Arkansas skips first AP poll but faces packed list of ranked teams

The Arkansas Razorbacks didn’t show up anywhere in the first Associated Press Top 25 poll of the 2026 season.

That’s not a shock for a team starting over under new coach Ryan Silverfield. But over half their schedule is in there and the Hogs will have to face them this year. That’s the real story.

Ohio State opened the season at No. 1, picking up 40 of 69 first-place votes. Oregon sits right behind the Buckeyes at No. 2, marking the first time in 65 years the Big Ten has held both of the top two spots.

Georgia landed at No. 3, with Notre Dame at No. 4 and Texas rounding out the top five.

Indiana, the defending national champion, checked in at No. 6. Miami, the team the Hoosiers beat in the title game, sits one spot behind at No. 7. Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Oklahoma filled out the top 10, all three coming off College Football Playoff appearances a year ago.

The SEC didn’t grab the top spot, but the league still packed the poll.

The conference placed nine teams in the top 25, one more than the Big Ten. LSU came in at No. 11 and Alabama landed at No. 13, its lowest preseason spot since 2008.

Arkansas won’t have a ranking of its own to worry about early on. That’s fine, because the Razorbacks have bigger things on their plate.

Silverfield’s first team will play seven ranked opponents before the regular season ends, and that’s more than half of a 12-game schedule.

Georgia, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Missouri, Texas and LSU all made the preseason poll, and Utah joins them after cracking the rankings at No. 21.

Add it up and the Hogs will see a ranked team almost every other week this fall.

A schedule stacked from the jump

Arkansas opens the year at home against North Alabama on Sept. 5, then heads to Utah on Sept. 12 for a first-ever meeting between the two programs.

The Utes come in ranked, so Silverfield’s second game will be against a ranked opponent.

Georgia visits Fayetteville on Sept. 19, giving fans their first look at a top-five team on the home schedule.

After a non-conference game against Tulsa on Sept. 26, the calendar turns brutal in a hurry.

October sends the Razorbacks to Texas A&M on Oct. 3, brings Tennessee home on Oct. 10 and then ships the Hogs to Vanderbilt on Oct. 17 for their first trip there since 2011.

A bye week on Oct. 24 gives the roster a chance to catch its breath before Missouri comes to town on Oct. 31.

November doesn’t slow down either.

Arkansas travels to Auburn, hosts South Carolina, then heads to Texas before closing the regular season at home against LSU on Nov. 28 in the Battle for the Golden Boot.

A tough road either way

None of this guarantees results, and being unranked in August means little once the games kick off. Indiana proved that a year ago by winning it all after starting outside the preseason top 25.

What Arkansas fans do know is that their team will get plenty of chances to change how people see the Hogs. A schedule full of ranked opponents means every win counts for something, and every loss will get noticed too.

Silverfield’s first season won’t be judged by where Arkansas started. It’ll be judged by how the Razorbacks handle a fall packed with tests against some of the best teams in the country.

2026 preseason AP Top 25

1. Ohio State (40)
2. Oregon (14)
3. Georgia
4. Notre Dame (6)
5. Texas
6. Indiana (8)
7. Miami (1)
8. Texas A&M
9. Ole Miss
10. Oklahoma
11. LSU
12. Texas Tech
13. Alabama
14. BYU (tie)
14. USC (tie)
16. Michigan
17. Washington
18. Penn State
19. SMU
20. Tennessee
21. Utah
22. Iowa
23. Houston
24. Louisville
25. Missouri

Others receiving votes: Clemson (112 points), Florida (51), Boise State (43), Arizona (32), TCU (11), Navy (10), South Carolina (10), Illinois (9), Oklahoma State (8), Vanderbilt (8), Pittsburgh (7), Virginia Tech (6), Minnesota (5), UNLV (4), New Mexico (4), Georgia Tech (4), Louisiana (4), James Madison (3), Auburn (3), Memphis (2), California (2), Liberty (1), Western Michigan (1), Tulane (1), Virginia (1)

Key takeaways

• Arkansas didn’t appear anywhere in the 2026 preseason AP Top 25 poll.
• Seven of the Razorbacks’ 12 scheduled opponents this season are ranked, including Georgia, Texas and LSU.
• Ohio State opened at No. 1 with Oregon at No. 2, giving the Big Ten the top two spots for the first time in 65 years.