Due to anticipated severe weather, the Arkansas Big Buck Classic scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday has been rescheduled for Feb. 6-8.

The Big Buck Classic is a hunting expo that attracts hunters from all over Arkansas to the State Fairgrounds. In its 36th year, it is one of the top two hunting expos in the country, rivaled only by the Dixie Deer Classic in North Carolina. Its vendors occupy all of the expo halls at the fairgrounds. A chili cook-off is also very popular.

Tommy Murchison, promoter for the Big Buck Classic, said that rescheduling the show was the responsible solution to alleviate safety concerns for show-goers and to provide the best experience for vendors, concessionaires and attendees.

“This isn’t anticipated to be just a snow event,” Murchison said. “This is forecasted to be potential freezing rain, sleet and snow. Arkansans are not set up for that and the 8- to 10-degree lows that they’re forecasting.”

The expo’s main attraction is the panel of official Boone and Crockett Club scorers that score deer antlers. Any hunter that kills a buck in Arkansas can have the rack scored at the Big Buck Classic. The antlers are displayed prominently on the Wall of Honor in Barton Coliseum.

Murchison said that bad weather and hazardous road conditions will probably discourage many hunters from bringing their antlers, which would defeat the show’s purpose. That’s a legitimate concern. A friend’s son in north Arkansas killed a buck that stands a good chance of winning recognition for the biggest buck taken in Sharp County. He was very worried that he wouldn’t be able to make the trip.

“With the weather they’re anticipating, there’s no way to get the full roster of deer to come in,” Murchison said. “That’s a big issue. It’s all the things, really. It’s irresponsible to move forward and not be able to provide the show that everybody expects. In the interest of safety, responsibility, success and honoring the roster of deer, we had to make the call to do the right thing. Doing the right thing is to punt.”

Murchison said there is not a rescheduling rider in his contract with the fairgrounds, but he said the fairgrounds’ officials were very accommodating. It’s very fortuitous that the fairgrounds can reschedule it so close to its original date — going too deep into February risks losing deer hunters that are fishing and scouting for wild turkeys.

The only other time the Big Buck Classic faced an existential threat was in 2021, during the covid-19 pandemic. Tommy and Cathy Murchison canceled the 2021 show, but held a combined show in 2022 in which deer taken in 2021 would be equally recognized. It was a logistical nightmare, but the Big Buck Classic’s staff pulled it off. The 2022 show was one of the most memorable, for all the right reasons.

“We had met with the governor (Asa Hutchinson),” Murchison said. “He was trying get the state opened up, and we were the first event of the year. The health department had approved our guidelines, but then there was another little surge that came up, and we were going have to tighten down a little more. We made the decision that we can’t do this. We’re asking people to give you money and be inconvenienced. Today we’re in the same situation where it would be irresponsible to try to put this event on.”

One advantage to the later date is that it gives deer hunters a couple of extra weeks to kill a buck that can win the contest. That’s worth an astonishing prize package that includes a beautiful trophy, a commemorative jacket and a Can-Am side-by-side UTV.

In addition to seeing and scoring antlers, the expo offers a dazzling array of products and services. You can book an African safari with several African outfitters. Domestic outfitters offer guided hunts in many states for elk, wild turkey, pheasant and other game.

Turkey hunters can inspect turkey callers from several call makers. There’s all kinds of hunting apparel and hunting accessories, including blinds. I bought a really cool blow gun for fishing last year that came with a special blow gun fishing rod, a reel and a supply of special darts.

There are also a number of family-friendly shows and demonstrations, including Bwana Jim’s Wildlife Show. The live raptor display is perennially popular.

Show times and admission prices are the same as scheduled. Visit bigbuckclassic.com for more information.

College football loves two things more than fried catfish and arguing about things nobody can prove: Preseason rankings and schedules that look like bad decisions.

So when ESPN rolled out its way-too-early Top 25 for the 2026 season, Arkansas didn’t need to see its name listed to understand the message. It just needed to read who was ranked.

Because the Razorbacks’ future doesn’t revolve around being ranked in January. It revolves around having to play the teams everyone else already assumes will matter. That’s how a ranking becomes a warning.

Indiana sits atop ESPN’s list after its national title run, followed by Texas, Notre Dame, Georgia and Oregon. It’s a roll call of programs built to expect playoff relevance, not hope for it.

Arkansas isn’t on that list. But the Razorbacks are very much connected to it.

Georgia, projected near the top again, is slated to travel to Fayetteville. That matters. Not because preseason rankings decide outcomes, but because they frame expectations before a single snap.

When a Top 5 program puts you on its road schedule, you’re not being acknowledged. You’re being evaluated. The Hogs don’t get to opt out of that exam.

Georgia’s placement in ESPN’s early Top 25 is rooted in roster depth, recent dominance and a program that replaces stars without replacing standards.

Arkansas hosting that version of Georgia isn’t symbolic. It’s structural.

The Bulldogs’ road slate includes Arkansas, which means the Razorbacks aren’t just playing a game. They’re serving as a checkpoint for a program ESPN already assumes will be nationally relevant.

That’s not disrespect. That’s pressure. The Hogs won’t be the only ones feeling it.

The way-too-early rankings reinforce something fans already understand — the SEC doesn’t wait for teams to “build.”

Ole Miss appears inside the Top 10 after a CFP semifinal run. Texas A&M lurks with a portal-built roster. Texas sits near the top with Arch Manning leading a group that ESPN describes as fully invested. Arkansas doesn’t just face these teams.

That’s the part schedules don’t show on paper. You don’t just play opponents. You play the momentum attached to them. The Hogs will see plenty of it.

ESPN highlights Ohio State’s brutal 2026 schedule, filled with road trips and ranked matchups. It’s demanding. Nobody’s denying that. Arkansas doesn’t need five marquee road games to feel boxed in.

The Razorbacks’ challenge is concentration. In the SEC, ranked teams aren’t spaced out. They’re stacked.

That means Arkansas doesn’t get the luxury of circling “manageable” stretches. Every week carries weight. Every opponent carries narrative baggage.

The Hogs don’t get to reset expectations between games.

When Georgia walks into Fayetteville ranked near the top, Arkansas isn’t just trying to win a game. It’s trying to disrupt an assumption.

When Ole Miss or Texas A&M stays ranked, the Razorbacks aren’t just competing. They’re auditioning.

That’s what a tough schedule really means. Not difficulty, but visibility. The Hogs will be seen — whether they want to be or not.

ESPN’s list makes one thing clear without ever mentioning Arkansas by name: the Razorbacks will spend most of 2026 facing teams the sport already believes in.

That doesn’t doom Arkansas. But it does remove cover.

Every win carries context. Every loss carries explanation. Every close game turns into a referendum. The Hogs won’t be allowed to quietly improve.

The phrase “way-too-early” suggests uncertainty. But the Razorbacks’ reality isn’t uncertain.

Arkansas will face elite programs with playoff expectations. The Razorbacks will host teams built for January relevance. The Hogs will do it in a league that doesn’t pause for development.

So while ESPN’s rankings may be early, the consequences aren’t. Arkansas doesn’t get to wait for the season to define itself.

It’ll be defined immediately.

Key Takeaways

• ESPN’s way-too-early Top 25 highlights how many elite teams Arkansas will face in 2026.
• Georgia’s projected dominance and road trip to Arkansas elevate the Razorbacks’ schedule difficulty.
• The SEC’s preseason depth ensures the Hogs face constant national scrutiny every week.

The original plan for this week’s column was to be as snarky as possible. However, the death of a beloved fur-nephew over the weekend brought me pause (rest in peace, sweet Tomkin).

Tomkin, though, wouldn’t want me to dim my light any more than he would want his human parents to dim theirs. In his honor, I’ll try to muddle through with some answers to questions from readers. Dear Tom-Tom, may you have all the warm garden spots, chest time and head bumps you want.

Why haven’t you printed my letter?

Most likely, there might be problems such as these (most of which are outlined in the policybox that appears every day on the Voices page): You didn’t sign your letter or respond to requests for your name and town (no anonymous or pseudonymous letters); you used profanity or obscenity; you’re not from Arkansas; you sent something far too long (our northwest edition takes longer letters from northwest Arkansas residents only, but for the statewide edition, try to keep letters to around 300 words, which is about what fits in roughly 7 inches of column space); you sent in something about a personal, legal or business dispute (which is a huge can of worms legally, since we have only your side); you libeled someone or stated something as fact that isn’t objectively true (there is leeway for opinion, but you have to be careful how you state something; attribution of something to its source can help); you encouraged violence; you name-called a specific reader/letter-writer (there’s leeway for general groups of people, and for public figures such as elected officials, within reason); you sent a form letter, poetry, copyrighted material, etc.; you sent in a handwritten letter that was illegible; you insisted that your letter not be edited (everything is edited); you sent in something too soon after your last letter or guest column was printed (30 days is the established cooling-off period); etc.

Why are you such a radical left-wing nutbag?

Uhhhh … my mom and my church raised me to care about other people. If that’s radical left-wing nutbaggery, Jesus, Dale Bumpers, John Paul Hammerschmidt, and a whole host of people with whom I share beliefs would like a word. Besides, I’m moderate in my views (which range from conservative to liberal depending on the issue: fiscal issues, conservative; social issues, somewhat liberal), as are the majority of people. But the people on the fringes are louder, convincing some of them that their volume makes them the majority.

Gallup’s last poll on partisan affiliation showed a new record of 45 percent of people surveyed identifying as independent, with 27 percent each identifying either as Republican or Democrat. Gallup wrote: “In most years since Gallup began regularly conducting its polls by telephone in 1988, independents have been the largest political group. However, the independent percentage has increased markedly in the past 15 years, typically registering 40 percent or higher, a level not reached prior to 2011.” In addition, Democratic-leaning independents have increased by the same amount Republican-leaning independents have decreased. Whether that translates into change in Arkansas is anyone’s guess, especially as we are, in John Brummett’s words, “cussedly independent.”

In saner times, the members of the two major parties in Arkansas weren’t all that far apart philosophically, and could easily work together in most instances because they understood that Arkansas politics weren’t national politics. Now, though, it’s like the other side has cooties (forgive me for using that example, but the way politicians act now is increasingly juvenile, soooo …).

Why are the majority of the letters printed liberal?

The main reason they seem to track more liberal (though the bulk are moderate/liberal-leaning) is because those are the majority of the letters we receive (and can you really blame those writers for having an opinion on the state of the nation?); we can’t print what we don’t get. Some have suggested quota systems, but they don’t conform to the reality that fewer conservative people write letters to us overall.

I don’t care where you fall on the political spectrum; as long as you follow the rules, I’ll print your letter if I can. I’ll also chuckle every time you call a longtime conservative writer a flaming liberal because they’re not MAGA.

Writing a column opens you up to all sorts of attacks, ranging from fair (didn’t mention such-and-such, though we still have word limits because we do a replica edition, and we just can’t mention everything; no one really wants to read endless rambling) to outrageous (claiming things that were never said or done by the writer and others, libel, borderline and outright threats, etc.).

But the ones that always amuse me are those that no reasonable person could look at and say, “Well, that’s a valid point.” Tomkin is looking at that person who equates someone saying “fur-nephews,” “fur-nieces,” “furkids” and the like with bestiality.

Pretty sure he just rolled his eyes from kitty heaven. Good boy.

Assistant Editor Brenda Looper is editor of the Voices page. Email her at blooper@adgnewsroom.com. Read her blog at blooper0223.com.