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The Battle Line Rivalry has moved to a new spot on the schedule.
Instead of facing off on Thanksgiving weekend, which has been the traditional date for the game since 2014, Missouri football and Arkansas will face off on Oct. 31 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, in the 2026 season.
Mizzou has won each of the past four games in the series, which takes the Tigers’ record against the Razorbacks to 10-2 since joining the SEC.
Arkansas moved on from Sam Pittman midseason last season, and Bobby Petrino — now the OC at North Carolina — was the interim coach for Mizzou's win last November. The Razorbacks have hired Memphis' Ryan Silverfield to begin a new era in Northwest Arkansas.
With a new date and a new coaching crew at Arkansas, can MU keep up its recent run of dominance?
The Tribune is analyzing the offseason of each of Mizzou’s 2026 opponents to get you up to speed with the new rosters and coaches after a busy offseason.
More: After wild year, what does Missouri football face at Ole Miss in 2026?
More: Can Missouri football end awful record vs Texas A&M? Summer preview
Here’s what to know about Arkansas this season, including key additions, coaching changes and playmakers to keep an eye on when the Tigers face the Razorbacks:
Quarterback: It looks like KJ Jackson, who saw the field for Arkansas in Mizzou’s win in Fayetteville last season, will be the starting quarterback in Silverfield’s first season. He will have to beat out Memphis transfer redshirt freshman AJ Hill in the fall, but after appearing in five games — sometimes ahead of outgoing starter Taylen Green — last season, the job is his to lose. Jackson is capable on the run and completed 61.1% of his passing attempts for three touchdowns and no picks in 2025.
Offensive playmaker: Running back Sutton Smith also followed Silverfield to Arkansas. Smith led Memphis with 669 rushing yards last year on a productive 6.6 yards per carry. He’ll likely split time with Braylen Russell, who was Arkansas’ No. 2 tailback last season. If there’s a player who can give the Hogs a spark this year, Smith seems like a good candidate.
Defensive playmaker: Defensive end Quincy Rhodes Jr., listed at 6-foot-6 and 277 pounds, is a wrecking ball off the edge for the Razorbacks. He led the team with eight sacks among 15.5 tackles for loss last season. He is widely projected as a first-round prospect in next year’s NFL Draft.
Key additions: Chris Marshall (WR, Memphis); Hill (QB, Memphis); Smith (RB, Memphis); Bryant Williams (OT, Louisiana); Jahiem Johnson (CB, Tulane); Khmori House (LB, North Carolina); Hunter Osborne (DT, Virginia); Steven Soles Jr. (STAR, Kentucky); Ja’Quavion Smith (LB, Howard); Max Gilbert (PK, Tennessee)
Notable losses: Green (QB, NFL Draft); Mike Washington Jr. (RB, NFL Draft); Fernando Carmona Jr. (OT, NFL Draft); Julian Neal (CB, NFL Draft); Ian Geffrard (DT, Texas); E’Marion Harris (OT, Oklahoma); Xavian Sorey (LB, NFL UDFA); Rohan Jones (TE, NFL UDFA)
New coaches: Ryan Silverfield (HC, Memphis); Tim Cramsey (OC, Memphis); Ron Roberts (DC, Florida)
Silverfield has signed a massive incoming transfer class, with 42 players joining the team via the portal this past offseason. It needed to be a big class, because 41 players left the program via the portal.
Bigger hasn’t necessarily translated to better.
Despite having the third-largest incoming portal group in the country, Arkansas’ haul is ranked No. 33 by 247Sports on the service’s national leaderboard. That is 14th in the SEC, ahead of Vanderbilt and Mississippi State. Only one player was ranked among 247Sports’ top-150 individual transfers.
It’s not obvious if there is a go-to, difference-making receiver, as all three of the Razorbacks’ projected starters had 38 or fewer receptions at their respective teams last year. Braylen Russell is the lead running back and was firmly No. 2 on last year's depth chart. Jackson was fine in relief, but can he be a top-half SEC quarterback? That’s what it looks like Arkansas might need to compete.
The biggest area of need is some defensive consistency. Arkansas ranked dead last in the SEC — and No. 120 in the FBS — for team defense last year, allowing an unsightly 425.2 yards per game. It looks like the Razorbacks will have nine new starters on that side of the ball.
It’s hard to see Arkansas being anything other than a team in rebuild mode this season.
No team at the Power-conference level found a way to lose like the Razorbacks, who were defeated by 9 points or fewer in 7 of their 10 losses. There’s no clear-and-obvious answer on this season’s roster who you can point to and call a program-changer.
Silverfield never led Memphis to a conference title. With their resources in the American Conference, the artist formerly known as the AAC, that’s concerning.
Maybe the stars align, and Arkansas shocks the league this season. Our guess is that this year is going to be a slog.
Missouri has dominated this series. Anything but a fairly comfortable win in Fayetteville would be surprising.
After an extremely tough run in October, Mizzou gets an idle week and then Arkansas. They should head into the final month of the regular season relatively fresh and with a win on the record.
Texas and Georgia come next for the Tigers. There’s no room for error at Arkansas.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri football offseason preview for 2026 Arkansas Razorbacks
Continue reading...
Instead of facing off on Thanksgiving weekend, which has been the traditional date for the game since 2014, Missouri football and Arkansas will face off on Oct. 31 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, in the 2026 season.
Mizzou has won each of the past four games in the series, which takes the Tigers’ record against the Razorbacks to 10-2 since joining the SEC.
Arkansas moved on from Sam Pittman midseason last season, and Bobby Petrino — now the OC at North Carolina — was the interim coach for Mizzou's win last November. The Razorbacks have hired Memphis' Ryan Silverfield to begin a new era in Northwest Arkansas.
With a new date and a new coaching crew at Arkansas, can MU keep up its recent run of dominance?
The Tribune is analyzing the offseason of each of Mizzou’s 2026 opponents to get you up to speed with the new rosters and coaches after a busy offseason.
More: After wild year, what does Missouri football face at Ole Miss in 2026?
More: Can Missouri football end awful record vs Texas A&M? Summer preview
Here’s what to know about Arkansas this season, including key additions, coaching changes and playmakers to keep an eye on when the Tigers face the Razorbacks:
Who are opposing names to know when Missouri football faces Arkansas?
Quarterback: It looks like KJ Jackson, who saw the field for Arkansas in Mizzou’s win in Fayetteville last season, will be the starting quarterback in Silverfield’s first season. He will have to beat out Memphis transfer redshirt freshman AJ Hill in the fall, but after appearing in five games — sometimes ahead of outgoing starter Taylen Green — last season, the job is his to lose. Jackson is capable on the run and completed 61.1% of his passing attempts for three touchdowns and no picks in 2025.
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Offensive playmaker: Running back Sutton Smith also followed Silverfield to Arkansas. Smith led Memphis with 669 rushing yards last year on a productive 6.6 yards per carry. He’ll likely split time with Braylen Russell, who was Arkansas’ No. 2 tailback last season. If there’s a player who can give the Hogs a spark this year, Smith seems like a good candidate.
Defensive playmaker: Defensive end Quincy Rhodes Jr., listed at 6-foot-6 and 277 pounds, is a wrecking ball off the edge for the Razorbacks. He led the team with eight sacks among 15.5 tackles for loss last season. He is widely projected as a first-round prospect in next year’s NFL Draft.
What did the offseason look like for Arkansas?
Key additions: Chris Marshall (WR, Memphis); Hill (QB, Memphis); Smith (RB, Memphis); Bryant Williams (OT, Louisiana); Jahiem Johnson (CB, Tulane); Khmori House (LB, North Carolina); Hunter Osborne (DT, Virginia); Steven Soles Jr. (STAR, Kentucky); Ja’Quavion Smith (LB, Howard); Max Gilbert (PK, Tennessee)
Notable losses: Green (QB, NFL Draft); Mike Washington Jr. (RB, NFL Draft); Fernando Carmona Jr. (OT, NFL Draft); Julian Neal (CB, NFL Draft); Ian Geffrard (DT, Texas); E’Marion Harris (OT, Oklahoma); Xavian Sorey (LB, NFL UDFA); Rohan Jones (TE, NFL UDFA)
New coaches: Ryan Silverfield (HC, Memphis); Tim Cramsey (OC, Memphis); Ron Roberts (DC, Florida)
You must be registered for see images attach
Silverfield has signed a massive incoming transfer class, with 42 players joining the team via the portal this past offseason. It needed to be a big class, because 41 players left the program via the portal.
Bigger hasn’t necessarily translated to better.
Despite having the third-largest incoming portal group in the country, Arkansas’ haul is ranked No. 33 by 247Sports on the service’s national leaderboard. That is 14th in the SEC, ahead of Vanderbilt and Mississippi State. Only one player was ranked among 247Sports’ top-150 individual transfers.
It’s not obvious if there is a go-to, difference-making receiver, as all three of the Razorbacks’ projected starters had 38 or fewer receptions at their respective teams last year. Braylen Russell is the lead running back and was firmly No. 2 on last year's depth chart. Jackson was fine in relief, but can he be a top-half SEC quarterback? That’s what it looks like Arkansas might need to compete.
The biggest area of need is some defensive consistency. Arkansas ranked dead last in the SEC — and No. 120 in the FBS — for team defense last year, allowing an unsightly 425.2 yards per game. It looks like the Razorbacks will have nine new starters on that side of the ball.
Early forecast for Mizzou at Arkansas in Week 9
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It’s hard to see Arkansas being anything other than a team in rebuild mode this season.
No team at the Power-conference level found a way to lose like the Razorbacks, who were defeated by 9 points or fewer in 7 of their 10 losses. There’s no clear-and-obvious answer on this season’s roster who you can point to and call a program-changer.
Silverfield never led Memphis to a conference title. With their resources in the American Conference, the artist formerly known as the AAC, that’s concerning.
Maybe the stars align, and Arkansas shocks the league this season. Our guess is that this year is going to be a slog.
Missouri has dominated this series. Anything but a fairly comfortable win in Fayetteville would be surprising.
After an extremely tough run in October, Mizzou gets an idle week and then Arkansas. They should head into the final month of the regular season relatively fresh and with a win on the record.
Texas and Georgia come next for the Tigers. There’s no room for error at Arkansas.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri football offseason preview for 2026 Arkansas Razorbacks
Continue reading...
