The Arkansas Razorbacks and Arkansas State have made history in Week 2 of college football by playing one another for the first time in each school’s history.
Arkansas and Arkansas State are the two largest universities in the state, with Saturday finally marking the end of the two lone FBS programs that have never crossed paths. The Razorbacks and Red Wolves’ schools sit on opposite ends of the state, with their campuses separated by over 400 miles and the Boston Mountains. Both schools have fielded football teams for over a century, with Arkansas State’s CFB program being founded in 1911 compared to Arkansas’s date of 1894.
So, why had the two schools never faced off before?
Reasons Made Public on First Matchup Between Arkansas, Arkansas State
At his weekly press conference this week, Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman said he knew that this Week 2 matchup against Arkansas State would have lasting ramifications on the state.
“I think we’d be foolish not to understand the magnitude of the first time in the history of both programs that we’re playing,” Pittman said. “I mean, you can go play Maine if you’ve never played Maine and it’s not going to have the same effect as Arkansas-Arkansas State.”
Gameday in The Rock 🐗
⏱️ 4:00 pm
📺 ESPN+/SECN+ pic.twitter.com/ejMWz82nxJ— Arkansas Razorback Football (@RazorbackFB) September 6, 2025
According to the ‘Times Record,’ the reason the two schools had never faced off before is actually quite simple.
Former Arkansas head coach and athletic director John Barnhill previously decided that Arkansas would not schedule games against in-state opponents to unify the entire state behind the Razorbacks. Other coaches and athletic directors who succeeded Barnhill have carried on his philosophy until now.
Until 2021, the Razorbacks had never played Arkansas-Pine Bluff either. They had faced off against Central Arkansas twice, in 1923 and 1926, but that was long before Barnhill was in charge of the athletic department (1946).
Additionally, Arkansas and Arkansas State’s men’s basketball programs have only ever faced off once, in 1987, in the NIT tournament. While the Razorbacks won 67-64, the only reason the schools played one another was the tournament’s scheduling.
It appears the old Barnhill philosophy is over for Arkansas. In 2019, Arkansas announced a two-game series with Arkansas-Pine Bluff in 2021 and 2024; the game against Arkansas State has only followed suit.
As of press time, the Razorbacks are leading Arkansas State 28-7 in their first-ever matchup. During Week 3, Arkansas will take on No. 20 Ole Miss on Saturday, Sept. 13, while Arkansas State hosts No. 16 Iowa State on the same day.
