Arkansas opponent capsules
GAME 1 RICE
WHEN Sept. 4, kickoff at 1 p.m.
WHERE Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville
TV None (SEC Network-Plus streaming) 2020 RECORD 2-3, Conference
USA COACH Mike Bloomgren (7-23 in three seasons at Rice)
RETURNING STARTERS 7 offense, 10 defense
KEY PLAYERS RB Khalan Griffin, WR Austin Trammell, LB Antonio Montero, DT De’Braylon Carroll
SCHEDULE
Sept. 4 at Arkansas
Sept. 11 Houston Sept. 18 at Texas
Sept. 25 Texas Southern
Oct. 2 Southern Miss
Oct. 16 at Texas-San Antonio
Oct. 23 at Ala.-Birmingham
Oct. 30 North Texas
Nov. 6 at UNC-Charlotte
Nov. 13 Western Kentucky
Nov. 20 at UTEP
Nov. 27 Louisiana Tech
OUTLOOK Rice was limited to five games — all against Conference USA opponents — last season because of cancellations due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the Owls got a notable victory when they beat No. 15 Marshall 20-0 on the road. It was Rice’s first victory over a nationally ranked team since 1997 when the Owls beat No. 21 BYU 27-14. With 17 starters returning, Rice doesn’t figure to be a pushover for Arkansas in the old Southwest Conference foes’ first meeting since 1991. The Razorbacks won that game 20-0 in Little Rock. Defense is the Owls’ strength — they had five interceptions when they beat Marshall and held the Thundering Herd to 245 yards in total offense.
GAME 2 TEXAS
WHEN Sept. 11, kickoff at 6 p.m.
WHERE Reynolds Razorbacks Stadium, Fayetteville
TV ESPN 2020
RECORD 7-3, 5-3 Big 12
COACH Steve Sarkisian (first season at Texas, 46-35 overall in seven seasons)
RETURNING STARTERS 8 offense, 9 defense
KEY PLAYERS QB Casey Thompson, RB Bijan Robinson, DT Deondre Coburn, CB D’Shawn Jamison
SCHEDULE
Sept. 4 Louisiana-Lafayette
Sept. 11 at Arkansas
Sept. 18 Rice
Sept. 25 Texas Tech
Oct. 2 at TCU
Oct. 9 vs. Oklahoma (Dallas)
Oct. 16 Oklahoma State
Oct. 30 at Baylor
Nov. 6 at Iowa State
Nov. 13 Kansas
Nov. 20 at West Virginia
Nov. 26 Kansas State
OUTLOOK Steve Sarkisian, who was Alabama’s offensive coordinator the previous two seasons, will see if he can make Texas a national power again, and succeed where Batesville native Charlie Strong and Tom Herman failed after Mack Brown was forced out. Junior quarterback Casey Thompson replaced injured Sam Ehlinger in the Alamo Bowl last season, and in the second half he passed for 170 yards and 4 touchdowns in the Longhorns’ 56-23 victory over Colorado. That wasn’t enough to save Herman’s job, but it might be enough for Thompson to win the starting quarterback job.
GAME 3 GEORGIA SOUTHERN
WHEN Sept. 18, kickoff at 3 p.m.
WHERE Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville
TV SEC Network
2020 RECORD 8-5, 4-4 Sun Belt Conference
COACH Chad Lunsford (27-18 in four seasons at Georgia Southern)
RETURNING STARTERS 8 offense, 8 defense
KEY PLAYERS RB J.D. King, QB Justin Tomlin,
CB Derrick Canteen, SS Anthony Wilson
SCHEDULE
Sept. 4 Gardner-Webb
Sept. 11 at Florida Atlantic
Sept. 18 at Arkansas
Sept. 25 Louisiana-Lafayette
Oct. 2 Arkansas State
Oct. 9 at Troy
Oct. 14 at South Alabama
Oct. 30 Georgia State
Nov. 6 Coastal Carolina
Nov. 13 at Texas State
Nov. 20 BYU
Nov. 27 at Appalachian State
OUTLOOK Georgia Southern returns 16 starters from a team that won eight games, but the Eagles are picked to finish fourth in the Sun Belt East Division. It’s a sign of how strong the conference has become with preseason nationally ranked teams such as Louisiana-Lafayette and Coastal Carolina. Running the ball will remain a strength led by J.D. King, who has recovered from a knee injury he suffered in November. He has rushed for 1,429 yards and 13 touchdowns in 19 games the previous two seasons. Cornerback Derrick Canteen had 6 interceptions, 10 pass breakups and 48 tackles last season.
GAME 4 TEXAS A&M
WHEN Sept. 25
WHERE AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas 2020
RECORD 9-1, 8-1
SEC COACH Jimbo Fisher (26-10 in three seasons at Texas A&M, 109-33 overall in 11 seasons)
RETURNING STARTERS 6 offense, 9 defense
KEY PLAYERS RB Isaiah Spiller, WR Ainias Smith, TE Jalen Wydermyer, DE DeMarvin Leal
SCHEDULE
Sept. 4 Kent State
Sept. 11 vs. Colorado (Denver)
Sept. 18 New Mexico
Sept. 25 vs. Arkansas (Arlington, Texas)
Oct. 2 Mississippi State
Oct. 9 Alabama
Oct. 16 at Missouri
Oct. 23 South Carolina
Nov. 6 Auburn
Nov. 13 at Ole Miss
Nov. 20 Prairie View A&M
Nov. 27 at LSU
OUTLOOK After finishing No. 5 nationally last season, the Aggies open this season No. 6 in the AP and USA Today coaches polls. That still makes Texas A&M the third SEC team in the polls behind defending national champion Alabama and Georgia, but it’s a sign Jimbo Fisher is building a powerhouse. The Aggies must replace Kellen Mond, their starting quarterback the previous three seasons, but they have talented candidates in Zach Calzada and Haynes King. Whoever wins the starting job has plenty of weapons on offense. Isaiah Spllier rushed for 1,982 yards and 19 touchdowns the last two seasons; Ainias Smith will gain plenty of yards as a receiver and runner; and Jalen Wydermyer is the SEC’s best tight end.
GAME 5 GEORGIA
WHEN Oct. 2
WHERE Sanford Stadium, Athens, Ga. 2020 RECORD 8-2, 7-2 SEC
COACH Kirby Smart (52-14 in five seasons at Georgia) RETURNING STARTERS 7 offense, 4 defense KEY PLAYERS QB JT Daniels, RB Zamir White, DT Jordan Davis, OLB Adam Anderson
SCHEDULE
Sept. 4 vs. Clemson (Charlotte, N.C.)
Sept. 11 Ala.-Birmingham
Sept. 18 South Carolina
Sept. 25 at Vanderbilt
Oct. 2 Arkansas
Oct. 9 at Auburn
Oct. 16 Kentucky
Oct. 30 vs. Florida (Jacksonville, Fla.)
Nov. 6 Missouri
Nov. 13 at Tennessee
Nov. 20 Charleston Southern
Nov. 27 at Georgia Tech
OUTLOOK Arkansas’ game at Georgia will be a homecoming for Razorbacks Coach Sam Pittman, who was the Bulldogs’ offensive line coach from 2016-19. Georgia opens the season ranked No. 5 and the favorite to win the SEC East. Quarterback JT Daniels, who missed the early part of last season because he still wasn’t medically cleared to play as he continued to recover from a knee injury he suffered at Southern California, is now entrenched as the Bulldogs’ starter and could be a Heisman Trophy candidate. The Razorbacks, who lost to the Bulldogs 37-10 last season, are playing at Georgia for the first time since 2010 when Arkansas won 31-24.
GAME 6 OLE MISS
WHEN Oct. 9
WHERE Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford, Miss. 2020
RECORD 5-5, 4-5 SEC
COACH Lane Kiffin (5-5 in one season at Ole Miss, 66-39 overall in eight seasons)
RETURNING STARTERS 8 offense, 7 defense
KEY PLAYERS QB Matt Corral, RB Jerrion Ealy, DE Sam Williams, FS A.J. Finley
SCHEDULE
Sept. 6 vs. Louisville (Atlanta)
Sept. 11 Austin Peay
Sept. 18 Tulane
Oct. 2 at Alabama
Oct. 9 Arkansas
Oct. 16 at Tennessee
Oct. 23 LSU
Oct. 30 at Auburn
Nov. 6 Liberty
Nov. 13 Texas A&M
Nov. 20 Vanderbilt
Nov. 25 at Mississippi State
OUTLOOK Expectations are high for Ole Miss in Lane Kiffin’s second season as coach. The Rebels are ranked No. 25 in the USA Today coaches poll, and they just missed making the AP Top 25 by two spots. Junior quarterback Matt Corral is the main reason for so much optimism in Oxford after he led the nation in total offense last season, averaging 384.9 yards. He completed 70.7% of his passes for 3,337 yards and 29 touchdowns, and rushed for 506 yards and 4 touchdowns. One team who shut him down was Arkansas, which intercepted six Corral passes in beating the Rebels 33-21. Corral no doubt has circled this season’s Ole Miss-Arkansas game and will be out for revenge against the Razorbacks.
GAME 7 AUBURN
WHEN Oct. 16
WHERE Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville 2020
RECORD 6-5, 6-4
SEC COACH Bryan Harsin (First season at Auburn, 76-24 overall in eight seasons)
RETURNING STARTERS 9 offense, 7 defense
KEY PLAYERS QB Bo Nix, RB Tank Bigsby, LB Zacoby McClain, FS Smoke Monday
SCHEDULE
Sept. 4 Akron
Sept. 11 Alabama State
Sept. 18 at Penn State
Sept. 25 Georgia State
Oct. 2 at LSU
Oct. 9 Georgia
Oct. 16 at Arkansas
Oct. 30 Ole Miss
Nov. 6 at Texas A&M
Nov. 13 Mississippi State
Nov. 20 at South Carolina
Nov. 27 Alabama
OUTLOOK Bryan Harsin left the comfort of his hometown of Boise, Idaho, and alma mater of Boise State — where he had a 69-19 record the previous seven seasons — for the challenge at Auburn. He replaced Gus Malzahn, just as he did at Arkansas State in 2013 when he led the Red Wolves to a 7-5 record in his lone season in Jonesboro. Auburn returns 16 starters, led by junior quarterback Bo Nix, who is going into his third season as a starter. But expectations are low on The Plains with the Tigers being picked to finish fifth in the SEC West by media. Maybe being picked low will work in Harsin’s favor and take away some pressure, but the heat always seems to be on the Auburn coach.
GAME 8 ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF
WHEN Oct. 23
WHERE War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock 2020
RECORD 4-1, 4-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference
COACH Doc Gamble (4-1 in one season at UAPB)
RETURNING STARTERS 10 offense, 9 defense
KEY PLAYERS QB Skyler Perry, WR Josh Wilkes, DB Jalon Thigpen, LB Isaac Peppers
SCHEDULE
Sept. 4 Lane
Sept. 18 at Central Arkansas
Sept. 23 Alcorn State
Sept. 30 at Prairie View A&M
Oct. 9 at Alabama State
Oct. 16 Southern
Oct. 23 Arkansas (Little Rock)
Oct. 30 at Texas Southern
Nov. 6 Grambling State
Nov. 13 Florida A&M
Nov. 20 at Alabama A&M
OUTLOOK After the Golden Lions won the SWAC West Division title and played a five-game schedule in the spring, they’ll be back to a normal fall schedule — including a historic matchup against Arkansas in Little Rock. It will be the first time Arkansas and UAPB ever have played in football. The Golden Lions return 19 starters, led by junior quarterback Skyler Perry, who passed for 1,236 yards and 13 touchdowns last season and also led UAPB with 215 rushing yards. Also back are senior defensive back Jalon Thigpen (5 interceptions last season) and junior linebacker Isaac Peppers (7 1/2 sacks).
GAME 9 MISSISSIPPI STATE
WHEN Nov. 6
WHERE Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville 2020
RECORD 4-7, 3-7 SEC
COACH Mike Leach (4-7 in one season at Mississippi State, 143-97 overall in 19 seasons)
RETURNING STARTERS 8 offense, 8 defense
KEY PLAYERS QB Will Rogers, WR Jaden Walley, LB Aaron Brule, CB Emmanuel Forbes
SCHEDULE
Sept. 4 Louisiana Tech
Sept. 11 North Carolina State
Sept. 18 at Memphis
Sept. 25 LSU
Oct. 2 at Texas A&M
Oct. 16 Alabama
Oct. 23 at Vanderbilt
Oct. 30 Kentucky
Nov. 6 at Arkansas
Nov. 13 at Auburn
Nov. 20 Tennessee State
Nov. 25 Ole Miss
OUTLOOK Mike Leach’s debut as Mississippi State’s coach featured a 34-24 victory at defending national champion LSU to open the season, and a 28-26 victory over Tulsa in the Liberty Bowl to end it. In between those games it was a struggle for the Bulldogs as they went 2-7, including a 21-14 home loss to Arkansas that ended the Razorbacks’ SEC losing streak at 20 games. It was only the fifth losing season Leach has suffered in 19 as coach at some tough places to win — Texas Tech and Washington State before he came to Starkville. Avoiding another losing season figures to be a challenge considering the Bulldogs are picked to finish last in the SEC West in several preseason polls.
GAME 10 LSU
WHEN Nov. 13
WHERE Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge 2020
RECORD 5-5, 5-5 SEC
COACH Ed Orgeron (45-14 in five seasons at LSU, 61-41 overall in nine seasons)
RETURNING STARTERS 7 offense, 9 defense
KEY PLAYERS
QB Max Johnson, WR Kayshon Boutte, CB Derek Stingley Jr., DE Ali Gaye
SCHEDULE
Sept. 4 at UCLA Sept. 11 McNeese State Sept. 18 Central Michigan Sept. 25 at Mississippi State Oct. 2 Auburn Oct. 9 at Kentucky Oct. 16 Florida Oct. 23 at Ole Miss Nov. 6 at Alabama Nov. 13 Arkansas Nov. 20 Louisiana-Monroe Nov. 27 Texas A&M
OUTLOOK LSU qualified for a bowl game last season, but Coach Ed Orgeron decided it was better to end the season after a 5-5 record in the SEC — a major disappointment coming off a 14-0 national championship season in 2019. The Tigers had opt-outs among standout players before the season, then throughout the season as well. Orgeron overhauled his staff and made changes at six assistant coaching positions, including hiring offensive line coach Brad Davis from Arkansas. The hope is that new coordinators Jake Peetz (offense) and Daronte Jones (defense) will restore the Tigers to national prominence.
GAME 11 ALABAMA
WHEN Nov. 20
WHERE Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Ala. 2020
RECORD 13-0, 10-0 SEC
COACH Nick Saban (165-23 in 14 seasons at Alabama, 276-82-1 in 27 seasons overall).
RETURNING STARTERS 3 offense, 8 defense
KEY PLAYERS QB Bryce Young, WR John Metchie, LB Christian Harris, LB Will Anderson
SCHEDULE
Sept. 4 vs. Miami (Atlanta)
Sept. 11 Mercer
Sept. 18 at Florida
Sept. 25 Southern Mississippi
Oct. 2 Ole Miss
Oct. 9 at Texas A&M
Oct. 16 at Mississippi State
Oct. 23 Tennessee
Nov. 6 LSU
Nov. 13 New Mexico State
Nov. 20 Arkansas
Nov. 27 at Auburn
OUTLOOK Defending national champion Alabama opens the season as the No. 1 team in the AP and oaches polls. Yes, the Crimson Tide lost the Heisman Trophy winner in wide receiver and kick returner DeVonta Smith as well as Heisman finalists in quarterback Mac Jones and running back Najee Harris, but Coach Nick Saban has proven his teams are pretty good at reloading after 13 consecutive seasons of winning 10 or more games with six national championships. The defense is loaded with eight returning starters and added a star in Tennessee transfer linebacker Henry To’o To’o. Sophomore quarterback Bryce Young is ready to lead the offense.
GAME 12 MISSOURI
WHEN Nov. 26, kickoff at 1:30 p.m.
WHERE Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville
KICKOFF 1:30 p.m. TV CBS
2020 RECORD 5-5, 5-5 SEC
COACH Eli Drinkwitz (5-5 in one season at Missouri, 17-6 overall in two seasons)
RETURNING STARTERS 7 offense, 5 defense
KEY PLAYERS QB Connor Bazelak, RB Tyler Badie, DE Trajan Jeffcoat, SS Martez Manuel
SCHEDULE
Sept. 4 Central Michigan
Sept. 11 at Kentucky
Sept. 18 Southeast Missouri State
Sept. 25 at Boston College
Oct. 2 Tennessee
Oct. 9 North Texas
Oct. 16 Texas A&M
Oct. 30 at Vanderbilt
Nov. 6 at Georgia
Nov. 13 South Carolina
Nov. 20 Florida
Nov. 26 at Arkansas
OUTLOOK Eli Drinkwitz — who grew up in Alma, attended Arkansas Tech, and was an assistant coach at Springdale, Alma and Arkansas State — is a rising star. He went 12-1 at Appalachian State in his first season as a college head coach, then in his first season at Missouri beat defending national champion LSU and pushed the Tigers’ winning streak over Arkansas to five games. Missouri will look to take another step forward with 12 starters back, including sophomore quarterback Connor Bazelak. The Tigers feature players from Fayetteville on both sides of the ball with slot receiver Barrett Banister and defensive lineman Akial Byers.