Why Alabama is Playing Arkansas Again for Homecoming in 2023

The Razorbacks will again be the Crimson Tide's homecoming opponent, but possibly for the last time in quite a while.

Christopher Walsh | May 15, 2023

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Alabama Crimson Tide

The University of Alabama announced that the Oct. 14 football game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Bryant-Denny Stadium will serve as homecoming for the 2023 season.

It'll be the fourth time in eight years that the Razorbacks will be the homecoming opponent. Alabama won 48-7 in 2019, 41-9 in 2017, and 27-14 in 2015, part of its 15-game winning streak in the series. Before Arkansas joined the SEC, Alabama had never hosted it for homecoming.

Due to the way the SEC schedule has been devised lately, Alabama has had few homecoming options in terms of opponents. October is considered the ideal month for holding the annual celebration, however, the last week has become a traditional bye weekend for the Crimson Tide under Nick Saban, plus there's always the Third Weekend game against Tennessee. Facing a strong rival as part of homecoming obviously isn't desirable unless there really isn't much of an option.

The Crimson Tide did host the Volunteers for homecoming in 2021, after not having a homecoming celebration in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Previously one had to go all the way back to 1930 for the last time Alabama hosted Tennessee for homecoming.

Last year, Alabama defeated Mississippi State for homecoming, 30-6, improving the Crimson Tide’s all-time record on homecoming to 87-13-1 (.866). Overall, the Crimson Tide has an active 19-game winning streak on homecoming. The last loss was 35-21 to LSU on Nov. 3, 2001.

Although Arkansas has become a regular homecoming opponent of late for Alabama, the odds of the trend continuing aren't very good. With Oklahoma and Texas joining the SEC it 2024, the league is expected to do away with divisions.

2023 Alabama Crimson Tide Schedule

Date Opponent Home/Away

Sept. 2 Middle Tennessee Home
Sept. 9 Texas Home
Sept. 16 at South Florida Away
Sept. 23 Ole Miss* Home
Sept. 30 at Mississippi State* Away
Oct. 7 at Texas A&M* Away
Oct. 14 Arkansas* Home (HC)
Oct. 21 Tennessee* Home
Oct. 28 Open Date
Nov. 4 LSU* Home
Nov. 11 at Kentucky* Away
Nov. 18 Chattanooga Home
Nov. 25 at Auburn* Away

Published May 15, 2023

CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of BamaCentral, which first published in 2018. He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004, and is the author of 26 books including Decade of Dominance, 100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Nick Saban vs. College Football, and Bama Dynasty: The Crimson Tide's Road to College Football Immortality. He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.