rabid home crowd that welcomed the Longhorns to the Arkansas campus in Fayetteville in 2021, when the Razorbacks muscled their way to a 40-21 win.

“Well, I think, obviously the state of Arkansas is ecstatic about having an opportunity to play Texas and for that matter, Oklahoma,” Pittman said. “Proximity is so good for us. You know, fans can drive back and forth to Norman and to Austin.

“Obviously we are bringing two powerful, storied programs into the SEC. So we know they are going to be really great opponents. Everybody's excited. I'm excited. I think it will be a big deal for the SEC and specifically Texas, because of the old Southwest Conference rivalry.”

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Texas still stirs up the most vitriol in Arkansas

Razorbacks quarterback KJ Jefferson, a fifth-year senior who’s in the process of rewriting the school record books, begs to differ with his coach about playing Texas. Jefferson likely will be gone when Arkansas hosts Texas in 2024, but he said the matchup is unrivaled when it comes to riling up the fans.

“I mean, the atmosphere, it was crazy,” Jefferson said, referring to the 2021 game in Fayetteville. “I've never been a part of another game like that in my life. To beat them and have the fans storm the field, I mean that's something you dream about. As a kid watching on TV, you want to be a part of that. I’ve never been in another environment like that, and I’d love (for Arkansas) to play Texas every year. It’s a great rivalry.”

Wally Hall, a columnist for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette newspaper for 45 years, has covered the Hogs from their glory seasons under Hall of Fame coach Frank Broyles through the extended dry spells in the SEC. He says Texas still stirs up the most vitriol in Arkansas, a fact that Texas fans fail to fully grasp.

“They always have,” Hall said from in front of his laptop at the media days. “They (the Texas fans) just don't understand the hatred Arkansas has for the University of Texas.”

Hall said that such “hatred” springs more from jealousy than spite. Texas holds a 56-23 edge in the series, and the Longhorns likely prevented Arkansas from winning a second national title when quarterback James Street rallied the Longhorns for a 15-14 win in their 1969 classic.

“When you get dominated that much, it's hard to get over,” Hall said. “I still say Texas is Arkansas’ biggest rival.”

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SEC remains unsure on future scheduling format

So why isn’t it a sure thing that Arkansas will resume a regular rivalry with Texas once the SEC settles on a long-term scheduling format?

Like a lot of things involving the power structure in the SEC, it’s complicated.

The SEC released its standalone 2024 schedule earlier this year, and Texas will face Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Vanderbilt, A&M, Oklahoma, Kentucky and Mississippi State in conference play. But that schedule has no bearing on 2025 and beyond. ESPN, which will pay the SEC close to $1 billion for future broadcast rights, wants each team to play nine conference games each season. So does SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey.

But scheduling beyond 2024 continues to bedevil Sankey and the SEC schools. Some favor an eight-game SEC schedule while others want nine conference games. And some coaches — Alabama’s Nick Saban among them — have expressed support for both models, depending on the moment’s circumstances.

SEC officials said that vote on eight or nine games will take place by next summer’s conference meetings in Destin, Fla. That vote won’t include Texas or Oklahoma, even though both schools become SEC members on July 1, 2024.

Texas A&M, Florida, Georgia, LSU and Missouri all have come out in favor of a nine-game conference schedule while Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Ole Miss want eight. South Carolina officials have said they will vote with the majority.

Alabama, Tennessee, Auburn and Arkansas have wavered between eight and nine games, with Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek telling the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that "from a University of Arkansas standpoint, and if I put my Razorback hat on, I think eight is what is best for us because I think that is how our program is built, to sustain an eight-game schedule. I think eight has worked well in our league when you talk about the (College Football Playoff).”

Of course, Yuracheck also acknowledged the fan support for a nine-game schedule that includes a permanent game with Texas.

"I think there is some intrigue with nine because, you know, maybe we get to play Texas every year, which is a big deal to our fans,” he said.

For the record, Oklahoma and Texas both support a nine-game conference schedule. And Texas also has received reassurances from Sankey and the SEC that it will continue its Red River Rivalry series with Oklahoma on a yearly basis regardless of any SEC scheduling format.

But any regular rivalry with Arkansas? Like a lot of things in the new SEC, that remains to be seen.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Arkansas considers rivalry with Texas as SEC nears new football era