The Cincinnati Bearcats and Arkansas Razorbacks will open their seasons on Saturday afternoon, part of the big kickoff weekend of college football. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our college football odds series, which includes a Cincinnati-Arkansas prediction and pick we have laid out below.

Cincinnati is coming off a remarkable 13-1 record in the 2021 season, finally losing to Alabama in the College Football Playoff at the end of the season. Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell has built a consistent contender here and should continue his success in 2022.

Arkansas is slowly rebuilding to its mid-2000s peak, going 9-4 in the 2021 season. Arkansas and head coach Sam Pittman beat Penn State in the Outback Bowl on New Year's Day, a step in the right direction for the program. The SEC is a brutal conference, but a double-digit win total is not out of the question.

Here are the Cincinnati-Arkansas college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Football Odds: Cincinnati-Arkansas Odds

Cincinnati Bearcats: +6.5 (-110)

Arkansas Razorbacks: -6.5 (-110)

Over: 51.5 (-112)

Under: 51.5(-108)

Why Cincinnati Could Cover The Spread

Cincinnati has yet to name a starting quarterback, as former star Desmond Ritter is now suiting up for the Atlanta Falcons. Although head coach Luke Fickell and the team are aware of who is starting, they will not alert the media, so the public will only find out when the first snap of this game occurs. Last season's leading rusher Jerome Ford also needs to be replaced, as he was drafted in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft. Tyler Scott and Tre Tucker, last season's second and third leading receivers, are back and are looking to replace last season's star, Alec Pierce. Cincinnati averaged 36.9 points per game last season, ranking 11th in Division 1 football.

Cincinnati's defense was nearly spotless last season, allowing just 16.9 points per game, the fifth-best mark in Division 1. Just as their offense must do, Cincinnati must replace a ton of talent along their defense. Deshawn Pace is the team's leading returning tackler, totaling 95 tackles and four interceptions last season. On the bright side, Fickell has been able to take under-recruited talent and turn them into NFL-caliber talents.

Why Arkansas Could Cover The Spread

Arkansas will welcome back starting quarterback KJ Jefferson, who led the team with 2,676 passing yards and 21 touchdowns last season, throwing just four interceptions. Jefferson was also last season's leading rusher with 664 rushing yards and six touchdowns. Last year's leading receiver Treylon Burks must be replaced, but the team's third-leading receiver Warren Thompson returns. The offense averaged an impressive 30.9 points per game, the 48th-best total in the NCAA last season.

Arkansas' defense was slightly ahead of their defense last year, allowing 22.9 points per game, which ranked 39th in Division 1. Leading tackler Bumper Pool (awesome football name by the way), is back after totaling 349 tackles in his first four seasons, including 125 last season. Pool is the only of the team's five leading tacklers to return in 2022. Arkansas brought in the 22nd-ranked recruiting class, highlighted by a strong group of transfers that ranks tenth amongst Division 1 programs, according to 247Sports. The biggest name on the defense is safety Latavious Brini, who comes to Arkansas by way of Georgia. Brini was a four-star transfer recruit but played sparingly at Georgia, totaling just 50 tackles in his four seasons.

Final Cincinnati-Arkansas Prediction & Pick

Good quarterback play cannot be discounted.

Final Cincinnati-Arkansas Prediction & Pick: Arkansas -6.5 (-110), over 51.5 (-112)