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The Arkansas Razorbacks begin their 2025 college football campaign in less than a week, and start the season against the Alabama A&M Bulldogs at Reynolds Razorback Stadium on Aug. 30. Head coach Sam Pittman is heading into his sixth season at the helm of the program.

The Arkansas Razorbacks begin their 2025 college football campaign in less than a week, and start the season against the Alabama A&M Bulldogs at Reynolds Razorback Stadium on Aug. 30.

Head coach Sam Pittman is heading into his sixth season at the helm of the program. His team finished 6-6 in the regular season and improved that record to 7-6 with a win over Texas Tech in the Liberty Bowl last year.

The schedule won’t make it easy to improve on that, though. On top of an onslaught of the top teams in the Southeastern Conference, the Razorbacks have non-conference games against Memphis and Notre Dame.

They also will face off against in-state foe Arkansas State in Week 2 for the first time in the two programs’ histories. The game will be at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, and it could be the last time the Hogs play in central Arkansas.

With six days left to go, the HawgBeat staff gave their predictions for how the season will unfold…

August 30 – vs. Alabama A&M

Let’s not make a mountain out of a molehill here. The Hogs will win this game, and they’ll do it convincingly. The Bulldogs are a better opponent than Arkansas-Pine Bluff was last year, but not by much.

Alabama A&M finished 6-6 in the SWAC ranks last season in the FCS. It opened last season against Auburn, which thrashed them 73-3.

This game won’t tell us much about the Razorbacks, outside of perhaps how decent the depth they have. 1-0 out of the gate should be the standard for the Hogs this year.

– Daniel Fair, Managing Editor

Scores:

Arkansas 63, Alabama A&M 6 – Daniel Fair (1-0)
Arkansas 55, Alabama A&M 10 – Kyle Sutherland (1-0)
Arkansas 52, Alabama A&M 10 – Jackson Collier (1-0)
Arkansas 63, Alabama A&M 3 – Riley McFerran (1-0)

September 6 – vs. Arkansas State (in Little Rock)

The game so many within state lines have anticipated for generations and it will likely only occur one time.

Pittman is 3-0 in Little Rock, but the Red Wolves will be the first FBS program he has faced at War Memorial Stadium. I could see Arkansas State getting off to a fast start, and maybe even taking an early lead, but ultimately the Razorbacks’ will be too much for the defending 68 Ventures Bowl champion.

Arkansas will start 2-0 for the third time in four seasons before traveling to Oxford for their ultra-important SEC opener against Ole Miss, who throttled them inside Razorback Stadium last fall.

– Kyle Sutherland, Publisher

Scores:

Arkansas 42, Arkansas State 24 – Daniel Fair (2-0)
Arkansas 35, Arkansas State 17 – Kyle Sutherland (2-0)
Arkansas 34, Arkansas State 17 – Jackson Collier (2-0)
Arkansas 38, Arkansas State 23 – Riley McFerran (2-0)

ALSO READ: Pittman on playing Arkansas State outside of Fayetteville in future: ‘Not real interested’

Sept. 13 – at Ole Miss

Ole Miss torched the Razorback secondary last season, scoring 63 points in Fayetteville with ease. The response by Arkansas was to bolster its secondary with more size and speed.

While the Arkansas secondary should be improved, and Ole Miss did lose some weapons, the game is still on the road against a solid team. I have the Razorbacks losing a close one.

However, if there is a time to win on the road in the SEC, it might be early in the season. While teams are healthier, they also might not have all their kinks worked out nor have as strong of chemistry as later in the year. I have this one down as a potential toss-up.

– Jackson Collier, Basketball Recruiting Analyst

Scores:

Ole Miss 41, Arkansas 21 – Daniel Fair (2-1, 0-1 SEC)
Ole Miss 35, Arkansas 31 – Kyle Sutherland (2-1, 0-1 SEC)
Ole Miss 31, Arkansas 28 – Jackson Collier (2-1, 0-1 SEC)
Ole Miss 33, Arkansas 31 – Riley McFerran (2-1, 0-1 SEC)

Sept. 20 – at Memphis

The way I see it, Arkansas will be 2-1 and coming off a heartbreaking loss to Ole Miss. Things don’t get any easier against Memphis, which finished with 11 wins in 2024 and 10 wins in 2023. Like the Hogs, the Tigers replaced a lot of starters in the portal over the offseason, particularly on the defensive side. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as Memphis ranked poorly in passing yards per game (118th, 257.5 YPG) and was less-than-stellar in the red zone (100th).

Quarterback Brendon Lewis, a transfer from Nevada, has already been named the starter for the Tigers. Lewis is a veteran with some rushing ability, but he hasn’t particularly wowed in the passing game throughout his career. Still, this is the exact kind of a player that Arkansas defenses have made look unstoppable the last decade.

Assuming a 2-1 start, Sam Pittman and the Razorbacks can’t afford to lose this game with Notre Dame next up. However, Memphis — a dark horse playoff hopeful — has this game circled and comes ready to play. Arkansas avoided the stinker to Arkansas State two weeks prior, but the annual under-performance is on full display at Liberty Stadium, and the Hogs don’t have the juice to overcome an early deficit like they did against UAB last year.

– Riley McFerran, Staff Writer and Transfer Portal Analyst

Scores:

Arkansas 31, Memphis 24 – Daniel Fair (3-1, 0-1 SEC)
Arkansas 42, Memphis 28 – Kyle Sutherland (3-1, 0-1 SEC)
Arkansas 34, Memphis 21 – Jackson Collier (3-1, 0-1 SEC)
Memphis 27, Arkansas 23 – Riley McFerran (2-2, 0-1 SEC)

September 27 – vs. Notre Dame

Depending on how the start of the season goes, the juices should be flowing like a flooded river in a monsoon for this one. Notre Dame is coming off a National Championship runner-up run and return a lot of big pieces.

C.J. Carr is the presumed starter at quarterback, and he’s a redshirt freshman and the grandson of Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr. He lacks game experience, but he’ll have reps against some big teams leading up to this game. The Irish face Miami on the road to start things out and host Texas A&M two weeks later. Simply put, the moment shouldn’t be too big for Carr.

Let’s also talk about the cast surrounding Carr. The Irish return star running back Jeremiyah Love, who found the end zone 17 times with 1,125 yards last season. Pro Football Focus ranks Notre Dame’s wide receivers No. 10 nationally. Malachi Fields was one of the best portal options available out of Virginia.

Jaden Greathouse returns after he had 592 receiving yards last year, as does Jordan Faison, who had 356 yards and a touchdown on 30 receptions. Former Arkansas tight end Ty Washington is with the Irish as well.

ALSO READ: Former Hog Ty Washington pours gas on Arkansas/ND matchup

As for this game, I’d like to give the Hogs a chance. I just don’t think it happens. That Irish defense is stout with five returners from last year’s squad, and with the questions about Arkansas’ defensive line depth, I think Love and the Irish run all over the Hogs.

– Daniel Fair, Managing Editor

Scores:

Notre Dame 42, Arkansas 14 – Daniel Fair (3-2, 0-1 SEC)
Notre Dame 45, Arkansas 21 – Kyle Sutherland (3-2, 0-1 SEC)
Arkansas 24, Notre Dame 20 – Jackson Collier (4-1, 0-1 SEC)
Notre Dame 42, Arkansas 27 – Riley McFerran (2-3, 0-1 SEC)

October 11 – at Tennessee

Last year’s upset victory over the fourth-ranked Vols was the biggest win of the Pittman era and the first time the Hogs defeated a top 5 opponent at home since they earned redemption over Tennessee in 1999 and first win over an AP top 5 team since 2007 when they upset LSU in Baton Rouge.

A major part of Tennessee’s success will hinge on how new signal caller Joey Aguilar adapts to an SEC schedule following a decent career at Appalachian State, but the Vols defense that finished third in the SEC in total defense a season ago has a lot of production returning for fifth-year coordinator Tim Banks.

Arkansas will make the fans at Neyland Stadium sweat it out a bit, but will come up short of beating Tennessee for the fifth-straight time since 2011.

– Kyle Sutherland, Publisher

Scores:

Tennessee 24, Arkansas 14 – Daniel Fair (3-3, 0-2 SEC)
Tennessee 24, Arkansas 21 – Kyle Sutherland (3-3, 0-2 SEC)
Tennessee 28, Arkansas 24 – Jackson Collier (4-2, 0-2 SEC)
Tennessee 20, Arkansas 17 – Riley McFerran (2-4, 0-2 SEC)

October 18 – vs. Texas A&M

This game is always close, and more often than not, Arkansas has a chance to win. Whether it’s a missed late field goal, a turnover, or some other act of nature that causes it, the Razorbacks have struggled to close this game in Arlington, Texas.

However, this game will take place in Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville. The home field advantage against a rival could prove to be a difference maker.

While Fayetteville might not be the home field advantage it was in years past, maybe it’s enough just to be out of AT&T Stadium.

– Jackson Collier, Basketball Recruiting Analyst

Scores:

Arkansas 27, Texas A&M 21 – Daniel Fair (4-3, 1-2 SEC)
Arkansas 35, Texas A&M 30 – Kyle Sutherland (4-3, 1-2 SEC)
Arkansas 31, Texas A&M 27 – Jackson Collier (5-2, 1-2 SEC)
Texas A&M 31, Arkansas 28 (OT) – Riley McFerran (2-5, 0-3 SEC)

October 25 – vs. Auburn

Other than a 15-point loss to Notre Dame, Arkansas has stayed competitive in its losses up to this point. That’s a testament to the coaching staff for keeping guys from letting go of the rope, and it might just pay off with Auburn coming to town.

The Tigers, led by Hugh Freeze, may very well be in a similar position to Arkansas at this point of the season. They’ll have already faced Baylor, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Georgia and Missouri before making the trip to Fayetteville, where they beat Arkansas 48-10 in 2023.

Despite a weak crowd, the Hogs get some revenge with late-second magic that pays off the debt of the 2020 Bo Nix non-fumble controversy.

– Riley McFerran, Staff Writer and Transfer Portal Analyst

Scores:

Arkansas 17, Auburn 14 – Daniel Fair (5-3, 2-2 SEC)
Auburn 31, Arkansas 21 – Kyle Sutherland (4-4, 1-3 SEC)
Arkansas 24, Auburn 13 – Jackson Collier (6-2, 2-2 SEC)
Arkansas 26, Auburn 24 – Riley McFerran (3-5, 1-3 SEC)

November 1 – vs. Mississippi State

This late in the season is hard to predict, because so much of how this game plays out somewhat compounds on what we’ve seen throughout the first eight games of the year. The Hogs used this match last year to annihilate the Bulldogs, and Mississippi State lost its starting quarterback in Michael Van Buren after the season to LSU.

The Bulldogs fielded the worst scoring defense in the SEC last year and the second-worst passing defense (dead last was Arkansas). Jeff Lebby is already on thin ice with the Bulldog faithful, and I personally don’t expect them to be that bad two years in a row.

This game comes on the heels of probably the most winnable three-game stretch of the season, and I think Arkansas gets the better of Mississippi State here, though it’s close.

– Daniel Fair, Managing Editor

Scores:

Arkansas 34, Mississippi State 31 – Daniel Fair (6-3, 3-2 SEC)
Arkansas 41, Mississippi State 28 – Kyle Sutherland (5-4, 2-3 SEC)
Arkansas 38, Mississippi State 17 – Jackson Collier (7-2, 3-2 SEC)
Arkansas 35, Mississippi State 17 – Riley McFerran (4-5, 2-3 SEC)

November 15 – at LSU

Arkansas has conquered LSU one time in the Sam Pittman era, which was 2021 when Cam Little kicked the game-winning field goal in overtime and did the Griddy on the Death Valley grass.

That was a night contest at arguably the nation’s most difficult place to play after the sun goes down, but the Hogs will get the Tigers at 11 a.m. CT this go around. Excluding the Hogs’ 34-10 loss to the Tigers last season in Fayetteville, this game has been decided by a field goal since 2020.

I believe it will be very close again and the Hogs will put on a quality performance, but Garrett Nussmeier and Co. will prevail and send Arkansas back home with a loss.

– Kyle Sutherland, Publisher

Scores:

LSU 52, Arkansas 35 – Daniel Fair (6-4, 3-3 SEC)
LSU 24, Arkansas 17 – Kyle Sutherland (5-5, 2-4 SEC)
LSU 34, Arkansas 14 – Jackson Collier (7-3, 3-3 SEC)
LSU 34, Arkansas 24 – Riley McFerran (4-6, 2-4 SEC)

November 22 – at Texas

It was a low-scoring affair in Fayetteville last season, but the Longhorns have reloaded and will have home field advantage this time around.

Depending on the injury situation late into a grueling season, Arkansas’ depth could really be tested, particularly on the defensive line.

A big question mark, though, is Arch Manning. While heralded as one of the best quarterbacks in the country, he has yet to play significant or important snaps in college football.

How he plays will dictate Texas’s success this season. If he’s not as good as the hype, this score could be much closer.

– Jackson Collier, Basketball Recruiting Analyst

Scores:

Texas 41, Arkansas 10 – Daniel Fair (6-5, 3-4 SEC)
Texas 48, Arkansas 17 – Kyle Sutherland (5-6, 2-5 SEC)
Texas 40, Arkansas 24 – Jackson Collier (7-4, 3-4 SEC)
Texas 37, Arkansas 14 – Riley McFerran (4-7, 2-5 SEC)

November 29 – vs. Missouri

Who knows what the situation is in Fayetteville at this point. But with no bowl game in sight, Arkansas closes its 2025 season with a dud against Eli Drinkwitz and the Tigers. Even though the Hogs played many close games, they were never able to fully recover from that early Memphis loss.

I’m not sure how it happens, but Arkansas finds a way to lose to Missouri once again.

– Riley McFerran, Staff Writer and Transfer Portal Analyst

Scores: