Has Arkansas ever beaten Alabama in football? Exploring the rivalry history between the Razorbacks and Crimson Tide
There is now a generation of college football fans who can genuinely ask, "Has Arkansas ever beaten Alabama in football?" And for their sake, it becomes important to address the question.
Given that college football is quite a competitive sport, it sounds weird that one side of a rivalry has never once beaten the other.
Here's a closer look at the story of a rivalry that has been one-sided for over a decade.
Has Arkansas ever beaten Alabama in football?
Arkansas has beaten Alabama several times in the past. The last time the Crimson Tide experienced defeat against Arkansas was in 2006, 17 years ago. After that, the journey has been quite disappointing for Arkansas overall, as they haven’t managed to secure a thumping win against Alabama.
The rivalry between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Alabama Crimson Tide dates back 61 years. The two teams first played each other in the 1962 Sugar Bowl. The game ended with Alabama having the upper hand with a 10-3 win. The Tide has dominated the rivalry since, especially in the last 16 years.
Ultimately, the Crimson Tide leads the rivalry with 28 wins against Arkansas’ eight. Since Alabama's dominance began in 2007, Nick Saban has remained the head coach. Therefore, the team’s dominance in conference and national football can be said to have naturally extended over its rivalry with the Razorbacks.
On the other hand, between their last win against the Crimson Tide and now, the Razorbacks have been under the leadership of eight different coaches. That is an average of a coach every two years. It needs no telling that the program has been seriously plagued by instability.
Their last win against Alabama in 2006 marked the end of a long and successful era for the Razorbacks. Houston Nutt coached the Razorbacks from 1998 to 2007, leaving them with a 75-46 record. Arkansas even managed back-to-back wins against their rivals under him in 2003 and 2004.
This season, Sam Pittman and Co. will be making another attempt at breaking Alabama’s 16-game winning streak in the rivalry. They are scheduled to face each other on October 14. The Razorbacks, who have won their first two games of the new season, are on a run of good form.
What is unknown is whether their form will last until the big game in October. However, the Crimson Tide remains the favorite to win the game again this season.
Nick Saban’s men are on a search for their first national title since 2020, and Arkansas is one of the hurdles they have to cross along the way.