Arkansas vs. Cincinnati odds, spread, line: 2022 college football picks, Week 1 predictions
Arkansas and Cincinnati kick off the 2022 college football schedule with a huge non-conference opener that's a major litmus test for both teams.
For the Razorbacks, a chance to prove themselves against a College Football Playoff team and show that last season's success wasn't a fluke.
And for the Bearcats, a shot at proving that its historic CFP bid wasn't the exception and that they belong on the same field as an SEC team.
What do the experts think of the matchup? Let's see what the football index computer predicts for the game.
Arkansas vs. Cincinnati football prediction
Cincinnati opens the 2022 college football schedule at Arkansas
College Football Power Index projects a close game, with Arkansas getting the slight 59.6% odds to defeat Cincinnati at home in the opener.
By contrast, UC gets a respectable 40.4% chance to defeat the Hogs.
Bookmakers also forecast a tight matchup, with Arkansas getting the 6.5 point edge over Cincinnati at Caesars Sportsbook.
FPI isn't very high on Arkansas this coming season, predicting it will win just 6.5 games despite placing at No. 25 in its first college football rankings. AP top 25 voters named the Razorbacks the No. 19 team in the nation.
The index projects the Hogs will be 9.7 points better than every team on their schedule on average, but come in at just 10th in its SEC standings.
The computer named Cincinnati the favorite in the AAC this year, projecting 9.8 wins on the year and judges UC as being 9.6 points better than its opponents on average.
College Football Power Index
ESPN Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings are a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s future performance.
Rankings and scores predictions are based on 20,000 simulations of a team’s season, using a combination of analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, and a team’s schedule.
College football rankings
According to AP Top 25 poll
- Alabama
- Ohio State
- Georgia
- Clemson
- Notre Dame
- Texas A&M
- Utah
- Michigan
- Oklahoma
- Baylor
- Oregon
- Oklahoma State
- NC State
- USC
- Michigan State
- Miami
- Pittsburgh
- Wisconsin
- Arkansas
- Kentucky
- Ole Miss
- Wake Forest
- Cincinnati
- Houston
- BYU