Ryan Silverfield. In pondering about the new Head Hog’s history, I am not certain if that name strikes fear into the souls of Arkansas’s 2026 opponents.
In fact, I do not recall how much I had heard about Coach Silverfield until his then Memphis Tigers suckered us into playing away from Fayetteville and sent us home whining.
But I am not here to create a retrospective series of talking points months after Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek announced his hire to lead the Hogs into the future.
For clarity, I do like Silverfield. I enjoy his energy and how he prevented a mass exodus of talent after replacing Sam Pittman.
The players with whom I have spoken all have great things to say about Silverfield, and he is the first head football coach to be younger than me.
Today’s task is to predict how the Razorbacks will fare on the gridiron for this season before we have had the opportunity to make more informed decisions.
Because be it politics, sports, or relationships, my motto is to stay uninformed and simply talk out of my … mind.
[Note: For the rankings, I have used FOX Sports due to them having the first list of all 138 FBS teams. Arkansas came in at a higher than expected 89.]
In passing, someone asked me what my predictions for the Hogs would be this season. I quickly quipped we will beat North Alabama and one of the Mississippi teams.
I do not think the person asking got the joke since this will be the first time our SEC schedule does not include either school from our eastern border ally.
Enough preface. Let’s see what lies ahead for the Hogs.
2026 Arkansas Razorbacks Schedule
September 5: North Alabama – Arkansas hosts its only FCS opponent in our traditional cupcake opener.
You know, the one where we play lights out in the season debut only to get our hopes up and then crushed in hopes of a fantastic year.
See the 2024 10-touchdown drubbing versus Arkansas-Pine Bluff as reference.
Arkansas will open with a win against these Lions, so perhaps a record over .500 with a bowl game victory can occur again. Overall: 1-0, SEC: 0-0
September 12: at (24) Utah – Yes, believe it or not, I was tempted to pick an upset here.
In fact, my gut keeps telling me to do so, but I think that may simply be the turkey sausage I had for breakfast at midnight last night.
I think Arkansas can hang with the Utes, and we may even be able to pull an upset. At this time, I just cannot convince myself we will. Arkansas gets back to the hotel late and with a loss in Week 2. Overall: 1-1, SEC: 0-0
September 19th: vs (3) Georgia – Great, are SEC opener is against the Bulldogs, the best team in the conference. How wonderful is that?
Also, if you cannot interpret the sarcasm here, your time is better spent on ‘X’, the app formerly known as ‘Twitter.’ As much as I would love to say this will be a close game, it will still still be a conference opening loss. Overall: 1-2, SEC: 0-1
September 26: vs (97) Tulsa – As it stands in these rankings, this is the closest match-up the Razorbacks will have with an eight-spot difference.
On the scoreboard, the Hogs should be able to give the Golden Hurricanes an 8-spot and still pull off the victory by two scores. Overall: 2-2, SEC: 0-1
October 3: at (9) Texas A&M – The Aggies simply have Arkansas’s number, but that does not mean the Razorbacks cannot go to Kyle Field and escape with an upset.
This whole game will depend upon the outcome of the game against Tulsa the week prior. If that game is close or the Hogs lose, they will leave College Station after a blowout.
If they dominate the Golden Hurricanes, then they lose to A&M in a much closer contest. Overall: 2-3, SEC: 0-2
October 10: vs (25) Tennessee – Write. It. Down. This will be the first upset of the SEC season.
It may very well be the only one.
The Volunteers seem to have issues beating the Hogs, and by this point in the season, Coach Silverfield and his staff have a lot of the weaknesses getting resolved.
Razorback Stadium hosts this Arkansas victory for the last time under that name before the new sponsor’s name goes on it. Overall: 3-3, SEC: 1-2
October 17: at (51) Vanderbilt – Commodores coach Clark Lea has yet to name a starting quarterback at this point in the preseason.
To me, that is not a good thing in Nashville. Vandy has shown drastic improvement in recent history, but they are uncertain about this season. Arkansas takes advantage of it. Overall: 4-3, SEC: 2-2
October 24th: Bye
October 31: vs (18) Missouri – The Tigers head coach, Eli Drinkwitz, signed a six-year contract extension late last season earning him over $10-million per year.
I hate to say it, but, as a coach – not a person, but as a coach – he deserves it. He and his squad have not had issues beating Arkansas as of late.
Only the 2021 match-up marks the lone Razorback victory since 2015. It is honestly embarrassing and shows a lack of pride considering how Drinkwitz spouted off about how bad Arkansas football has been in the Battle Line Rivalry.
This will not change in 2026. Why someone scheduled this game as homecoming is beyond me. Overall: 4-4, SEC: 2-3
November 7: at (36) Auburn – The Tigers will be better than their preseason ranking, but not much.
The Hogs have a history of winning on the road at the Little House on the Prairie, or whatever that one nickname is that Auburn uses (out of the dozens they have).
It is hard to keep up with who the current head coach for the Tigers is since they have had a carousel the speed of Cadillac Williams since Gus Malzahn left.
Oh, yeah, it’s that Alex Golesh guy. The one who supposedly rejected Arkansas. That’s fine. Silverfield is our guy, and the latter inherited a bigger mess.
But he will keep Arkansas in the game against a more talented squad from Auburn. A field goal at home will be the difference. Overall: 4-5, SEC: 2-4
November 14: vs (48) South Carolina – Seven games into the conference season, and this will be Arkansas’s third victory in the SEC.
This game will resemble some of the battles these two schools held when they both first entered the conference together in 1991.
Shane Beamer should have jumped at the chance to take over his father’s old school at Virginia Tech. His mildly hot streak with the Gamecocks is over, and the Hogs are happy to help prove that. Overall: 5-5, SEC: 3-4
November 21 : at (5) Texas – If you like drinking games, this is the one for you.
Not only will a few shots knock the edge off a less than stellar Arkansas performance against our old SWC rivals, but whatever network broadcasts this one will give plenty of airtime to whatever Manning family members are in attendance.
To add more flavor to this one, every time Grandpa appears on the screen, scream “Archie!” take a drink, and this game (for you) will be over by halftime.
It may be over for the Razorbacks by that time as well. Drink responsibly folks. Overall: 5-6, SEC: 3-5
November 28: vs (8) LSU – The Battle for the Golden Boot is back where it belongs, after Thanksgiving.
It may not be on Friday, but we can still enjoy closing the season against the Tigers. We might even get to see Coach Ed Orgeron floating somewhere near the LSU sideline that Saturday.
I like that guy. He has his issues just like the rest of us, but he admits it. This will be the first time we see Lane Kiffin in purple as well, not Joey Freshwater, but definitely Lane Kiffin.
Unfortunately, the Tigers may beat us blue. I hope not, but I am trying to be more realistic in my predictions this year. Overall: 5-7, SEC: 3-6
So, 5 wins out of 12 on the season and 3-6 in the SEC, is that satisfactory for you?
That is a little under .500 but a drastic improvement from where this team finished last season.
In case you have forgotten, we had zero conference wins in 2025. None. Nada. Chad Morris had as many conference wins last year as did Arkansas.
This turnaround from the Sam Pittman era seems like a solid starting point for Ryan Silverfield and Company. Not even Nick Saban himself could get this program within sniffing distance of national prominence. Baby steps, my friends.
And maybe we should try a variance of our new coach’s name to strike fear into our opponents… Ryan “Freaking” Silverfield! There, that is better, subtle, and even original, right?
Please check out all the write-ups for The Arkansas games this season, right here on HitThatLine.com.
Check out the commentary on all of the regular ESPN family of radio stations, including the new 93.7 in the western part of the state.
Most importantly, enjoy the Arkansas football, folks.
It may not always be victories, but it is still the greatest team in the nation.
Go HOGS!!!
