Cincinnati at Arkansas Prediction For Week 1

In one of the most highly anticipated matchups of Week 1 in college football, Cincinnati will travel to Arkansas to take on the Razorbacks. After winning 13 games and becoming the first Group of Five team to make the College Football Playoff last season, the Bearcats are set to take a step back in 2022.

Replacing two-time AAC Offensive Player of the Year Desmond Ridder at quarterback will be nearly impossible, and that production will be sorely missed. The good news is that whoever starts at quarterback will play behind an experienced offensive line that is returning five starters, three of them being All-AAC first team. This team has a ton of holes that needed to be filled after last season's magic, and it is going to be difficult to live up to those expectations.

That said, if anyone could do it, Luke Fickell might be the guy. He's one of the hottest names in college, building a serious contender outside of the Power Five conferences. That type of talent and ability is hard to find in a head coach, and his loyalty maybe even more commendable. I guarantee he got offers from bigger schools this past offseason, and maybe even the NFL, but he chose to stay in Cincinnati and continue on with the Bearcats.

Meanwhile, the Razorbacks are coming off of a successful season that saw them win eight games in the regular season, followed up with a win over Penn State in the Outback Bowl. They beat LSU, Texas A&M, and Missouri in conference play, and they utterly destroyed Texas 40-21. Head coach Sam Pittman was able to keep his coaching staff despite rumors of losing some guys, and he'll bring back starting quarterback KJ Jefferson. The Razorbacks averaged an SEC-best 228.0 rushing yards per game last season, and there is no reason to think they can't dominate on the ground again, as they bring back much of the same personnel.

Cincinnati-Arkansas Best Bets

BetQL is projecting this game to be closer than what the line is currently set at. At -7 for Arkansas, we see some value here in Cincinnati keeping this one within a touchdown. We have Cincinnati at +3 points, which is a -4 point difference from the current line. The Bearcats are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 non-conference games, and Fickell won’t allow his team to slip too far despite the player turnover and the odds being against him.

Grab the touchdown with the defending AAC Champs and be sure to check out the rest of our best bets below!