Arkansas and Cincinnati have never played on the football field, but all of that will change when the 2022 season rolls around. The two schools have agreed to a future game to be played as the 2022 season opener.
Arkansas will host Cincinnati on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022 in Fayetteville. The agreement is a one-game deal between the SEC and American school.
the addition of Cincinnati to the 2022 schedule completes the schedule for the Razorbacks. In addition o eight SEC contests and the newly scheduled season opener against Cincinnati, Arkansas will also host Missouri State and Liberty. Arkansas is also scheduled for a road game at BYU in 2022. The SEC mandates that members play at least one program from another power conference each season, so it should be assumed Arkansas is getting credit for that requirement by using BYU or Cincinnati as an exception, which has been the case previously in the conference.
Arkansas has no power conference opponents lined up for non-conference play this season but the Razorbacks will travel to Notre Dame in 2020 and host Texas in 2021.
The addition of Arkansas gives Cincinnati another power conference opponent to highlight the future non-conference schedule. The Bearcats face UCLA and Ohio State this season, Nebraska in 2020, Indiana and Notre Dame in 2021, Indiana in 2022, and Pitt in 2023 and 2024 (as part of a home-and-home deal).
The last time Cincinnati played a team from the SEC was 2011 against Vanderbilt in the Liberty Bowl. Cincinnati is 5-21-1 all-time against teams currently in the SEC. The last win by Cincinnati against an SEC member was in 1996 against Kentucky.
Arkansas is 121-54-8 all-time against teams currently playing in the AAC. Arkansas defeated Tulsa last season.
