Questions on Razorbacks may be reason for 11 a.m. kickoff against Irish

There won't be any noon tailgating for Arkansas' first matchup with Notre Dame on Sept. 27.

Kickoff for the first-ever meeting between the two schools is set for 11 a.m. on ABC. Only the media will like that time slot so they aren't dealing with late-night deadlines.

"This is more than just a football game, it's a celebration of college football history," said Arkansas coach Sam Pittman, who enters his sixth season leading the Razorbacks. "Having Notre Dame come to Fayetteville gives our fans a chance to be part of something that's never happened before."

The Razorbacks' athletic department is finalizing plans for a unique game weekend experience with events scheduled to begin Friday, September 26, and continue through Saturday's historic contest.

A lot of those now will be held after the game, but there have been a lot of memorable games in Fayetteville played early in the day. The Big Shootout in 1969 was early and so was the upset win over No. 1 Texas in 1981.

It will be the Hogs' first appearance on ABC in consecutive seasons since 1994-95. The last time the Razorbacks played ABC games in Fayetteville in back-to-back seasons was during the 1979-80 seasons when Lou Holtz patrolled the sidelines.

Considering that was before Holtz ended up coaching the Irish it's just another connection in the series.

Notre Dame enters 2025 ranked among the nation's elite programs, with Marcus Freeman being named the No. 6 head coach nationally by CBS Sports.

The matchup is part of a home-and-home series between the two programs, with the second installment scheduled for September 16, 2028, in South Bend.

For Arkansas, the Notre Dame game headlines a challenging 2025 schedule that includes SEC matchups against traditional rivals and a non-conference slate featuring several high-profile opponents.

The Razorbacks are coming off a very average 2024 season where they finished 7-6 with a victory in the Liberty Bowl.

While fans and talk shows will be complaining about the early kickoff, ABC is scrambling to pain a positive picture.

While that may be true for the network, Razorback fans like to tailgate well past noon and then get into the stadium.

"The morning kickoff actually adds to the atmosphere," said ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit in a recent interview. "There's something special about those early games in the fall, especially when you have two programs with this much tradition coming together for the first time."

The game also carries significance for both programs' postseason aspirations. With the expanded playoff format in place, early-season non-conference matchups have taken on increased importance in the national championship picture.

It will be the fifth game of the year for the Hogs. They will face the Irish after consecutive road games at Ole Miss and Memphis. Those won't be easy for an Arkansas team looking for answers to a wide variety of questions.

The preseason over-under for the Razorbacks is between five and six wins. A few think it will be over while an awful lot of folks think more than five is a stretch.

The bottom line is that's probably why the game is at 11 a.m.