Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Arkansas Razorbacks Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Cincinnati Bearcats will take on the Arkansas Razorbacks at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas Saturday afternoon. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 PM ET and can be viewed on ESPN. 

Updated on 04/25/2024

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CINCINNATI BEARCATS vs. ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS BETTING PREDICTION

Cincinnati enters this season hoping to bring back some of last year's magic after finishing 13-1 SU and making it to the College Football Playoffs. This will be no easy task for the Bearcats as they lost talent on both sides of the ball including star QB Desmond Ridder, RB Jerome Ford, WR Alec Pierce and CB Sauce Gardner. All four of those guys are now in the NFL if that gives you a better sense of how much talent will not return from last year. However, Head Coach Luke Fickell has done a fantastic job rebuilding this program over the last five years, so do not be surprised to see Cincinnati pick up where they left off last season.  

The Razorbacks are often not talked about because of the other top teams in the SEC, but this is a program that finished with a 9-4 SU record. Their only losses came to Auburn, Ole Miss, Alabama, and Georgia so it’s a safe bet to say this team is headed in the right direction considering they had not won more than eight games in a season since 2011. Offensive Coordinator Kendal Briles had the offense rolling last season, averaging 442 yards and 31 points per game. The defense picked up a few solid transfers from the portal including Georgia Safety Latavious Brini and Cornerback Dwight McGlothern from LSU.  

This could be one of the better week one college football matchups as both teams enter the season ranked in the Top-25. A road win in Arkansas is a tough week one task for the Bearcats who lost a plethora of talent in the off-season, but with Fickell running the show I would not count Cincinnati out of any games. I expect this one to be close throughout and think (6.5) is far too many points to be giving away in week one. Best play here is to back the Bearcats and the points.  

Score Prediction: Arkansas 28, Cincinnati 24
Best Bet: Cincinnati +6.5 (-110)

CINCINNATI BEARCATS vs. ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS BETTING ODDS

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CINCINNATI BEARCATS vs. ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS BETTING RESOURCES

Date: Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022
Matchup: AAC vs. SEC
Venue: Razorback Stadium
Location: Fayetteville, Arkansas
Time-TV: ESPN, 3:30 p.m. ET

CINCINNATI BEARCATS BETTING ANALYSIS

Going back to last season, the Bearcats finished 5-2 SU in the month of September and 8-0 SU on the road. The total has gone under in four of their last five games played in week 1. Cincinnati has not seen much success against the SEC as of late, going 1-4 SU in their last five matchups against SEC opponents. Saturday will be the first-ever meeting between Cincinnati and Arkansas.  

Cincinnati finished last season 58th in the nation in total offense. Neither the running nor passing game were dominant, but the Bearcats were incredibly efficient and found ways to win close games. The key to this season will be filling in the missing pieces. Aside from losing Alec Pierce, the receiving core should be fine with most other wide receivers returning. LSU transfer Corey Kiner and Ryan Montgomery will take over the backfield and should see solid success behind their big o-line. The front line should not miss a beat with all five starters returning, including three All-AAC stars. Evan Prater is expected to take over as the starting QB.  

The Bearcats defense finished 10th in the nation last season but lost a ton of talent. Unlike Ohio State and Alabama, this could be a problem for Cincinnati who is not known for being able to go out and get whomever they want. With that being said, there is still a fair amount of quality players returning. The linebacking Corp lost their top two tacklers, but this group will not be starting from nothing with AAC honorable mention Deshawn Pace returning. Cincinnati’s d-line should be good to go as well with Malik Vann returning and bringing in 315-pound Virginia transfer Jowon Briggs. The secondary is where the Bearcats may struggle after losing Sauce Gardner, Coby Bryant, and Bryan Cook to the NFL. Ja’von Hicks and Arquon Bush will return, but they will need to step up big-time to fill these guys shoes.  

ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS BETTING ANALYSIS

The Razorbacks are 6-1 SU in their last seven home games. Arkansas has gone 6-0 SU in their last six week one games as well as 6-0 SU in their last six games played in September. The total has gone under in four of their last five games when playing as the favorite. Going against this trend, the total has gone over in five of their last six games played at home on a Saturday.  

Last season Arkansas led the SEC in rushing and had the tenth most efficient passing game in the country while averaging 442 yards and 31 points per game. QB KJ Jefferson will return, and boy is that good news for the Razorbacks. Jefferson completed 67% of his passes and threw 21 TD’s and just four interceptions. He was also a huge rushing threat, running for 664 yards and six scores. If he continues to improve his game this could be a name to watch out for in the SEC. WR Trey Burks is now on the Tennessee Titans, but Oklahoma transfer Jadon Haselwood should help with that loss. The offensive line should be ready to go as well with Center Ricky Stromberg and guard Brady Latham returning.  

The Razorback's defense is coming off a solid season but defiantly have plenty of room for improvement. It starts with improving the pass rush, which may be a bit difficult considering the leading returner sacker is Zack Williams who had just 3.5 sacks last season. The linebackers should be set with leading tackler Bumper Pool returning from last season as well as Alabama transfer Drew Sanders. Arkansas defensive backs lost a bit of talent, but they have a good group of guys returning including Jalen Catalon who missed half of last season with a shoulder injury. If the Razorbacks D can find a way to have more of a presence in the backfield, this could be an exceptionally good defense.  

CINCINNATI BEARCATS vs. ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS BETTING TRENDS

• The total has gone UNDER in six of Cincinnati's last eight games
• The total has gone UNDER in four of Arkansas' last six games.
• Cincinnati 13-1 SU in its last 14 games.
• Arkansas is 5-1 SU in its last six games.
• Arkansas is 6-1 SU in its last seven home games.
• Cincinnati is 8-0 SU in its last eight road games.
• The total has gone UNDER in four of Cincinnati's last five games played in Week 1.
• The total has gone UNDER in four of Arkansas' last five games when playing as the favorite.