Arkansas will get an early national-stage test in the nation’s capital next season.
The Razorbacks are set to face Virginia at noon Central on Nov. 8 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., with ESPN carrying the game. It’s a first for Arkansas, which has never played in the U.S. capital.
The matchup gives the Razorbacks another high-profile nonconference date against a team that should arrive with plenty of buzz. Arkansas and Virginia are both expected to open in the preseason AP Top 25.
Virginia is coming off a 30-6 season and a trip to the NCAA Tournament second round in Ryan Odom’s first year at the helm. Arkansas finished 28-9 and reached the Sweet 16.
The all-time series has been tight, with Virginia holding a 4-3 edge. Arkansas did win the most recent meeting, an 85-83 result on Nov. 20, 1998, in Fairbanks, Alaska.
The D.C. game is part of a busy run of neutral-site showdowns for Arkansas. The Razorbacks are also scheduled to meet Indiana on Nov. 17 at Madison Square Garden in New York, Michigan State on Thanksgiving in Detroit and Arizona on Dec. 19 in Phoenix.
They’ll also travel to North Carolina’s Dean Smith Center for the SEC-ACC Challenge on Dec. 1.
Back home, Arkansas is slated to host Robert Morris on Nov. 10, Oral Roberts on Dec.
5, Central Michigan on Dec. 22 and Texas-Rio Grande Valley on Dec. 29.
Virginia’s roster will feature a solid returning group in Thijs De Ridder, Sam Lewis, Chance Mallory and Johann Grunloh. Odom also added Jurian Dixon from California-Irvine, Christian Harmon from Arkansas State, Jan Vide from Loyola Marymount, Kalu Anya from Saint Louis and freshman Favour Ibe.
Arkansas’ known schedule for 2026-27 also includes Central Arkansas on Nov. 13, Missouri on Jan.
2, South Carolina on Jan. 5/6, Alabama on Jan.
9, Texas A&M on Jan. 12/13, Tennessee on Jan.
16, Georgia on Jan. 19/20, Texas on Jan.
23, LSU on Jan. 26/27, Mississippi State on Jan.
30, Vanderbilt on Feb. 6, Ole Miss on Feb.
9/10, Alabama on Feb. 13, Auburn on Feb.
16/17, Kentucky on Feb. 20, Missouri on Feb.
23, Florida on Feb. 27, LSU on March 2/3 and Oklahoma on March 6.
In Other News...
Arkansas Tight Ends Suddenly Face A Bigger Test Without Lassiter
Maddox Lassiters season-ending injury leaves Arkansas with more than just a hole in the tight end rotation. His value had gone well beyond the box score, with teammates and the tight ends coach pointing to his leadership and physical presence as steadying forces inside the position group. Even while recovering, Lassiter has stayed involved in practice in more of a coaching role, a sign of how much the staff has leaned on him as both a player and a presence.
Now the challenge shifts to the rest of the room, which has to absorb what Lassiter brought on and off the field. Arkansas has made it clear the expectation is for others at tight end to step forward and handle a larger share of the responsibility, a test of depth and readiness at a spot that suddenly looks a lot more important. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas Fans Are Paying More For A Stadium Problem That Wont Go Away
Arkansas football has given its home crowd plenty of reasons to stay invested, even if the payoff has been hard to find. Since the end of the 2021-22 season, the Razorbacks have won only three SEC home games and carry a 3-13 conference mark in Fayetteville, yet the stands have still largely held up, with average attendance sitting around 69,762 during the 2025 season.
Now some of those same fans are being asked to pay more for the privilege, as the Razorback Foundation has moved to eliminate grandfathered seating rates. The timing has added to the frustration around a program still trying to reverse its home-field slide, though upcoming visits from Tennessee, Missouri, South Carolina and LSU could give Ryan Silverfield and his staff a chance to start changing the mood inside the stadium. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas D-Line Just Got A Promising NFL Draft Signal
Quincy Rhodes Jr. and David Oke have already landed on an early NFL radar that matters for Arkansass front line. Both senior defensive linemen were named to the 2027 Panini Senior Bowl Top 300 List, a sign that their names are at least being tracked as the draft process begins to take shape around college footballs all-star circuit. For a program that has leaned on disruptive play up front, getting two linemen recognized in the same group gives the Razorbacks something concrete to point to in a room that is always looking for next-level potential.
Rhodes arrives with the kind of resume that can carry real weight after a standout 2025 season, while Okes path has been more complicated after limited playtime because of injury following his earlier stint at Abilene Christian. The Senior Bowl list does not guarantee anything down the road, but it does put both players in a conversation that NFL scouts will keep revisiting as the season unfolds. For Arkansas, the more interesting question is how much more of that buzz the defensive line can generate before the evaluation process really heats up. [Read more 🡒]