Cincinnati vs Arkansas Opening Odds – Bearcats 7-Point Road Underdogs Against Razorbacks

• No. 23 Cincinnati has opened as a seven-point underdog against home favorite No. 19 Arkansas
• Both the Bearcats and Razorbacks are starting their college football season Saturday (Sept. 3)
• Read below for the full opening odds and our line movement prediction

No. 23 Cincinnati is listed as a 7.0-point underdog at No. 19 Arkansas as the two prepare to meet in the season opener for both teams in Week 1. As hard as it is to believe, this is the first-ever meeting between the two schools. This is also Arkansas’ home opener.

Arkansas scored 123 points in its first three games last season,  which included a dominating 40-21 win over a top-15 team in Texas. Cincinnati, meanwhile, racked up 129 points in its first three games of 2021, including a 38-24 victory over Big 10 Indiana.

Let’s take a look at the opening Cinicantti vs Arkansas odds and analyze which direction the line is likely to move in.

Cincinnati vs Arkansas Opening Spread/Odds/Line

Odds as of August 28th at DraftKings Sportsbook.

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Arkansas is Still Quite a Home Favorite

Arkansas is one of those teams that may be a not-so-quiet sleeper in the SEC. Remember, the SEC West has Alabama in it so most everyone else battles for second place. Also, a few pundits are inching the Razorbacks toward that second spot.  There are even a few places that think Arkansas could win as many as ten games.

Quarterback KJ Jefferson was quite a dual threat all season long for the Razorbacks and his supporting cast has improved a good bit from last season. Jefferson threw for 21 touchdowns and ran for six more. His 3,340 yards included racking up 664 on the ground. The signal-caller is generously listed at 245 pounds but looks like he put on a bit more muscle during the offseason.

My 2022 sleeper team: Arkansas. The schedule is tough tough but the roster is very good and incoming transfer portal players like Sanders and Haselwood will jump right in with leaders like KJ Jefferson and Jalen Catalon.

— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) August 27, 2022

With Jefferson even getting a fringe bit of love from experts for Heisman consideration, do not be surprised if the quarterback exceeds those expectations. Again, more weapons and a low penchant for mistakes (just four interceptions) benefit Jefferson and Arkansas.

The Razorbacks thankfully also have a pretty accomplished running game. Raheim Sanders had almost 600 yards of rushing last year while averaging 5.1 yards per carry. He could get more of a workload. Losing Treylon Burks to the NFL hurts, but Jadon Haselwood and company should be able to pick up the slack. Sam Pittman will have this team ready.

Then There is Cincinnati…

Head Coach Luke Fickell saw amazing success last year for Cincinnati. But, the hard part is to follow up a season where they won 13 of 14 games, finished fourth in the AP poll, and made their first college playoff, losing to Alabama.

The Bearcats offense only averaged 36 points per game last year (58th in the nation). They were not that explosive running or passing the ball. However, this team was wildly efficient. That is because the Bearcats have one of the best offensive lines in the nation. The best part is the front-five is completely back including three all-AAC players. Evan Prater is a nice wildcard. Plus, Ryan Montgomery and transfer Corey Kiner could form a nice running back duo.

I respectfully disagree with the Cincinnati Bearcats football team being considered a middle of the road team. In my opinion the Bearcats should be a Conference Contender or CFP Contender team year in and year out. I just love how the Bearcats get no respect at all. https://t.co/FpUmizxJL6

— John Cadwallader (@JohnnyBearcat88) August 26, 2022

That is the biggest thing Luke Fickell has done with this Cincinnati program. He has them believing in a year where they could take a few steps back. A 2021 top-ten defense losing several prominent players is still not bad. Again, the Bearcats have more than enough to win the AAC and surprise a few non-conference teams too.

Some may be surprised that the under might hit here as Cincinnati tries to rely more on its defense and running game early on. Can they slow down KJ Jefferson enough? That is no easy task.

The line may not drop too much; Cincinnati could give Arkansas all it could handle and control the line of scrimmage. Can the Bearcats make enough big plays?