Greg McElroy explains why he's looking forward to Texas at Arkansas on 2024 SEC schedule

The Southeastern Conference released its 2024 SEC schedule matchups a few weeks ago, highlighting the addition of Oklahoma and Texas to the league with a handful of marquee games in their inaugural season.

And while fans and programs alike await a more permanent scheduling solution, there are plenty of juicy games to whet the appetite until then. ESPN analyst Greg McElroy has one in particular circled.

“Even though we saw this game just a couple years ago — I was on the call for it — it was one of the most chaotic and intense environments I’ve been in the booth for: Texas at Arkansas,” McElroy said.

In that matchup in 2021, Arkansas raced out to an early lead following a very defensive first quarter. By halftime the Hogs were up 16-0.

Texas managed to score an early Bijan Robinson touchdown after halftime, only to watch the Hogs score 17 straight to stretch the lead out considerably. Arkansas finished the game 40-21 winners.

That’s not necessarily a typical reflection of the old-school matchup that will reappear on the 2024 SEC schedule, though. Texas leads the all-time series 56-23, though the teams stopped meeting regularly following the 1991 season, thanks to Arkansas’ move to the SEC.

The two fanbases now have different views of the big game.

“Now Texas does not view Arkansas as a rival,” McElroy said. “But I can promise you Arkansas views Texas as one. So that is rounding out the top five of the games that I’m most looking forward to that are relatively new in the 2024 SEC schedule.”

Though the 2024 SEC schedule does not yet have dates, both programs know the list of other opponents they’ll play. And it’s quite possible the Arkansas game ends up tucked into a tricky part of the schedule for Texas.

Texas will play all four of its non-conference games before beginning SEC play, so there will be no reprieve from a lighter non-conference game the week before or after Arkansas. Among those non-conference foes in 2024 is Michigan.

And the 2024 SEC schedule for Texas is also tough. The Longhorns will face Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma and Texas A&M among its eight conference opponents.

Arkansas, meanwhile, takes on Oklahoma State on the road and Louisiana Tech in the non-conference before facing a much more manageable SEC slate.