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SEC Football

Battle Line Rivalry foes Arkansas and Missouri headed toward undefeated non-conference seasons?

Michael Wayne Bratton

By Michael Wayne Bratton

Published:

When Arkansas and Missouri meet in Fayetteville next season on Nov. 25 for the ninth edition of the Battle Line Rivalry, the stakes could be much higher than in last season’s tilt.

While the Razorbacks will be eager to gain some revenge for last season’s embarrassing second-half collapse that resulted in a 28-24 loss to its cross-division rival, the Tigers could likely enter the contest with an improved mark thanks to what appears to be a light non-conference schedule. But it won’t just be Mizzou that looks to have it easy outside the SEC, Arkansas also has what appears to be an easy non-conference slate.

In a recent ESPN blog post by Chris Low, the ESPN SEC writer ranked Missouri with the nation’s No. 5 ‘easiest 2017 non-conference slates’ and ranked Arkansas not far behind them at No. 10 in the nation.

Missouri opens the 2017 season at home Sept. 2 against Missouri State, welcomes Purdue to Columbia Sept. 16, hosts Idaho for homecoming Oct. 21 and travels to UConn Oct. 28. Those teams went a combined 19-29 in 2016 and those records were inflated thanks to Idaho’s 9-4 campaign. Both Purdue and UConn will be under first-year coaches at both schools after the previous staffs were fired.

Arkansas opens the 2017 season in Little Rock Sept. 2 against Florida A&M, gets a return visit from TCU on Sept. 9 after the Hogs traveled to Fort Worth and won last season, host New Mexico State Sept. 30 and finish up the regular season non-conference slate at home against Coastal Carolina Nov. 4. Facing each of those opponents inside the state of Arkansas will only make things easier, while going up against four schools that racked up a combined nine wins against FBS competition in 2016 should help matter even more.

If the Razorbacks can finally get over the hump and beat Texas A&M in Arlington, it could set up for a big season for the Hogs. Arkansas has only four true road games in 2017 (at South Carolina, at Alabama, at Ole Miss, and at LSU) with Auburn, Mississippi State, and Missouri all coming into Fayetteville next season.

Regardless of what happens in SEC play, don’t be surprised to see both Arkansas and Missouri take full advantage of favorable scheduling and bounce back in the win-loss column for 2017.

Michael Wayne Bratton

A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com

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