STILLWATER – It appears that Oklahoma State will no longer be facing the Rice Owls for the 2021 season opener. Rice announced on Friday that they will now be facing Arkansas on Sept. 4, 2021 instead, harkening back to the days of the old Southwest Conference rivalry between the two schools.

The release also stated that the game against Oklahoma State will not be rescheduled.

However, there’s a report from WholeHopSports.com that states there could be a swap in which Oklahoma State could play host to Missouri State on Sept. 4, 2021 while adding Arkansas Pine-Bluff to an open slot in the 2022 season on Sept. 17, 2022.

Go Pokes has been in contact with a member of the Oklahoma State Athletic Department who confirmed the report of two new games added to the 2021 and 2022 schedule that will replace Rice.

It’s an interesting twist to the future schedule of Cowboy football that’s already seen a pretty big boost in scheduling since the arrival of Chad Weiberg. On Nov. 20, 2018, the Athletic Department announced the scheduling of a home-and-home series between the Pokes and the Oregon Ducks. Oklahoma State will travel to Eugene, OR to face the Ducks on Sept. 6, 2025 and the Ducks will return the favor in Stillwater on Sept. 12, 2026.

The two schools have squared off only once before, with Oregon a 42-31 winner in the 2008 Holiday Bowl. That game featured a number of high-profile NFL players. Between the two teams, there were 18 players on the field that day who went on to be drafted into the NFL. Five players from that contest (Oregon’s T.J. Ward, Jairus Byrd and Max Unger and Oklahoma State’s Russell Okung and Dez Bryant) have combined to make 12 appearances in the NFL Pro Bowl.

Just a month prior to the Oregon announcement, the Athletic Department announced the scheduling of the renewed series between Oklahoma State and Southwest Conference foe Arkansas. Another home-and-home series that will take place on Sept. 7, 2024 in Stillwater and the return game in Fayetteville on Sept. 11, 2027.

With the two schools only separated by just three hours, and a very long history that started in 1912 and every season between 1950 and 1980 with the exceptions of 1954, 58 and 61, this rivalry was decades overdue.

"I agree," Oklahoma State University Deputy Athletic Director Chad Weiberg told me Thursday afternoon. "I was eager to get this out but had to be patient until it was completed. Arkansas was very easy to work with on this."

His counterpart at Arkansas was deputy athletic director Julie Cromer Peoples as she negotiated the contract on the side of the Razorbacks. Something unique about the contract is the hefty amount of tickets that will be exchanged as the two schools will give the visiting school 5,500 tickets. Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium has a capacity of 76,000.

"They are used to a larger exchange amount in the SEC," Weiberg said of Arkansas. "We wanted to have the opportunity for plenty of fans on both sides to travel and be at the game in the other school's stadium, kind of give it that feel of rivalry game that could become an annual event. I know I would be for that."

With just the two series of Oregon and Arkansas, the future of Oklahoma State non-conference scheduling looks very bright and we’re all excited about what the other future contracts might be signed.