Steve Sarkisian has a passion for college football, which is why he has long supported the University of Texas preserving the rivalry even as conference realignment changes things.
The Longhorns joining the SEC meant bringing back two old conference rivals: Texas A&M and Arkansas.
In terms of rivalries, a lot of attention has been lately on the Longhorns and Aggies meeting later this month for the first time since 2011, but Saturday’s Texas-Arkansas matchup in Fayetteville is basically noise. It was wrapped.
“I think we’re undervalued nationally,” Sarkisian said during his weekly news conference Monday morning. “I don’t know if it’s going to get the exposure nationally (like the Texas-Texas A&M rivalry), but I will say internally it’s getting the exposure it deserves. This rivalry has been around for a long time. It continues.
“I joked with the team this morning that I don’t know what (late Longhorns legendary head coach) Darrell Royal did to Arkansas at the time, but they absolutely hated our guts. I think I learned that for the first time when I went to Arkansas (in 2021).”
Line: Texas (-13.5)
Moneyline: Texas -650, Florida +425
Over/Under: 57.5 points
History: Texas leads the all-time series over Arkansas 56-23, including a 26-10 advantage in the game played in Fayetteville. Saturday will mark the first time the Longhorns and Razorbacks will play as members of the same conference since 1991, when both teams were in the now-defunct Southwest Conference. Arkansas joined the SEC in 1992, and Texas became a charter member of the Big 12 in 1996 after the collapse of the SWC. Since 1991, Texas and Arkansas have met six times, including the 2000 Cotton Bowl to conclude the 1999 season and the 2014 Texas Bowl. The last meeting between the two teams was on September 11, 2021, when the Razorbacks won 40-21 at the beginning of Steve Sarkisian’s first season as the Longhorns’ head coach.
