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SEC Football: Ranking most important 2021 non-conference games

By John Scimeca

CLEMSON, SC - AUGUST 31: The Georgia Bulldogs and Clemson Tigers line up for a snap during the game at Memorial Stadium on August 31, 2013 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Tyler Smith/Getty Images)
CLEMSON, SC - AUGUST 31: The Georgia Bulldogs and Clemson Tigers line up for a snap during the game at Memorial Stadium on August 31, 2013 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Tyler Smith/Getty Images) /
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HOUSTON, TX – DECEMBER 29: Brandon Allen #10 of the Arkansas Razorbacks runs with the ball in the first half of the game against Shiro Davis #1 of the Texas Longhorns at the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium on December 29, 2014 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX – DECEMBER 29: Brandon Allen #10 of the Arkansas Razorbacks runs with the ball in the first half of the game against Shiro Davis #1 of the Texas Longhorns at the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium on December 29, 2014 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images) /

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When the news dropped in July that Texas and OU were discussing and then suddenly voting on officially joining the SEC at some point in the near future, this Week 2 matchup gained added importance.

For Texas, it’s a game to prove that they’re capable of competing in the imminent new-look SEC. The Longhorns are 7-9 against SEC foes during the past three decades, hardly a reassuring number, but it’s not like Texas has been all that great against Big 12 teams recently, either. For reference: Oklahoma State and TCU both own winning records against Texas in the past decade.

For Arkansas, it’s a great opportunity to rile up the home crowd against a team that most college football fans love to hate. Texas is a constantly overrated program that has almost every advantage and resource at its disposal but can’t help underachieving and falling flat when everyone’s watching.

The Razorbacks are coming off a relatively encouraging 2020 campaign in which the team won three SEC games for the first time since 2016, which was also their last bowl appearance. After a Week 1 home date with lowly Rice, Arkansas could prove that it’s carrying some great momentum in 2021 with an upset win against the No. 21 Longhorns.

The two former Southwest Conference teams have faced off 78 times since 1903, with the Longhorns owning the overall series 56-22. Arkansas has won three of the teams’ five meetings since the Razorbacks departed for the SEC in 1992.

It doesn’t matter that much if the Big 12 suffers another early-season blow to a team expect to vie for the conference title, given that the league’s very future existence is now in doubt. Instead, a possible Arkansas win against the Longhorns could signal that the Hogs are ready to compete in the crowded SEC West.

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