With an Arkansas football opening week game scheduled against the Cincinnati Bearcats, a lot of eyes will be on the Razorbacks. Ahead of this clash between the Razorbacks and Bearcats, we’ll be making our Arkansas football predictions.

No. 19 Arkansas faces No. 23 Cincinnati in their first-ever encounter. Arkansas and Cincinnati start the 2022 college football season with a massive non-conference game that will serve as a litmus test for both teams.

Cincinnati experienced a slew of defeats in the summer after being the first Group of Five program to reach the College Football Playoff in 2021. The Bearcats, of course, aren't afraid of Power Five competition. The Razorbacks should prove to be tough nuts to crack this coming weekend. This is a chance for Cincinnati football to show that their historic CFP appearance wasn't an exception and that they belong on the same field as any SEC program.

As for the Razorbacks, it's a chance to prove themselves against a legitimate CFP program and establish that last season's success wasn't a fluke. Having said that, let's get into our Arkansas football predictions for the season opener.

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4. Arkansas Razorbacks S Jalen Catalon gets 1 INT

Safety Jalen Catalon starts the 2022 season as one of the top defensive backs in college football. As such, this is a big season for him. Each game is crucial for the All-American safety as he works to improve his draft stock for 2023.

Cincinnati football should expect that the Razorbacks' defense will be focused on causing disruption and preventing big plays regardless of whoever is under center for the Bearcats. Catalon is one of the SEC's best defensive players, consistently forcing quarterbacks to make bad decisions. He will shadow Cincinnati's receivers like crazy, and he should record at least one INT in this game. To avoid this, the Bearcats must attack when the opportunity arises and keep track of Catalon at all times.

3. Arkansas Razorbacks WR Jaden Haselwood should play

Jaden Haselwood has the potential to be one of the best wide receivers in the SEC, if not the country. A strong first game for the transfer may set the tone for the rest of the season. It will also be intriguing to see how many times Jefferson targets him in this contest.

Haselwood, however, has missed two practices due to an unknown injury. Coach Sam Pittman stated that he “definitely believes” the redshirt junior will be available for the Cincinnati game. As of this writing, Haselwood has been placed on their starting depth chart. If Haselwood is unable to play, though, Ketron Jackson Jr. would most likely start in his stead.

2. K.J. Jefferson shows out for Arkansas football

Starting QB K.J. Jefferson led Arkansas football in both passing and running last season. He hasn't shown signs of slowing down either. He completed 67.3 percent of his passes for 2,676 yards, 21 touchdowns, and four interceptions, while also running for 664 yards and six more TDs.

“In the previous years, Arkansas was always slept on, and we're still dirt under a rug,” Jefferson told ESPN in early August. “This program has been on the rise, and we're going to keep building and get back on top where Arkansas belongs.”

He also recently appeared on ESPN's Heisman Watch program. Experts have been talking about him all summer, and his name comes up in almost every quarterback conversation. Everyone is waiting to see what the Mississippi native will do at this point, but at least for their opening game, he should be dominant.

Watch Jefferson start and record over 200 yards (passing and rushing) against Cincinnati.

1. Arkansas Razorbacks will run over Cincinnati Bearcats

While the Razorbacks may rely on the abilities of returning quarterback K.J. Jefferson, Arkansas truly shines in their ground game.

Last year, the Razorbacks boasted the strongest rushing offense of any Power Five club. They averaged 227.8 yards per game on the ground and put up 353 yards in their season finale versus Penn State.

Arkansas football had a red-hot start to last year, with the Razorbacks hanging huge offensive numbers against Rice, Texas, and Georgia Southern, respectively, to open up the season. Afterward, their ground game started to come more into play over the back half of the season. The Razorbacks then averaged just 26 points per game over their final nine matchups against FBS opposition.

On the other hand, Cincinnati's Black Cat defense is also perhaps underappreciated. They have held opponents to an average of 17.9 points per game over the previous four years, with just Georgia, Clemson, and Iowa posting better overall defensive averages.

It should be a good one in Fayetteville on Saturday, but we have the Razorbacks running over the Bearcats in this one. Arkansas football might not explode for a huge number of points (around 30), but they should take the W over Cincinnati on opening weekend.