Alabama vs. Arkansas

Alabama and Arkansas have 34 meetings on file, the first in 1961; officially, Alabama leads 24–⁠8; as played, 27–⁠7 in the games on file. Over the last 10 meetings it’s Alabama 10–⁠0, and Alabama has won the last 17. The NCAA vacated Alabama’s two wins (2005 and 2007); they don’t count officially. Alabama forfeited the 1993 game. This page counts every game as it was played.

Official series
Alabama leads 24–⁠8
Alabama wins on file
27
Arkansas wins on file
7
Ties
0
Earliest on file
1961
Longest streak
17 Alabama
Current streak
17 Alabama
Last 10 meetings
Alabama 10–⁠0
Most recent
2023

The series at a glance

Every meeting by decade, colored by the winner
’0’1’2’3’4’5’6’7’8’9W–L
1960s1–⁠0
1970s1–⁠0
1990s5–⁠3
2000s6–⁠4
2010s10–⁠0
2020s4–⁠0
Both ranked
7 meetings: Alabama 7, Arkansas 0; 3 both in the top 10
Average margin
19.1 points; 13 decided by one score (8 or fewer)
At Alabama
13–⁠3 Alabama’s record at home
At Arkansas
4–⁠12 Arkansas’s record at home
Neutral sites
2–⁠0 Alabama first
Shutouts
2

Every meeting on file, as played. Ranks are the AP poll’s going in.

Games that tell the story

  1. Alabama’s biggest win2013: Alabama 52, Arkansas 0by 52 points
  2. Arkansas’s biggest win1998: Arkansas 42, Alabama 6by 36 points
  3. Upset1997: Arkansas 17, Alabama 16Arkansas had a 17% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
  4. Upset1995: Arkansas 20, Alabama 19Arkansas had a 18% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
  5. Ranked showdown1979: Alabama 24, Arkansas 9No. 6 Arkansas at No. 2 Alabama
  6. Ranked showdown1961: Alabama 10, Arkansas 3No. 9 Arkansas at No. 1 Alabama
  7. Ranked showdown2010: Alabama 24, Arkansas 20No. 1 Alabama at No. 10 Arkansas
  8. Ranked showdown2016: Alabama 49, Arkansas 30No. 1 Alabama at No. 16 Arkansas

Coach against coach

YearsAlabamaSeriesArkansas
1993–⁠1996Gene Stallings3–⁠1Danny Ford
1998–⁠2000Mike DuBose1–⁠2Houston Nutt
2003–⁠2006Mike Shula1–⁠3Houston Nutt
2008–⁠2011Nick Saban4–⁠0Bobby Petrino
2013–⁠2017Nick Saban5–⁠0Bret Bielema
2020–⁠2023Nick Saban4–⁠0Sam Pittman

Head-coach pairings with three or more meetings on file, the series read from Alabama’s side (Stallings 3–⁠1 against Ford). A season split between coaches goes to the one credited with the game.

Both programs through the years

End-of-season Elo ratings of Alabama and Arkansas, 1961 on1300150017001900197019801990200020102020

Our Elo rating at the end of each season, a measure of how strong a team was, not a forecast; 1500 is an average FBS team.

Stars of the series

Biggest days

Bryce Young Alabama31 of 40, 559 yards, 5 TD2021 Passing
Jameson Williams Alabama8 catches, 190 yards, 3 TD2021 Receiving
Darren McFadden Arkansas33 carries, 195 yards, 2 TD2007 Rushing
Landon Jackson Arkansas11 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 3.5 for loss2023 Defense
Minkah Fitzpatrick Alabama5 tackles, 3 INT, 1 TD2016 Defense

Named most valuable

Major Ogilvie Alabama1979
Mike Fracchia1961

Biggest days: the week’s best individual games by our big-days rule, from box scores (2004 on). Most valuable: as the games’ Wikipedia articles name them (CC BY-SA).

Every game

Oct 14, 202311Alabama 24, Arkansas 21at Alabama
Oct 1, 20222Alabama 49, 20Arkansas 26at Arkansas
Nov 20, 20212Alabama 42, 21Arkansas 35at Alabama
Dec 12, 20201Alabama 52, Arkansas 3at Arkansas
Oct 26, 20191Alabama 48, Arkansas 7at Alabama
Oct 6, 20181Alabama 65, Arkansas 31at Arkansas
Oct 14, 20171Alabama 41, Arkansas 9at Alabama
Oct 8, 20161Alabama 49, 16Arkansas 30at Arkansas
Oct 10, 20158Alabama 27, Arkansas 14at Alabama
Oct 11, 20147Alabama 14, Arkansas 13at Arkansas
Oct 19, 20131Alabama 52, Arkansas 0at Alabama
Sep 15, 20121Alabama 52, Arkansas 0at Arkansas
Sep 24, 20113Alabama 38, 14Arkansas 14at Alabama
Sep 25, 20101Alabama 24, 10Arkansas 20at Arkansas
Sep 26, 20093Alabama 35, Arkansas 7at Alabama
Sep 20, 20089Alabama 49, Arkansas 14at Arkansas
Sep 15, 2007Alabama 41, 16Arkansas 38vacatedat Alabama
Sep 23, 2006Arkansas 24, Alabama 23at Arkansas
Sep 24, 200520Alabama 24, Arkansas 13vacatedat Alabama
Sep 25, 2004Arkansas 27, Alabama 10at Arkansas
Sep 27, 20039Arkansas 34, Alabama 31at Alabama
Sep 28, 2002Alabama 30, Arkansas 12at Arkansas
Sep 22, 2001Alabama 31, Arkansas 10at Alabama
Sep 23, 2000Arkansas 28, Alabama 21at Arkansas
Sep 25, 1999Alabama 35, 14Arkansas 28at Alabama
Sep 26, 1998Arkansas 42, 22Alabama 6at Arkansas
Sep 20, 1997Arkansas 17, 11Alabama 16at Alabama
Sep 21, 199613Alabama 17, Arkansas 7at Arkansas
Sep 16, 1995Arkansas 20, 13Alabama 19at Alabama
Sep 17, 199412Alabama 13, Arkansas 6at Arkansas
Sep 18, 19932Alabama 43, Arkansas 3forfeitedat Alabama
Sep 19, 19929Alabama 38, Arkansas 11at Arkansas
Jan 1, 19802Alabama 24, 6Arkansas 9Neutral siteSugar Bowl
Jan 1, 19621Alabama 10, 9Arkansas 3Neutral siteSugar Bowl

Every game is listed as played on the field; a win the NCAA later vacated is marked “vacated”, and a game one side later forfeited is marked “forfeited”; the official series above counts them the NCAA’s way.