Missouri State football’s first game as an FBS program won’t be against Arkansas.
The university confirmed Missouri State and Arkansas agreed to cancel their Aug. 30, 2025, date that would have put head coach Ryan Beard against his father-in-law and former Bears head coach Bobby Petrino, who returned to Fayetteville as the Razorbacks offensive coordinator.
WholeHogSports.com was the first to report the cancelation of the game. The Razorbacks have replaced Missouri State with a contest against Alabama A&M.
Missouri State spokesperson Rick Kindhart told the News-Leader that the Bears opted to cancel the deal after trying to renegotiate the guaranteed payment of the game. With Missouri State moving to FBS, the cost of such non-conference games is set to go up.
Arkansas declined to budge off the previously negotiated $500,000 payment that was agreed to long before the Bears moved subdivisions, Kindhart said. He added the Bears will pay Arkansas around $150,000 but will soon announce a game that includes a higher guarantee payment, making the buyout worth it.
There is reason to believe Missouri State will continue to attempt to renegotiate its guarantee payments for future non-conference games against FBS opponents that were previously agreed to. The Bears have multiple contracts in place for the future including against Kansas (2027), Texas Tech (2028), Mizzou (2029 and 2033) and Tulsa (2030 and 2032).
Missouri State’s 2025 schedule will be its first as a member of Conference USA. Currently, scheduled non-conference matchups include a road trip to Marshall, a home game against SMU and a home game against FCS UT Martin.