For Arizona, the focus has been on sustaining control through execution and limiting the swings that can change a tournament run in seconds. Meanwhile, Arkansas brings a more unpredictable edge.

Now everything compresses into one night where style, rhythm and adjustments collide. In a setting where the bracket resets emotionally after every possession, this game becomes less about reputation and more about who can survive.

What happens if Arizona beat Arkansas today?

Arizona advances to the Elite Eight if it beats Arkansas in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA March Madness. The Wildcats would extend their run in the 2026 NCAA Tournament and move one step closer to the Final Four.

A win would also reinforce Arizona’s status as one of the most complete teams in the bracket, with a balanced roster that has been efficient on both ends of the floor throughout the tournament.

On the other side, Arkansas would see its March Madness journey come to an immediate end. Despite strong performances to reach the Sweet 16, a loss eliminates the Razorbacks from contention.

What happens if Arizona and Arkansas tie?

There is no tie scenario in the NCAA Tournament. In the Sweet 16 of the NCAA March Madness, every game must produce a winner, meaning Arizona and Arkansas cannot finish level at any point that ends the game.

If the score is tied at the end of regulation, the game moves into overtime periods of five minutes each. Teams continue playing additional overtime frames until one side finishes ahead on the scoreboard.

What happens if Arizona lose to Arkansas today?

Arizona is eliminated from the NCAA Tournament if it loses to Arkansas in the Sweet 16. Despite entering as one of the strongest teams in the West Region, a single loss in this stage ends all title hopes.

A defeat would mark another early exit in a high-pressure postseason environment, something Tommy Lloyd‘s team has been trying to overcome in recent tournament runs.

Manning and the Longhorns showed no mercy against the Razorbacks. It wasn’t Texas’ cleanest outing, but it was a much-needed offensive eruption. With the final week of the 2025 college football regular season approaching, spirits are running high on The Forty Acres.

In Fayetteville, however, the mood couldn’t be more different. Petrino didn’t bother sugarcoating his thoughts as he addressed the weight of yet another conference loss. Arkansas remains the only school without a SEC win, and it’s about to fire its last bullet in the chamber as it prepares to face the Missouri Tigers during Rivalry Week.

“There’s not a lot left, you know,” Petrino admitted, via The Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette. “For the first time, I felt like there were a couple of guys on the team that’s attitude wasn’t where it needed to be. That’s not what we are. Not what we want.“

Arkansas’ last beacon of hope

As painful as it is to admit, the Razorbacks’ season has effectively been over for weeks. With no conference wins and just two victories on the year, the 2025 campaign will go down as a major letdown for a program that won a bowl game in 2024.

After Sam Pittman was fired, Petrino took the reins and is now asking his team for one final push. Not for themselves, but for the seniors who will walk away from college football after Saturday’s game. When the clock hits zero, several players will leave Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville for the last time. Petrino wants his team to send them off with pride, hoping to change the tune of what has been an embarrassing season.

“Got a whole bunch of guys in the room that have one more game left,” Petrino added. “I asked them if they would make sure that we finish practicing correctly and get ready to play. Work as hard as we can to get a win at home.”

Beat Missouri

The Battle Line Rivalry is always an electric matchup in college football. Though the Tigers and Razorbacks will only be meeting for the 17th time in schools history, both sides are desperate for a win. No. 22 Missouri (7-4, 3-4 SEC) are the clear-cut favorite.

Arkansas and Petrino, however, are determined to shock the school in Columbia. “It’d mean the world to me,” Petrino honestly commented on potentially securing a win against Missouri. “I’ll treat it like my Super Bowl.”

On paper, the 2-9 (0-7 SEC) Arkansas should never be a threat to Texas at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Still, in the NCAA, anything can happen on any given Saturday. The Longhorns didn’t try their luck, steamrolling the Razorbacks to keep playoff hopes alive in The Lone Star State.

Following the win over Arkansas, Texas improved to 8-3 on the season while boasting a 5-2 mark in the SEC. Now, the Longhorns head into a decisive rivalry matchup with the No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies (11-0, 7-0 SEC). It won’t be an easy task by any means, but riding on Manning’s shoulders, Texas is as confident as ever. On that note, the sophomore quarterback admitted that struggling throughout the year has helped him reach his current form.

“I think going through tough games and the struggle. I feel like I needed that as a quarterback,” Manning admitted postgame, via Inside Texas. “It’s not easy, but trying to overcome it and really just going through those, seeing different looks and experiences playing against tough teams has helped me a lot.“

Manning’s numbers against Arkansas

Without a doubt, Manning put on his best game of the 2025 NCAA season—and his college football career—during the 52-37 victory over the Razorbacks. Manning finished the game with 18 completions for 389 yards, 4 touchdown passes, and no turnovers. His production didn’t end there, as the heir to football’s royal quarterback family added another touchdown through the ground, and even caught a pass for a score.

Still, the 21-year-old wasn’t satisfied with the way the game played out. “But today wasn’t all that clean. We’ve got a lot of things to clean up. Could have been way better,” Arch Manning noted on the Longhorns’ performance.

Lone Star Showdown will decide Texas’ fate

Facing off against the Aggies in the college football season finale is always a pivotal matchup for the Longhorns. Whenever Texas and Texas A&M meet, the game is circled in red in the calendar. Still, this time around, it will be all the more decisive.

A win over the only undefeated program in the Southeastern Conference would surely earn the Longhorns a ticket to the College Football Playoffs. However, a loss would most likely end their hopes of making the postseason. With an 8-4 (5-3 conference) record, Manning and Texas’ claim would be severely hampered. Thus, the Lone Star Showdown at The Forty Acres will be one of the most important meetings between the despised schools in Texas in recent history.

The elephant in the room is impossible to overlook for Manning and the Longhorns. Losing to Georgia in embarrassing fashion once again was far from what Texas expected in the 2025 college football season. The saying is proving to be true: the more things change, the more they stay the same. For the Longhorns, the Dawgs have proven to be a hurdle they can’t get past.

However, it’s not worth crying over spilled milk. Instead, Manning and the Longhorns must change the tune as they gear up to host the Razorbacks. On that note, Sarkisian delivered a firm message on what Arkansas brings to the table.

“[Arkansas’] record is not indicative of the way these guys have been playing,” Sarkisian admitted per Inside Texas. “They’ve played four road games. They’ve lost by a combined 11 points on the road, most recently they lost 23-22 at LSU. Very tight ballgames. They’ve got a very explosive offense, who can run it, who can throw it. They pose a ton of challenges for us.”

Lesson learned for Manning and Texas

Sarkisian made sure to remind his players not to judge a book by its cover—or in this case, a program by its record. Just like the Longhorns believe they are better than what their 7-3 (4-2 SEC) record shows, Arkansas may not be an ‘average Joe’ with its 2-8 (0-6 conference) mark in the 2025 NCAA season.

Plus, Texas has already had its fair share of struggles against SEC schools that should’ve had no business being competitive if it were for their record. The Longhorns lost to Florida, and barely squeaked past Kentucky and Mississippi State—all of whom combine for a 5-16 record against league opponents.

If Manning and the Longhorns have learned their lesson, they should come out firing on Saturday, when the Razorbacks take the field at Darrell K. Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium. Anything short of a convincing victory over the only winless program in the Southeastern Conference would effectively end Manning and company’s hopes of making the 12-team College Football Playoffs.

While the latest loss to the Irish was a decisive one, it wasn’t the main reason why Pittman lost his position as head coach of the Razorbacks’ first team.

Marcus Freeman was, in a way, one of the main figures in this story, as his team soundly crushed their opponent last weekend at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. The Irish head coach spoke to the media about what unfolded after the game.

“You never want to see somebody in any profession lose their job,” he said. “He’s a man that has a family, but this is the profession we chose. So, the human side of you feels for him and his family. But he’s going to be okay because he’s a — I don’t know him personally, but I’ve heard he is a competitive, great human. Competitive, good, selfless people succeed.

“That’s what we need on our team and our world, like competitive fighters who are selfless, that put others in front of themselves. I’ve heard those types of things about him. My interaction with him pregame was great. Everything I expected from what I’ve heard about who he is.”

Controversial call by the Irish

Freeman and Notre Dame faced some backlash during and after the game for calling a fake punt early in the second half. With the Irish already leading by 29 points at the time, the decision was seen by some as an attempt to unnecessarily run up the score.

“In terms of the fake punt, I didn’t want to relax. We had to come out of that locker room with an aggression no different than the first half. There’s no lead that’s comfortable. There’s no lead that’s comfortable. When we went three-and-out, I think, on that first drive, I felt like it was the right time to send a message to our team. This was about our team that, hey, this is something we’ve worked on. Let’s go execute it,” Freeman said.

“That also is something on film for the next opponents, right? I’m not even thinking about this opponent, but I’m thinking about I want to make sure the next couple opponents see that. It could really make them think deeply about how they want to attack our punt unit.”

After leading the program for six seasons, Pittman compiled a record of 32 wins and 34 losses, falling short of the expectations for this traditional College Football program.

The news of his dismissal was confirmed by NCAAF insider Pete Thamel, who reported the major move by the Razorbacks through his official X account (formerly Twitter).

“Arkansas is firing coach Sam Pittman in the wake of a 2-3 start and blowout home loss to Notre Dame. He went 32-34 over six seasons,” the insider reported via @PeteThamel.

He led Arkansas to a 9–4 record in 2021 (4–4 in the SEC). This marked the program’s highest win total in a decade.

Who will succeed Pittman as head coach?

The sudden decision by the Razorbacks to dismiss Sam Pittman as head coach has sparked many questions about who will be the immediate successor moving forward.

According to reporter Matt Zenitz, who announced via his official X account (formerly Twitter), the choice to take over as interim head coach is Bobby Petrino, Arkansas’ offensive coordinator for the past two seasons.

“Bobby Petrino is set to be named Arkansas’ interim head coach, sources tell @CBSSports. Petrino, who was the Razorbacks’ head coach from 2008-11, had been Sam Pittman’s offensive coordinator at Arkansas the last two seasons.”

What’s next for the Razorbacks?

With the main goal of steering the season in the right direction, here are the upcoming games the Razorbacks will face in College Football:

• @ Tennessee, October 11
• vs Texas A&M, October 18
• vs Auburn, October 25
• vs Mississippi State, November 1
• @ LSU, November 15

According to a report by On3.com, the veteran head coach spoke to the media after the game and confirmed that Brown suffered a broken tibia and fibula during Saturday’s game against the Fighting Irish.

The talented wide receiver was immediately carted off the field and taken to the locker room for initial medical attention. The medical staff is expected to release a full diagnosis later, confirming the extent of the injury.

At this point, the final score feels almost irrelevant, as the entire team was visibly shaken during the game after witnessing the harrowing scenes involving Brown on the field.

Shock among teammates

Moments like the one witnessed during the game between the Razorbacks and the Fighting Irish — marked by Brown’s devastating injury — left most of those in attendance stunned. The media quickly picked up on the gravity of the situation, reporting extensively both during the incident and in the aftermath of the game.

“I’m standing down here on the sideline and as all of his teammates came over, the message was the same: ‘We love you, JB. We’re here for you, JB,’” said ABC’s Taylor McGregor during the broadcast. “Certainly a lot of emotion felt out here on the sideline watching their teammate get put on a cart.”

“Sam Pittman told me there was a lot of emotion in the locker room at halftime and he said, ‘We have to play better,’ and the frustration really boiling over when it comes to the defense,” McGregor also added.

A tough blow for Arkansas

It was a night of pure humiliation for the Arkansas Razorbacks as the No. 22 Notre Dame Fighting Irish stormed into Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium and delivered a devastating 56-13 defeat. The contest was over almost before it began, with Notre Dame’s offense, led by quarterback CJ Carr and the explosive Jeremiyah Love, scoring touchdowns on all six of their first-half possessions to build an insurmountable 42-13 halftime lead.

The Razorbacks’ defense, which surrendered a staggering 641 total yards, had no answer for the Irish’s balanced attack, prompting early departures from a shell-shocked home crowd and immediately igniting fierce speculation about the job security of head coach Sam Pittman. This brutal, nationally televised blowout marks a severe low point for the program and leaves the team reeling as they head into a crucial bye week.

Following the Gators’ crowning in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, Golden will have to re-build the championship roster as key players will be stepping into the NBA, including Walter Clayton Jr. All five starters during Florida’s title win over Houston will participate in the NBA Combine or the G-League Elite Camp.

Florida will vie to repeat their national championship in 2026, though it’s much easier said than done as the road to glory in college basketball will include visits to hostile environments across the country, in addition to the frenzy during March Madness, where anything can happen.

Still, there are positive signs in Gainesville as Golden and the Gators have signed a former Arkansas star who thrived under Calipari in Fayetteville during his freshman year in college basketball.

According to reports from Rob Reinhart, Golden’s Florida is signing Arkansas transfer Boogie Fland off the portal. Fland was one of the most productive players in Calipari’s team during the 2024-25 campaign.

Fland’s impact during freshman year

Fland entered the program in Fayetteville as a five-star recruit, according to ESPN‘s rankings, and his first year with the Razorbacks didn’t disappoint as he finished with a team second-best average of 13.5 points per game in 21 appearances, of which he started 18 games.

Fland played an average of 31.8 minutes a game, averaging 3.2 rebounds and a team-high of 5.1 assists while shooting at .379 FG%. Fland is expected to build on those numbers and become a pivotal piece of Golden’s system during the 2025-26 season, when the Gators attempt to achieve back-to-back championships, as they accomplished during the 2006 and 2007 seasons.

[Watch Texas Tech vs Arkansas online for FREE in the US on Fubo]

Texas Tech and Arkansas will meet in the 2024 Liberty Bowl, both aiming to end their seasons with a win. Arkansas have been hit hard by the transfer portal, fielding a depleted roster, which has shifted the betting line in favor of Texas Tech.

The Raiders enter with nearly a full-strength squad, looking to capitalize on their healthier lineup and build momentum into the offseason. With both teams motivated for a season-ending victory, the Liberty Bowl is set to be an intriguing matchup.

When will the Texas Tech vs Arkansas match be played?

Texas Tech play against Arkansas this Friday, December 27th, in the highly anticipated 2024 AutoZone Liberty Bowl. The game will kick off at 7:00 PM (ET).

Texas Tech vs Arkansas: Time by State in the USA

ET: 7:00 PM

CT: 6:00 PM

MT: 5:00 PM

PT: 4:00 PM

How to watch Texas Tech vs Arkansas in the USA

Catch the 2024 college football clash between Texas Tech and Arkansas live on Fubo (free trial). Alternatively, you can tune in to ESPN.

The Tigers (6-1, 3-0 SEC) sit second only to Texas A&M in the conference standings. Both sides will face off next week in a game that could determine a berth in the SEC Championship game. LSU is coming off a solid victory over the Razorbacks, who scheduled their homecoming weekend for when the Baton Rouge program came to town. After the game head coach Kelly was candid about it and sent a strong message to Arkansas.

“Maybe next year they’ll think about maybe not making us homecoming anymore,“ Kelly stated, per On3. “I know this was homecoming. Now we’ve got to go do it again against a really good Texas A&M team at their place. I’m sure they’ll schedule homecoming next week there against us, too. It just seems like we get everybody’s homecoming.”

Though Texas A&M does not schedule a traditional NCAA homecoming game, the upcoming matchup between the Tigers and Aggies will have no shortage of action and emotions, as both sides look to stay undefeated in league play.

Freshman setting records in school history

Saturday’s victory over Arkansas was a big morale boost for the Tigers ahead of a tough two-game stretch against Texas A&M and Alabama. During LSU’s emphatic win in neighbouring territory, one particular Tiger had a historic performance.

Caden Durham, the freshman running back, rushed for 101 yards and three touchdowns against a Razorbacks defense that’s conceded 100+ yards through the ground to an opposing player for the third consecutive week.

Durham’s performance earned him a page in LSU’s record books. He became the first LSU freshman to rush for more than 100 yards and score three touchdowns against an SEC opponent in program history. The freshman’s recent outings have made waves in college football. So far this season he tallies 62 touches, 382 yards and six rushing touchdowns, leading all LSU running backs.

Vanderbilt knocked down No.1 Alabama. Bama is now on the seventh spot and their SEC aspirations have been affected massively by the Commodores’ shocking triumph.

Vandy’s fanbase erupted as the final 40-35 score was confirmed. Fans stormed the field in pure jubilation, tearing down the goalposts, which were eventually thrown into the Cumberland River. The events of October 5th will go down in the university’s history books, though it came with a cost. A price to pay for making history.

Though field-storms have become somewhat traditional in college football, they are not allowed and they result in fines and sanctions. As for their celebrations against Alabama, Vanderbilt University was fined $100,000 for the field storming on Saturday. Should the Commodores make history on October 26th when they host the Texas Longhorns, students and fans should be reminded that, per SEC rules, the next offense will result in a $250,000 fine.

Razorbacks are fined for field-storm after win over Vols

Arkansas took down No.4 Tennessee with a final score of 19-14. The upset win in Week 6 of the NCAA season has caused the Volunteers to tumble to eighth place in the rankings. Though the Razorbacks have had more success in the SEC than their fellow history-makers Commodores, the victory over a Top-5 ranked opponent called for unhinged celebrations. However, Arkansas was not exempt from the SEC economical fine.

“The Southeastern Conference announced today that Vanderbilt University and the University of Arkansas will be fined for violations of the league’s access to competition area policy due to fans entering the field following its football games on October 5,” the conference announced in a statement, via AthlonSports.

The Razorbacks will be back in action on October 19th when they take on the LSU Tigers. On the other hand, the Commodores will get straight back to business as they will visit the Kentucky Wildcats next Saturday.