Southern Arkansas is the Mulerider dynasty in ascent—a program that has quietly built 32 wins in four years under Brad Smiley and won the 2025 Battle of the Timberlands 49-10 over its ancient rival.
The Muleriders bide their time.
Southern Arkansas is the Mulerider dynasty in ascent—a program that has quietly built 32 wins in four years under Brad Smiley and won the 2025 Battle of the Timberlands 49-10 over its ancient rival.
Southern Arkansas finished 8-3 in 2025 under head coach Brad Smiley with a dominant 49-10 victory over Arkansas-Monticello in the 100th edition of the Battle of the Timberlands. Smiley has compiled a 32-13 record in four years, in…
Offseason
69 days
until kickoff · Sun Aug 30 · 17:00 UTC
The 2026 Outlook
The Pulse on Southern Arkansas
What moved it — offseason · last 30 days
Aspiration Ladder
Brief Part III §33.4 · Southern Arkansas
The baseline for a successful season.
Earns a Super Region playoff qualifier bid.
Entry into the 32-team national bracket.
The Division II national championship game.
Southern Arkansas · Next-Season Outcome Band
Floor / Base / Ceiling
Variance assumed at ±2 wins from last-season record. Replace with the season-path projection once preview data is built.
Who We Are
Fanbase Health Index · Southern Arkansas · low confidence
Growing (70)
Home-Field Advantage · Southern Arkansas · 2018-present
Above-Average
65% home win rate vs 64% on the road. margin runs +6.2 better at home.
Act IIILast Season Reviewed
2025 season · tap to expand
Recent Form · last 10 games
Mixed
Three of five. Trending up, not yet hot.
Great American Standing · 2025
3rd in the Great American
Southern Arkansas is 3rd in the Great American at 8-3. 2 teams above — that's the direct path to the title game.
| # | Program | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harding University | 15-1 |
| 2 | Henderson State | 8-3 |
| 3 | Southern Arkansas | 8-3 |
| 4 | Ouachita Baptist | 7-4 |
| 5 | Arkansas Tech | 7-5 |
| 6 | East Central (OK) | 6-5 |
| 7 | Southwestern Oklahoma State | 6-5 |
| 8 | Southeastern Oklahoma State | 5-6 |
| 9 | Arkansas-Monticello | 2-9 |
| 10 | Northwestern Oklahoma State | 2-9 |
| 11 | Oklahoma Baptist | 2-9 |
| 12 | Southern Nazarene | 2-9 |
Schedule Strength · Southern Arkansas · 2025
Balanced
Average opponent win rate 46% across 11 finalized games. Balanced slate across the conference slate.
Moment of the Year · Southern Arkansas · 2025
Won 49-14 vs Oklahoma Baptist
Week 2 of 2025. A statement margin. Recruiting boards re-rendered overnight.
From the Archive — Southern Arkansas
2025: Lost 12-31 vs Harding University
In 2025, the program lost 12-31 vs Harding University — a one to file away home result, 19 points either way.
Go Muleriders.