Arkansas football is making history twice with the 2025 regular season schedule. For the first time, the Razorbacks are playing Arkansas State and Notre Dame. While A-State has its niche charm around the Natural State, Arkansas' matchup with the Fighting Irish arguably has the most eyes looking toward the Hogs.
The national champ runner-up has reloaded its roster from last season and is primed to make another run in the College Football Playoffs. Notre Dame's schedule is set up in a way that it plays three of its four toughest opponents in the first four games. Miami—arguably the best opponent on the schedule—is the first game of the season. Next is the Irish's second-hardest matchup against Texas A&M.
Why Arkansas is a scary matchup for Notre Dame
After a break in week three against Purdue, Notre Dame will head to Fayetteville. If they make it past Arkansas in week four, it's basically smooth sailing until the Irish play USC, which is a true coinflip rivalry game. Arkansas is a pivotal matchup, but it's also a scary one, according to a Notre Dame beat writer.
"This already feels like one of those 'just find a way to survive' games for Notre Dame," wrote Nick Shepkowski, the managing editor at Notre Dame On SI.
Arkansas is a name that hasn't really been respected around the college football landscape the past decade or so, but it's still an SEC team that has bordered on success under Sam Pittman's tenure. Last season alone, Arkansas lost three one-score games against Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, and Missouri. The Hogs were also within three points midway through the fourth quarter versus no. 3 Texas, and down six to LSU before Taylen Green's interception with five minutes to go in the third.
There's a certain one-score game that actually fell in Arkansas' favor in 2024. Tennessee was a major win for the Razorbacks, becoming the first against a top 5 team since the Hogs beat No. 3 Tennessee in 1999. The fact that Arkansas has the potential to upset teams like ND worries Shepkowski. Despite having to deal with the Arkansas September heat, he's thankful the game is being played at noon rather than under the lights.
"There are certain games a year when a team will play to its full potential," Shepkowski wrote. "What scares me about the Arkansas trip for Notre Dame is that it's in the middle of a very difficult first half of the season and isn't a game against a marquee name, but it is one that is more than capable of doing damage.
"As much as the humidity won't be fun to deal with at the peak of the hot sun shining, I'd prefer that to having to play at night in front of a crowd that's been pregaming all day."
Notre Dame has a logical reason to be worried, too. Not only did Arkansas knock off a would-be CFP team, but the Irish were shocked themselves in a much more stunning fashion. In the second game of the season, Notre Dame played Northern Illinois out of the Mid-American Conference and lost 16-14.
NIU TAKES DOWN NOTRE DAME AND GETS ITS FIRST WIN AGAINST A TOP TEN TEAM IN PROGRAM HISTORY pic.twitter.com/9C3MAKToZI
— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) September 7, 2024
They also struggled with A&M until the Fighting Irish began to pull away with six minutes left in the fourth quarter—a team Arkansas only lost to by four points.
Notre Dame is perhaps the second hardest game on Arkansas' schedule this season, and although the chances of the Hogs winning are slim, the Irish are still beatable.