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FAYETTEVILLE — Since joining the SEC nearly three decades ago, fans have debated about which team is Arkansas’ top rival.
As members of the Southwest Conference, the Razorbacks’ annual matchup with Texas was always the biggest game of the season. That annual series ended in 1992, though, and lost some of its luster.
In its place, teams like LSU, Ole Miss, Auburn, Texas A&M and Missouri have emerged as potential “rivals,” with some being viewed as more real than others.
The Texas A&M series - a rivalry that began in the days of the SWC - resumed in 2009 as an annual non-conference showdown, but became an SEC West battle in 2012.
Asked this week about where the series ranks in terms of Arkansas’ rivalries, head coach Sam Pittman gave an answer you’d expect from a 58-year-old who grew up watching the Southwest Conference.
“If I was guessing, I'd say A&M is probably two in the list of rivalries behind Texas,” Pittman said. “I don't know. That's kind of the feel you get."
Each Arkansas fan would likely give a different list of top rivals, but what’s certain is that the current Razorbacks are ready to snap their eight-game losing streak to the Aggies.
Even when Pittman was here as an offensive line coach from 2013-15, in the early days of the losing streak, he said he felt the significance of this matchup in practice.
“When I was here before, we certainly did,” Pittman said. “I think this is one that you can feel in the atmosphere a little bit more this week than maybe in previous weeks. I believe that they do.”
However, now the head coach, Pittman is trying to stress that Saturday’s matchup is no different than any other on the Razorbacks’ schedule.
“I wish I could say something different, but it's not any different than playing whomever else we play in the SEC to me,” Pittman said. “We're trying to win the football game. It doesn't matter the team. Would I feel any better if we beat A&M versus Ole Miss? Not at all. I’m just trying to get our team ready to win every one of them, get them prepared as well as we possibly can.”
Here are a few other notes, tidbits and stats from the week leading up to Saturday’s game, which will kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT and be televised on the SEC Network…
Back to Dallas
Arguably the biggest story to break this week didn’t involve Saturday’s game, but rather the 2021 matchup between Arkansas and Texas A&M.
It was thought that the Razorbacks would host the Aggies next season after traveling to College Station this year because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but it turns out the series will return to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Understandably, Arkansas fans were up in arms about the decision, but neither coach - when asked about it - seemed too concerned about the future site of the series.
“There’s not a whole lot as a football coach that I can do about that,” Pittman said. “We are going to play them there and then play in Dallas next year and we’re excited about both venues.”
People on the Texas A&M side - including AD Ross Bjork - have been much more vocal about moving the game to on-campus when the current contract with AT&T Stadium expires after the 2024 season.
However, the Aggies’ coach - Jimbo Fisher - said he loves playing home games, but that also means you have to play on the road every other year. He didn’t sound particularly opposed to playing at a neutral site.
