GAME 1
LOUISIANA TECH
DATE Sept. 3
PLACE Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville
2015 RECORD 9-4, 6-2 Conference USA
COACH Skip Holtz (22-17 in three seasons at Louisiana Tech, 110-88 overall in 16 seasons)
RETURNING STARTERS 6 offense, 3 defense
KEY PLAYERS QB Ryan Higgins, WR Trent Taylor, OT Darrell Brown, FS Xavier Woods.
2013 SCHEDULE
Sept. 3;at Arkansas
Sept. 10;South Carolina State
Sept. 17;at Texas Tech
Sept. 24;at Middle Tennessee State
Oct. 1;Texas-El Paso
Oct.6;Western Kentucky
Oct. 15;at Massachusetts
Oct. 22;at Florida International
Oct. 29;Rice
Nov. 5;at North Texas
Nov. 12;Texas-San Antonio
Nov. 26;at Southern Miss
OUTLOOK Coach Skip Holtz announced that Louisiana Tech senior quarterback Ryan Higgins won’t start against Arkansas after he was arrested and charged with DWI on Aug. 5, but he hasn’t been suspended. Holtz said whether Higgins plays against the Razorbacks will depend on how he responds to several measures he faces after the arrest, including counseling, education about the dangers of drinking and driving and community service. Higgins, who started in 2013 as a freshman but was backup the last two seasons to graduate transfers Cody Sokol and Jeff Driskel, regained the No. 1 job in spring practice. Midway through preseason camp Holtz hadn’t announced a starting quarterback for the opener, but redshirt sophomore Price Wilson was the backup coming into this season. Senior wide receiver Trent Taylor had 99 catches for 1,282 yards and 9 touchdowns last season. Sophomore safety Xavier Woods, who had 56 tackles and 3 interceptions, will lead the defense.
GAME 2
TCU
DATE Sept. 10
PLACE Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, Texas
2015 RECORD 11-2, 7-2 Big 12
COACH Gary Patterson (143-47 in 15 seasons)
RETURNING STARTERS 3 offense, 8 defense
KEY PLAYERS DE Josh Carraway, LB Travin McFarland, QB Kenny Hill, WR KaVontae Turpin
2016 SCHEDULE
Sept. 3;South Dakota State
Sept. 10;Arkansas
Sept. 17;Iowa State
Sept. 23;at SMU
Oct. 1;Oklahoma
Oct. 8;at Kansas
Oct. 22;at West Virginia
Oct. 29;Texas Tech
Nov. 5;at Baylor
Nov. 19;Oklahoma State
Nov. 25;at Texas
Dec. 3;Kansas State
OUTLOOK Add TCU to the list of former Southwest Conference rivals the Razorbacks have scheduled since joining the SEC along with Texas, SMU, Texas A&M (before the Aggies joined them in the SEC) and Texas Tech. The Razorbacks and Horned Frogs are playing for the first time since 1991, when Arkansas won 22-21 at Fort Worth. Gary Patterson is going into his 19th season at TCU, including 16th as head coach after being defensive coordinator from 1998-2000. The Horned Frogs should again be stout on defense, led by senior end Josh Carraway — an All-Big 12 pick last season when he had 9 sacks — and junior linebacker Travin Howard, who had 105 tackles last season. Junior Kenny Hill, who redshirted last year after transferring from Texas A&M, is expected to win the starting quarterback job. He completed 21 of 41 passes for 386 yards and 4 touchdowns in the Aggies’ 35-28 victory over the Razorbacks in overtime in 2014, including the game-winning score on a 25-yard pass to Malcome Kennedy.
GAME 3
TEXAS STATE
DATE Sept. 17
PLACE Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville
2015 RECORD 3-9, 2-6 Sun Belt Conference
COACH Everett Withers (first season at Texas State, 25-13 overall in three seasons).
RETURNING STARTERS 4 offense, 6 defense
KEY PLAYERS QB Tyler Jones, DL Dallas McClarty, FS Damani Alexcee, LB Frank Griffin.
2016 SCHEDULE
Sept. 3;at Ohio
Sept. 17;at Arkansas
Sept. 24;Houston
Oct. 1;Incarnate Word
Oct. 8;at Georgia State
Oct. 15;at Louisiana-Monroe
Oct. 22;Louisiana-Lafayette
Nov. 5;at Appalachian State
Nov. 12;Idaho
Nov. 19;at New Mexico State
Nov. 26;Troy
Dec. 3;Arkansas State
OUTLOOK Texas State has an open date before playing Arkansas. It doesn’t figure to help the Bobcats, who are facing a massive rebuilding job after appearing to be making progress under Dennis Franchione, the former coach at New Mexico, TCU, Alabama and Texas A&M. Franchione led Texas State to records of 6-6 in 2013 and and 7-5 in 2014 in the program’s third and fourth seasons as a Football Bowl Subdivision team. More was expected last season, but the Bobcats slumped to 3-9 and Franchione retired. With Texas State losing 33 lettermen, it’s tough to see first-year Coach Everett Withers improving much on that mark. Sun Belt coaches picked the Bobcats to finish 10th in the conference. Texas State at least has an experienced quarterback in senior Tyler Jones, who has started 31 games and passed for 6,284 yards and 44 touchdowns and rushed for 1,379 yards and 16 touchdowns. Withers led James Madison to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs the last two seasons and had a 7-6 record as North Carolina’s interim coach in 2011.
GAME 4
TEXAS A&M
DATE Sept. 24
PLACE AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
2015 RECORD 8-5, 4-4 SEC
COACH Kevin Sumlin (36-16 in four seasons at Texas A&M, 71-33 in eight seasons overall)
RETURNING STARTERS 6 offense, 6 defense
KEY PLAYERS DE Myles Garrett, DE Daeshon Hall, QB Trevor Knight, WR Christian Kirk.
2016 SCHEDULE
Sept. 3;UCLA
Sept. 10;Prairie View A&M
Sept. 17;at Auburn
Sept. 24;vs Arkansas
Oct. 1;at South Carolina
Oct. 8;Tennessee
Oct. 22;at Alabama
Oct. 29;New Mexico State
Nov. 5;at Mississippi State
Nov. 12;Ole Miss
Nov. 19;Texas-San Antonio
Nov. 24;LSU
OUTLOOK Things haven’t been the same for the Aggies since Johnny Manziel won the Heisman Trophy in 2012 and they went 11-2 with a 41-13 victory over Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl. That was supposed to be the beginning of good times for Texas A&M, but instead the Aggies are a combined 25-14 the last three seasons, including 11-13 in the SEC. The Aggies also keep having highly-rated quarterbacks transfer — to TCU, Oklahoma and Houston — putting extra heat on Coach Kevin Sumlin to deliver with Kyle Field having been expanded to a capacity of 102,577. Sumlin is hoping Trevor Knight — a graduate transfer from Oklahoma — can help bring some maturity and stability to the program. Knight has a talented group of receivers, led by Christian Kirk (80 catches for 1,007 yards last season) and Josh Reynolds (51 for 907). The Aggies should get plenty of pressure on opposing quarterbacks with defensive ends Myles Garrett (12.5 sacks last season) and Daeshon Hall. So there are playmakers on both sides of the ball. A key for the Aggies will be surviving a schedule that has UCLA, Auburn and Arkansas among the first four games.
GAME 5
ALCORN STATE
DATE Oct. 1
PLACE War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock
2015 RECORD 9-4, 7-2 Southwestern Athletic Conference
COACH Fred McNair (first season)
RETURNING STARTERS 5 offense, 6 defense
KEY PLAYERS QB Lenorris Footman, WR Marquis Warford, LB Mike Hurns, DE Stacey Garner.
2016 SCHEDULE
Sept. 4;vs Bethune Cookman in Dayton Beach, Fla.
Sept. 10;Alabama State
Sept. 15;Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Sept. 24;at Grambling State
Oct. 1;at Arkansas (Little Rock)
Oct. 8;at Alabama A&M
Oct. 15;Texas Southern
Oct. 29;Southern
Nov. 5;at Prairie View A&M
Nov. 12;at Mississippi Valley State
Nov. 19;Jackson State
OUTLOOK Alcorn State will try to win its third consecutive SWAC championship with a new coach who has a familiar name. Fred McNair — older brother of the late Steve McNair, who led the Tennessee Titans to the Super Bowl and arguably is the most famous player ever for Alcorn State — takes over as the Braves’ coach after being an assistant the previous four seasons. Fred McNair, who like his brother played quarterback for Alcorn, is replacing Jay Hopson. Southern Mississippi hired Hopson as its coach after he led Alcorn State to a 28-6 record the previous three seasons. The Braves are led by dual-threat junior quarterback Lenorris Footman. He passed for 1,106 yards and 14 touchdowns last season and rushed for 1,023 yards and 11 touchdowns. Senior defensive end Stacey Garner had 15 tackles for losses totaling 50 yards last season. Brantley Kenyon, a sophomore from Crossett, is expected to start at defensive tackle. He had 23 tackles last season.
GAME 6
ALABAMA
DATE Oct. 8
PLACE Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville
2015 RECORD 14-1, 7-1 SEC
COACH Nick Saban (100-18 in nine seasons at Alabama, 191-60-1 in 20 seasons overall)
RETURNING STARTERS 6 offense, 5 defense
KEY PLAYERS TE O.J. Howard, WR Calvin Ridley, SS Eddie Jackson, DE Jonathan Allen
2016 SCHEDULE
Sept. 3;vs Southern California (Arlington, Texas)
Sept. 10;Western Kentucky
Sept. 17;at Ole Miss
Sept. 24;Kent State
Oct. 1;Kentucky
Oct. 8;at Arkansas
Oct. 15;at Tennessee
Oct. 22;Texas A&M
Nov. 5;at LSU
Nov. 12;Mississippi State
Nov. 19;Tennessee-Chattanooga
Nov. 26;Auburn
OUTLOOK Nick Saban hasn’t lost to Arkansas since returning to the SEC as Alabama’s coach for the 2007 season. Including five seasons at LSU, Saban is 12-2 vs the Razorbacks. Not many other SEC teams have beaten Saban, either. He has a 77-24 conference record in 14 seasons at LSU and Alabama, including 57-12 with the Crimson Tide — and four of those losses were in 2007. Alabama is picked to win the SEC again this season and is a preseason No. 1 in many national polls. If the Tide, who beat Clemson 45-40 in last year’s title game, can win a second consecutive national championship, it will be the sixth for Saban and tie him with Bear Bryant. Alabama must break in a new starting quarterback for the third consecutive season — junior Cooper Bateman is the likely choice — and is depending on new tailbacks, but the roster is loaded with talented. Saban is ranked No. 1 a lot on national signing day, too. Whoever is the staring quarterback has big-time targets in wide receiver Calvin Ridley (89 catches for 1,045 yards and 7 touchdowns last season) and tight end O.J. Howard (38 catches for 602 yards). Sophomores Bo Scarbrough and Damian Harris are expected to be the next star tailbacks running behind an offensive line led by tackle Cam Robinson. Senior Defensive end Jonathan Allen had six sacks last season and senior strong safety Eddie Jackson had six interceptions.
GAME 7
OLE MISS
DATE Oct. 15
PLACE Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville
2015 RECORD 10-3, 6-2 SEC
COACH Hugh Freeze (34-18 in four seasons at Ole Miss, 64-25 in seven seasons overall)
RETURNING STARTERS 3 offense, 5 defense
KEY PLAYERS QB Chad Kelly, TE Evan Engram, DE Marquis Haynes, DB Tony Conner
2016 SCHEDULE
Sept. 5;vs Florida State (Orlando, Fla.)
Sept. 10;Wofford
Sept. 17;Alabama
Sept. 24;Georgia
Oct. 1;Memphis
Oct. 15;at Arkansas
Oct. 22;at LSU
Oct. 29;Auburn
Nov. 5;Georgia Southern
Nov. 12;at Texas A&M
Nov. 19;at Vanderbilt
Nov. 26;Mississippi State
OUTLOOK The Rebels’ schedule is loaded at the start. Two of their first three games are against Florida State and Alabama, teams in the top five in every preseason poll. After playing the Crimson Tide, Ole Miss’ next three SEC games are against Georgia and at Arkansas and LSU. Fortunately for the Rebels, they’ve got the SEC’s top quarterback — senior Chad Kelly — to lead them. Kelly, a second-team All-SEC pick behind Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott last year, completed 298 if 458 passes (65.1 percent) last season for 4,042 yards and 31 touchdowns with 13 interceptions. He also rushed for 500 yards and 10 touchdowns. Evan Engram (38 catches for 464 yards) is one of the top tight ends in the nation. Junior defensive end Marquis Haynes combined fior 17.5 sacks the last two seasons. The Rebels lost three first-round NFL Draft picks in offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, wide receiver Laquon Treadwell and defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche, but Coach Hugh Freeze put together some highly-rated recruiting classes to help build the talent base. If the Rebels can beat Alabama for a third consecutive year, they’ll show Ole Miss is a serious national contender.
GAME 8
AUBURN
DATE Oct. 22
PLACE Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Ala.
2015 RECORD 7-6, 2-6 SEC
COACH Gus Malzahn (27-13 in three seasons at Auburn, 36-16 overall in four seasons)
RETURNING STARTERS 6 offense, 6 defense
KEY PLAYERS QB John Franklin, DE Carl Lawson, DT Montravius Adams, LB Tre Williams.
2016 SCHEDULE
Sept. 3;Clemson
Sept. 10;Arkansas State
Sept. 17;Texas A&M
Sept. 24;LSU
Oct. 1;Louisiana-Monroe
Oct. 8;at Mississippi State
Oct. 22;Arkansas
Oct. 29;at Ole Miss
Nov. 5;Vanderbilt
Nov. 12;at Georgia
Nov. 19;Alabama A&M
Nov. 26;at Alabama
OUTLOOK Jeremy Johnson and Sean White both return after splitting starts at quarterback last season, but junior college transfer John Franklin might emerge as the No. 1 guy. He’s a quarterback who began at his college career at a big-time school, then transferred to a junior college before making Auburn his third stop. Tigers Coach Gus Malzahn has done well with two other quarterbacks at Auburn who followed that path in Cam Newton and Nick Marshall. Newton, who began his career at Florida before taking a detour to Blinn (Texas) Community College, led Auburn to the 2010 national championship with Malzahn as his offensive coordinator. Marshall, who began his career at Georgia and transferred to Garden City (Kan.) Community College, led Auburn to the SEC championship and a national title game appearance against Florida State in 2013, Malzahn’s first season as the Tigers’ coach. Franklin began his career at Florida State and played at Northeast Mississippi Community College. Like Newton and Marshall, he’s a dual threat — the type who has flourished in Malzahn’s offense. Time will tell if he can be the quarterback Malzahn needs to turn the Tigers around after they struggled to a 7-6 record last season.
GAME 9
FLORIDA
DATE Nov. 5
PLACE Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville
2015 RECORD 10-4, 7-1 SEC
COACH Jim McElwain (10-4 in one season at Florida, 32-20 overall in four seasons)
RETURNING STARTERS 4 offense, 6 defense
KEY PLAYERS CB Jalen Tabor, DE Bryan Cox Jr., LB Jarrad Davis, DT Caleb Brantley
2016 SCHEDULE
Sept. 3;Massachusetts
Sept. 10;Kentucky
Sept. 1;North Texas
Sept 24;at Tennessee
Oct. 1;at Vanderbilt
Oct. 8 ;LSU
Oct. 15 ;Missouri
Oct. 29;Georgia (at Jacksonville, Fla.)
Nov. 5;at Arkansas
Nov. 12;South Carolina
Nov. 19;Presbyterian
Nov. 26;at Florida State
OUTLOOK Maybe this is finally the time for Arkansas to win an SEC game against Florida. The Razorbacks’ only victory over the Gators was in the Bluebonnet Bowl, 28-24 in 1982, 10 years before joining the SEC. Since the Razorbacks moved from the Southwest Conference to the SEC, they’re 0-9 against the Gators. That includes two losses in the SEC Championship Game in 1995 and 2006. The reason this may be Arkansas’ best shot to end its losing streak against Florida is because they get the Gators at home and Florida is still working its way back to the top of the conference. Yes, the Gators won the SEC East last year in Coach Jim McElwain’s first season, but they benefitted from playing in a weak division. The Gators’ flaws were exposed in their final three games when they lost to Florida State, Alabama and Michigan by a combined 97-24. The Gators should be stout on defense again, but scoring points figures to continue to be an issue until McElwain can put a couple more recruiting classes together. Florida’s offensive struggles were most apparent up front last season, when the Gators allowed 45 sacks. They’ll have to protect their quarterback — likely junior Luke Del Rio — to have a shot to repeat as East champions.
GAME 10
LSU
DATE Nov. 12
PLACE Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville
2015 RECORD 9-3, 5-3 SEC
COACH Les Miles (112-32 in 11 seasons at LSU, 140-53 in 15 seasons overall)
RETURNING STARTERS 9 offense, 8 defense
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS TB Leonard Fournette, QB Brandon Harris, LB Kendell Beckwith, FS Jamal Adams
2016 SCHEDULE
Sept. 3;vs Wisconsin (Green Bay, Wis.)
Sept. 10;Jacksonville (Ala.) State
Sept. 17;Mississippi State
Sept. 24;at Auburn
Oct. 1;Missouri
Oct. 8;at Florida
Oct. 15;Southern Mississippi
Oct. 22;Ole Miss
Nov. 5;Alabama
Nov. 12;at Arkansas
Nov. 19;South Alabama
Nov. 24;at Texas A&M
OUTLOOK Junior tailback Leonard Fournette enters the season as a leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy after he rushed for a school-record 1,953 yards last year. But LSU likely won’t win the SEC championship — which could impact Fournette’s Heisman chances — unless the Tigers can produce well enough in the passing game to keep defenses from totally selling out to stop Fournette. Most teams couldn’t stop him last season, but Alabama held him to 31 yards on 19 carries and Arkansas held him to 91 yards on 19 carries. The Tigers’ losses to the Crimson Tide 30-16 and to the Razorbacks 31-14, along with a 38-7 loss to Ole Miss, ruined LSU’s 7-0 start and put Coach Les Miles in danger of losing his job. Miles is back for at LSU for a 12th season, making him the dean of SEC coaches, thanks to the Tigers closing the regular season with a 19-7 victory over Texas A&M and an outpouring of fan support for Miles before the game. But that support — from the administration and fans — could erode quickly if the Tigers can’t produce some balance on offense to help Fournette. Junior Brandon Harris, in his second season as a starter at quarterback, should have the experience to go with a strong arm and talented receivers Malachi Dupre and Travin Dural to make the passing game go. That’s likely what the Tigers will need to stop their five-game losing streak against Alabama and beat Arkansas for the first time since 2013.
GAME 11
MISSISSIPPI STATE
DATE Nov. 19
PLACE Scott Field, Starkville, Miss.
2015 RECORD 9-4, 4-4 SEC
COACH Dan Mullen (55-35 in seven seasons at Mississippi State)
RETURNING STARTERS 5 offense, 6 defense
KEY PLAYERS WR Fred Ross, TB Brandon Holloway, LB Richie Brown, DE A.J. Jefferson
2016 SCHEDULE
Sept. 3;South Alabama
Sept. 10;South Carolina
Sept. 17;at LSU
Sept. 24;at Massachusetts
Oct. 8;Auburn
Oct. 14;at BYU
Oct. 22;at Kentucky
Oct. 29;Samford
Nov. 5;Texas A&M
Nov. 12;at Alabama
Nov. 19;Arkansas
Nov. 26;at Ole Miss
OUTLOOK Dak Prescott, who quarterbacked the Bulldogs to a 19-7 record the previous two seasons, has moved on to the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys. It’s tough to see the Bulldogs not taking a bit of a step back after losing a player who set school a ton of school records, including 11,985 yards in total offense and 115 touchdowns passing and rushing. But they shouldn’t fall too far back given that Coach Dan Mullen has led Mississippi State to six consecutive bowl games. Mullen, who was Urban Meyer’s offensive coordinator at Florida, knows how to develop quarterbacks and he should figure out a way to have a reliable one this season from among senior Damian Williams, sophomore Nick Fitzgerald and redshirt freshman Nick Tiano. Fitzgerald was the backup last season, but Williams redshirted so he’d be able to compete for the job this year. Wide receiver Fred Ross will be a huge asset to whoever quarterbacks the team after he had 88 catches for 1,007 yards last season. Senior tailback Brandon Holloway last season combined for 809 yards rushing and receiving. Senior linebacker Richie Brown had a team-high 109 tackles last season, including 6.5 sacks. Defensive end A.J. Jefferson, a senior, had 13.5 tackles last season for 63 yards in losses.
GAME 12
MISSOURI
DATE Nov. 25
PLACE Faurot Field, Columbia, Mo.
2015 RECORD 5-7, 1-7 SEC
COACH Barry Odom (first season)
RETURNING STARTERS 5 offense, 8 defense
KEY PLAYERS DE Charles Harris, LB Michael Scherer, QB Drew Lock, TE Sean Culkin.
2016 SCHEDULE
Sept. 3;at West Virginia
Sept. 10;Eastern Michigan
Sept. 17;Georgia
Sept 24;Delaware State
Oct. 1;at LSU
Oct. 15;at Florida
Oct. 22;Middle Tennessee State
Oct. 29;Kentucky
Nov. 5;at South Carolina
Nov. 12;Vanderbilt
Nov. 19;at Tennessee
Nov. 25;Arkansas
OUTLOOK Missouri fell to a tie for last in the SEC East with South Carolina last season after winning back-to-back division titles. Despite the poor record, the defense continued to play at a high level. Missouri ranked fifth nationally in scoring defense (16.2 points per game) and sixth in total defense (302.0 yards). That performance earned defensive coordinator Barry Odom the head coaching job, replacing the retiring Gary Pinkel. As well as the defense played, it couldn’t overcome an offense crippled by the suspension of quarterback Maty Mauk, who after the season was dismissed from the team and transferred to Eastern Kentucky. With Drew Lock forced to start at quarterback as a true freshman the final eight games, the Tigers finished 127th nationally in scoring offense (13.6 points) and 125th in total offense (280.9 yards). For Missouri to get back on track and at least be bowl eligible, the Tigers need their defense to play as well as did last season — which is possible with their talent and experience— but have their offense take massive strides, especially Lock. At least there appears to be some stability in the administration with Jim Sterk coming from San Diego State to become athletic director and replace Mack Rhoades, who resigned to go to Baylor during Missouri’s appearance at SEC media days. There were three interim athletic directors before Sterk’s hiring