Sarkisian: Texas ecstatic to renew Texas A&M, Arkansas rivalries
Coach Steve Sarkisian is among those eager to see Texas renew storied rivalries against Texas A&M and Arkansas this season as the team joins the SEC.
"I've been part of some great rivalries in college football, and I know there was so much talk about realignment, and I know realignment looks different for every school, but for us, we gained two rivals back," Sarkisian said Wednesday at SEC meetings, according to ESPN's Heather Dinich.
Both Texas and Oklahoma will officially become members of the SEC on July 1.
"We're playing Arkansas again, which is great for Texas and Longhorn nation," he added. "We get A&M back. The game with A&M, you're talking about houses divided, you're talking about decades of tremendous games and Thanksgiving weekend. To get that game back, we're looking forward to it, I'm sure A&M is, too. I've got a ton of respect for coach (Mike) Elko."
The Longhorns will travel to Arkansas on Nov. 16 in the first in-conference meeting between the two programs since 1991 when both were members of the Southwest Conference. Although Texas has dominated the series with a record of 56-23, Arkansas walked away with a win in their last meeting during the 2021 season.
Though the two programs have played only six times since 2000, Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman said the rivalry remains strong among fans.
"Our rival has been Texas when we didn't play Texas. You can feel it in the state. We did have an opportunity to play Texas two or three seasons ago, and it was a big, big deal for the state of Arkansas," Pittman said.
The 2024 season will also feature Texas renewing hostilities with Texas A&M on Nov. 30 for the first time since the Aggies left the Big 12 and joined the SEC in 2012. The Longhorns have bested their in-state rivals with a 76-37 all-time series record, plus five ties over the course of their feud.
Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte said he's optimistic the game will remain on Thanksgiving weekend for what was at one time an annual tradition.
"Maybe it's Friday," Del Conte said. "But as long as we're playing? Strap it on."