Where Do Hogs Rank Among Toughest 2025 SEC Football Schedules?

Missouri and Tennessee enjoy easiest league schedules, based on 2024 results

Bob Stephens | Feb 1, 2025

Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Taylen Green reads the option play before handing off to running back Braylen Russell during the Hogs' 39-26 win against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the Dec. 27 Liberty Bowl in Memphis. / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

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Arkansas Razorbacks

Arkansas has had the toughest — or at least one of the most difficult — schedules in all of college football several times in recent years. Where do the Razorbacks fit in next season? When it comes to SEC games, do they have one of the easier slates for 2025, especially considering they don't play Alabama or Georgia?

Let's start with which teams have the easiest schedules among SEC brethren. That would be the Missouri Tigers and Tennessee Volunteers, according to 247Sports. Both the Tigers and Vols will face a 12-game test against opponents who had a combined winning percentage in 2024 of exactly .500.

A big reason why Mizzou and Rocky Top enjoy easier paths toward a potential College Football Playoff berth is their choice of weak non-conference opponents. Missouri chose — yes, chose — Central Arkansas (FCS), Kansas, Louisiana and UMass. Tennessee chose Syracuse (in Atlanta), East Tennessee State (FCS), UAB and New Mexico State.

For the Tigers and Vols, that's hardly a heavyweight set of non-SEC teams. Yes, Kansas and Syracuse could put up a fight on any given Saturday but those matchups are already penciled in as victories.

Arkansas isn't exactly known for scheduling powerhouses although the Razorbacks did play nationally ranked teams in Texas, and BYU in recent years, along with semi-tough opponents like TCU and Cincinnati. They also lost to Liberty but managed to take down the rest such as Colorado State and San Jose State, plus many lesser-known schools.

This year the Hogs take a huge step up in competition when they host mighty Notre Dame for the schools' first-ever meeting. That will be Arkansas' fifth game in five Saturdays, following two opening yawners against Alabama A&M and Arkansas State, and road games at Ole Miss and Memphis.

Notre Dame, of course, is coming off a national championship game loss to Ohio State. The Fighting Irish beat No. 10 seed Indiana, No. 2 Georgia and No. 6 Penn State to reach the title tilt.

Arkansas will get a breather thanks to a bye after the Notre Dame game before traveling to Tennessee. The Vols will remember their loss to the Hogs in rocking Razorback Stadium last October and be hot for revenge. That Arkansas upset of No. 4 Tennessee shocked the college football world and ultimately cost the Vols a higher seed -- and a first-round home game -- in the 12-team playoff. The Vols had to open the playoffs at Ohio State, and that didn't go well.

The Hogs' schedule then has three straight home games when they'd better beat Texas A&M, Auburn and Mississippi State. After another bye, they travel to LSU and Texas and finish at home against Missouri. Not an easy 12 games but where does it rank among SEC schools? More on that to come, along with all schedules at the end.

Continuing in order from easiest to toughest, according to 247Sports, coming in at No. 14 is Ole Miss, with opponents of a .535 winning percentage. Then it's Texas (.544) despite a season opener at Ohio State, Auburn (.563), Alabama (.564), Vanderbilt (.578) and Georgia ninth (.585).

Texas Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian leads warm ups prior to the Cotton Bowl Classic College Football Playoff semifinal game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the 'Horns at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Jan. 10. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ranked No. 8 through 4 are South Carolina (.594), Florida (.597), LSU (.600), Oklahoma (.601) and
Texas A&M (.603). The third-toughest overall schedule goes to Kentucky (.655), followed by Mississippi State (.660).

So, the "honor" of having the SEC's toughest schedule for 2025 is Arkansas (.680). Not good news for coach Sam Pittman and the Razorbacks. The huge difference between the Hogs' opponents with a .680 winning percentage and .500 for Missouri and Tennessee is not entirely produced by Notre Dame's impressive 14-2 mark.

Of course, what happened last season might not translate to 2025 results, meaning this ranking could be drastically different if we look back and re-figure a year from now. Pittman figures -- and certainly hopes -- Arkansas will improve on its 7-6 record of last season, although these rankings argue that could be difficult.

Arkansas Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman reacts during an interview after defeating the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Here are 2025 schedules for each SEC team, in order of hardest to easiest:

ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS (.680): Alabama A&M (FCS), Arkansas State, at Ole Miss, at Memphis, Notre Dame, at Tennessee, Texas A&M, Auburn, Mississippi State, at LSU, at Texas, Missouri.

MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS (.660): at Southern Miss, Arizona State, Alcorn State (FCS), Northern Illinois, Tennessee, at Texas A&M, at Florida, Texas, at Arkansas, Georgia, at Missouri, Ole Miss.

KENTUCKY WILDCATS (.655): Toledo, Ole Miss, Eastern Michigan, at South Carolina, at Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, at Auburn, Florida, Tennessee Tech (FCS), at Vanderbilt, at Louisville.

TEXAS A&M AGGIES (.603): UTSA, Utah State, at Notre Dame, Auburn, Mississippi State, Florida, at Arkansas, at LSU, at Missouri, South Carolina, Samford (FCS), at Texas.

OKLAHOMA SOONERS (.601): Illinois State (FCS), Michigan, at Temple, Auburn, Kent State, Texas (Dallas), at South Carolina, Ole Miss, at Tennessee, at Alabama, Missouri, LSU.

LSU TIGERS (.600): at Clemson, Louisiana Tech, Florida, SE Louisiana (FCS), at Ole Miss, South Carolina, at Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, at Alabama, Arkansas, Western Kentucky, at Oklahoma.

FLORIDA GATORS (.597): Long Island (FCS), South Florida, at LSU, at Miami, Texas, at Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Georgia (Jacksonville), at Kentucky, at Ole Miss, Tennessee, Florida State.

SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS (.594): Virginia Tech (Atlanta), South Carolina State (FCS), Vanderbilt, at Missouri, Kentucky, at LSU, Oklahoma, Alabama, at Ole Miss, at Texas A&M, Coastal Carolina, Clemson.

GEORGIA BULLDOGS (.585): Marshall, Austin Peay (FCS), at Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, at Auburn, Ole Miss, Florida (Jacksonville), at Mississippi State, Texas, Charlotte, Georgia Tech (Atlanta).

VANDERBILT COMMODORES (.578): Charleston Southern (FCS), at Virginia Tech, at South Carolina, Georgia State, Utah State, at Alabama, LSU, Missouri, at Texas, Auburn, Kentucky, at Tennessee.

ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (.564): at Florida State, Louisiana-Monroe, Wisconsin, at Georgia, Vanderbilt, at Missouri, Tennessee, at South Carolina, LSU, Oklahoma, Eastern Illinois (FCS), Auburn.

AUBURN TIGERS (.563): at Baylor, Ball State, South Alabama, at Oklahoma, at Texas A&M, Georgia, Missouri, at Arkansas, Kentucky, at Vanderbilt, Mercer (FCS), Alabama.

TEXAS LONGHORNS (.544): at Ohio State, San Jose State, UTEP, Sam Houston, at Florida, Oklahoma (Dallas), at Kentucky, at Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, at Georgia, Arkansas, Texas A&M.

OLE MISS REBELS (.535): Georgia State, at Kentucky, Arkansas, Tulane, LSU, Washington State, at Georgia, at Oklahoma, South Carolina, The Citadel (FCS), Florida, at Mississippi State.

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS (.500): Syracuse (Atlanta), East Tennessee State (FCS), Georgia, UAB, at Mississippi State, Arkansas, at Alabama, at Kentucky, Oklahoma, New Mexico State, at Florida, Vanderbilt.MISSOURI TIGERS (.500): Central Arkansas (FCS), Kansas, Louisiana, South Carolina, UMass, Alabama, at Auburn, at Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, at Oklahoma, at Arkansas.