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Cincinnati vs Arkansas Odds, Spread and Picks

John Perrotto

by John Perrotto in College Football

Updated Sep 1, 2022 · 8:54 AM PDT

Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback KJ Jefferson smiles after the game against Penn State
Jan 1, 2022; Tampa, FL, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback KJ Jefferson (1) smiles after the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the 2022 Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports
  • #19 Arkansas is a 6.5-point home favorite over #23 Cincinnati on Saturday
  • The schools will be meeting for the first time
  • A look at the odds and matchup are below with a prediction

Two ranked teams open the season against each other when #23 Cincinnati visits #19 Arkansas at 3:30 ET Saturday (Sept 3) at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.

Arkansas is a 6.5-point favorite after opening at -7. In a game that will be televised by ESPN, the weather forecast is for a 20% chance of showers or thunderstorms, mostly sunny, a high temperature of 86 degrees and north wind at 5 mph.

Cincinnati went 13-1 last season and became the first Group of Five school to reach the CFP, losing to Alabama in the semifinals. Arkansas was 9-4 and beat Penn State in the Outback Bowl.

Cincinnati vs Arkansas Odds

Team Spread Moneyline Total
Cincinnati +6.5 (-110) +190 Over 52.5 (-110)
Arkansas -6.5 (-110) -250 Under 52.5 (-110)

Odds as of September 1st at BetMGM.

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Arkansas is a -250 moneyline favorite in the college football odds. That gives the Razorbacks a 71.43% implied win probability.

Cincinnati Betting Outlook

Cincinnati still hasn’t decided on a starting quarterback, at least publicly, after losing four-year starter Desmond Ridder to the NFL. The Bearcats, though, have an experienced QB in Ben Bryant.

Bryant backed up Ridder for three seasons before transferring to Eastern Michigan last year. Now Bryant is back at Cincinnati as a graduate transfer.

During his year in Eastern Michigan, Bryant completed 68.4% of his passes for 3,121 yards and 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He attempted just 73 passes in three seasons as Ridder’s backup.

Evan Prater is another QB1 option, though the former Mr. Football in Ohio has zero starts and 14 pass attempts in two seasons at Cincinnati.

Cincinnati does have eight offensive starters returning, including tight end Josh Whyle and the five interior linemen. Last season, Whyle had 26 receptions for 332 yards and six touchdowns.

The defense has five starters back but lost six in the NFL Draft. Arquon Bush is a potential lockdown cornerback, who contributed three interceptions and six passes defended in 2021.

2023 College Football Conference Championship Odds Tracker
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Arkansas Betting Outlook

The presence of quarterback KJ Jefferson gives the Razorbacks reason for optimism after he led the team in both passing yardage (2,676) and rushing yardage (664) last season. He and Louisville’s Malik Cunningham were the only Power Five QBs to pull off that double in 2021.

Jefferson showed good accuracy with a 67.3% completion rate. He also had 21 touchdowns to just four interceptions.

Arkansas has four linemen among its seven returning starters on offense. Also back are running backs Raheim Sanders (578) and Dominique Johnson (575), who combined for 1,153 yards on the ground last season.

While the Razorbacks return just four starters on the defensive side, three are impact-type talents.

Chief among them is linebacker Bumper Pool, who not only has one of the all-time great names in college football but is a productive player. He had a team-high 125 tackles in 2021.

Jalen Catalon and Myles Slusher give Arkansas one of the top defensive back duos in the SEC. Both had two interceptions and four passes defense last season.

Cincinnati vs Arkansas Prediction

This is the first-ever meeting between the two teams and it shapes up to be a good one. Arkansas has the experience edge at quarterback in Jefferson, but Cincinnati still has enough talent to make this a very competitive game.

Pick: Cincinnati +6.5 (-110)

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