For decades, Arkansas has chosen not to play any in-state opponent, but the times, they are a changin’.
Arkansas announced two future home games with Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Wednesday. The first game will be played on Oct. 23, 2021. The second game will be played three years later on Aug. 31, 2024. The last time Arkansas played an in-state opponent was in 1944 with a game against Arkansas A&M (now Arkansas-Monticello).
“As the flagship institution within our state, scheduling games with our sister institutions is an opportunity for us to enhance interest in college football throughout our state while supporting other schools within the University of Arkansas system,” University of Arkansas Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Hunter Yurachek said in a released statement. “We have already witnessed the anticipation these meetings have created in a number of our other sports. This new football series between Arkansas and UAPB will only add to the excitement for these matchups.”
The logic behind the decision of Arkansas not to play in-state opponents in football and other sports was long rooted in the idea it creates more fo a divide within the state when programs from within the state compete against each other. Former AD Jeff Long had stated before he felt the desire for everyone in Arkansas to be able to be a Razorback fan was important, even if they attended another school within the state. Clearly, new leadership has helped ease that vision from Arkansas. Other athletic programs have already begun scheduling in-state opponents, and now the football program is about to get in on the act.
But if you are a fan of Arkansas State, the wait to play the Razorbacks may drag on even longer. But consider this announcement a baby step toward that possibility now being able to be discussed with even the slightest bit of optimism.
