FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas’ Sept. 20 trip to Memphis has been set for 11 a.m., with the game slated for ABC, ESPN or ESPN2. The time and TV designation were announced Monday after the Razorbacks’ athletics account shared the update, confirming the early window for the nonconference road game.
The matchup gives Arkansas consecutive morning kickoffs; the Razorbacks’ home date with Notre Dame on Sept. 27 is already locked for 11 a.m. on ABC.
Memphis, off to a 2–0 start, heads to Troy on Sept. 13 (ESPNU) before returning to Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium to host Arkansas a week later. The American Athletic Conference schedule lists the Tigers’ early slate, with the Arkansas game time now filled in by Monday’s announcement.
Series resumes after long gap
The programs last met in 1998, and this season’s game is the opener of a previously announced three-game series(Memphis in 2025; Fayetteville in 2026 and 2028). Arkansas revealed the agreement in 2019, reviving a regional matchup that Memphis currently leads 3–2 all-time.
The Sept. 20 date lands between Arkansas’ SEC opener at Ole Miss on Sept. 13—a night kickoff window—and the Notre Dame home game, creating a compact three-game stretch that will shape the Razorbacks’ September narrative.
Coaches eye rhythm amid early windows
Hogs coach Sam Pittman has played down preseason noise while stressing confidence in his roster:
“If you don’t want to rank us, that’s fine. We’ll surprise a lot of people. We’ve got a really good football team,” he told the Little Rock Touchdown Club in August.
The remarks pretty much sums up Arkansas’ approach to a month that includes a road-road-home run capped by Notre Dame.
On the Memphis side, the Tigers’ slate features multiple national TV appearances and an early-season road swing to Atlanta and Troy before the Razorbacks visit, part of an AAC schedule that routinely places games across ESPN platforms.
What the TV window means
The 11 a.m. slot aligns with ESPN/ABC’s 2025 programming windows, which the SEC and its broadcast partner outlined this summer. Morning kickoffs often compress team routines and fan travel, but they also offer a national window with limited overlap against later marquee games.
Arkansas’ broader September footprint is now largely set: night at Ole Miss, morning at Memphis, morning vs. Notre Dame. For ticketing and planning, major outlets already list the Razorbacks’ Memphis trip and the Irish visit the following week.
Key takeaways
• Kick time set: Arkansas at Memphis will kick at 11 a.m. on Sept. 20, airing on ABC/ESPN/ESPN2.
• Busy September: The game sits between a night SEC opener at Ole Miss and an 11 a.m. ABC date with Notre Dame.
• Series renewed: First meeting since 1998 and the first leg of a three-game series; Memphis leads the series 3–2.