Conference realignment is a major storyline in college football right now, and it has its pros and con. One con for a lot of schools and conferences is losing rivalry games. If rivals move to different conferences, it's much harder to keep the tradition going. However, conference realignment is also bringing back some rivalries, and one of them is between Arkansas football and Texas football. The Razorbacks and Longhorns don't like each other, and Steve Sarkisian and Sam Pittman have both touched on it during SEC Media Days.
Texas football head coach Steve Sarkisian spoke before Sam Pittman at SEC Media days, and he discussed the rivalries that are coming back in the SEC. The Longhorns are now in the same conference as Texas A&M and Arkansas, and Oklahoma moved to the SEC as well.
“So much has been made of conference realignment and so much has been made of teams now traveling across the country or losing rivalry games that they've had historically,” Sarkisian said, according to an article from the Austin American-Statesmen. “We've benefited. We got two back. We're looking forward to it, it's one of the beauties of making this move (to the SEC).”
Sarkisian went on to talk more about their rivalry with Arkansas football, and he noted that he thinks the Razorbacks hate Texas more than they like themselves. That's how you know a rivalry is good.
“I jokingly say this, I feel like when you go to Arkansas, (at times it) feels like they hate Texas more than they like themselves,” Sarkisian said. “That's a real rivalry. That's when you know you're in a real rivalry. I know so much has been made of us getting to play A&M again but the fact that we get to play Arkansas again is awesome. How many teams in the country get to play three rivalry games in the regular season?”
Sam Pittman agrees with Steve Sarkisian
Arkansas football head coach Sam Pittman spoke at SEC Media Days on Thursday, and he agreed with that claim that the Razorbacks hate Texas more than they like themselves.
“I would say he's probably right,” Pittman said. “The difference is Texas is certainly a different team than what we played (in 2021). That was his first year there and now obviously he's a great coach, great guy. Got a wonderful football team. But I'm glad that we're going to play them at home again. You know, I don't know if that's fair because they came there two years ago. But it's an early-morning game, so — but he's probably correct. You would have to ask the old hats of Arkansas, but he's probably right.”
That will certainly be one of the toughest games that Arkansas has this season. That game will take place on November 16th at noon, and like Pittman noted, it will be a home game for the Razorbacks, which should help their cause. Still, the Longhorns are expected to be one of the best teams in college football, so it doesn't matter where that game is played. Texas will be a very difficult out.
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