Arkansas Opens Season at Home Vs. North Alabama
Arkansas closed last season on a five-game skid capped by a loss to Missouri, and the Razorbacks now turn the page to a home opener against North Alabama as favorites.
Turning the page
Arkansas sits at 0-0 with a fresh season ahead, but last season's finish still frames where this program is starting from. The Razorbacks lost their final five games of 2025 — to Auburn 24-33, Mississippi State 35-38, LSU 22-23, Texas 37-52 and finally Missouri 17-31 on November 29 — closing out the year on a rough stretch through the SEC slate.
None of that carries into this season as current form; there is no run to speak of yet, only a clean slate and a schedule that opens at home. The first real data point on this Arkansas team comes September 5.
Injury watch
Covers' aggregated injury table lists two Razorbacks with notes heading into the opener. Tight end M. Lassiter has been shut down for the remainder of the season with an upper-body injury and is listed as Out, per the report first logged last week.
Running back S. Smith is dinged up with a lower-leg issue and carries a Questionable tag — the report itself frames it as unresolved whether he suits up against North Alabama, so treat that as a live doubt rather than a lock either way. Neither note is attributed to a beat writer or the program; it's Covers' aggregation, not direct reporting from Fayetteville.
Upcoming
Arkansas opens on September 5 vs. North Alabama, and the market has the Razorbacks favored with a total that reads high-scoring. North Alabama enters at 0-0 for 2026; last season the Lions lost 34-36 to Southern Utah, their most recent result on file.
A week later the Razorbacks hit the road on September 12 at Utah, though that line isn't priced yet. Utah went 0-0 to open its own ledger and closed last season with a 44-22 win over Nebraska, the only form the payload offers on that opponent so far.