DALLAS (Ticker) -- Coming off an unexpected stellar season, No. 22 Arkansas meets former Southwest Conference foe Southern Methodist in the season opener for both schools.

The Razorbacks were 9-3 in Houston Nutt's first season, reaching the Florida Citrus Bowl despite being picked for the bottom of the Southeastern Conference. The resurgence got fans quickly back behind the program and made Nutt a state hero.

"The first game, always the opener, you worry about everything, Nutt said. "You have a group of offensive linemen that have never played together for the most part."

This is Arkansas' first trip to the Cotton Bowl since 1995 and will mark the indefinite end to a long series. These teams have played every season since 1931, except for 1987 and 1988, when SMU's program was snuffed by the NCAA's death penalty. Arkansas holds a 36-31-5 after a 44-17 win over the Mustangs last season at Little Rock.

From last season to now, Nutt also accomplished something at Arkansas that had not been done since 1988 -- he brought back his entire coaching staff. Also back are 22 seniors, including quarterback Clint Stoerner, receivers Anthony Lucas and Michael Williams and tight end Joe Dean Davenport. But the offensive line will have to replace four players, including Brandon Burlsworth, who was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts and tragically killed in a traffic accident.

Chrys Chukwuma will handle the bulk of the running with Madre Hill's graduation and will try to keep the defense, led by safety Kenoy Kennedy, off the field and fresh.

"You have a great quarterback who has been in the league two years, there is a great tight end, an Anthony-Lucas-like receiver, and Chrys Chukwuma," added Nutt. "This time around the difference is that they expect to win."

The Razorbacks are 80-21-4 in season openers, while the Mustangs are are 56-26-3. SMU has an impressive 42-11-1 mark when starting a season at home.

The Mustangs are still a member of the Western Athletic Conference, which was pared down with the departure of a slew of teams that formed the Mountain West Conference. As a result, the WAC has turned into a weak outfit, but SMU is among the favorites.

Running back Rodnick Phillips is the top offensive threat. Last season Phillips became the first SMU player since Reggie Dupard in 1985 to rush for 1,000 yards in a season.

The quarterback is Josh McCown, a sophomore whose older brother, Randy, is the starter for Texas A&M. Josh McCown threw for 619 yards and seven touchdowns last season and his favorite target is Damon Blueitt, who made 24 of his 37 catches in the final five games last season, when SMU went 5-7.

ARKANSAS Season schedule and results	SMU Season schedule and results
Sep. 4 @SMU 8:00pm ET Sep. 18 Northeast Louisiana 7:00pm ET Sep. 25 @Alabama TBA Oct. 2 @Kentucky 2:30pm ET Oct. 9 Middle Tennessee State 7:00pm ET Oct. 16 South Carolina TBA Oct. 30 Auburn 7:00pm ET Nov. 6 @Mississippi TBA Nov. 13 Tennessee 2:00pm ET Nov. 20 Mississippi State 2:00pm ET Nov. 27 @LSU TBA	Sep. 4 Arkansas 8:00pm ET Sep. 11 @Tulane 6:00pm ET Sep. 25 Hawaii 3:00pm ET Oct. 2 @Kansas 2:00pm ET Oct. 9 @UTEP 9:05pm ET Oct. 14 Fresno State 7:00pm ET Oct. 23 @San Jose State 9:00pm ET Oct. 30 Rice 3:00pm ET Nov. 13 Cal State Northridge 3:00pm ET Nov. 20 @Tulsa 3:00pm ET Nov. 26 @TCU 3:00pm ET