Bowling Again: Hogs will face old SWC foe in Texas Bowl

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FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas will play TCU out of the Big 12 in the Mercari Texas Bowl on Dec. 31, it was announced Sunday.

Kickoff at NRG Stadium - home of the NFL’s Houston Texans - is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT on New Year’s Eve and the game will be televised on ESPN.

Despite going 3-7 in the regular season, the Razorbacks were eligible for postseason play because of the NCAA’s decision to waive the typical .500 record requirement. It will be their first bowl game since the 2016 season and 43rd in program history.

The Horned Frogs went 6-4 this season, including a 5-4 mark in conference play that was good for fifth in the Big 12 standings.

Arkansas leads the all-time series against its former Southwest Conference foe 44-24-2. The most recent matchups came in a home-and-home series in 2016 and 2017, with the road team winning each game.

It will be the Razorbacks’ second time playing in the Texas Bowl, as they previously beat Texas 31-7 to cap the 2014 season. They also played in the 1982 Bluebonnet Bowl at the Astrodome in Houston, beating Florida 28-24.