Cincinnati Bearcats at Iowa State Cyclones

Cincinnati and Iowa State are both looking to snap out of their funks when they square off

Cincinnati (5-4, 3-3 Big 12) at Iowa State (7-2, 4-2), Saturday, 8 p.m. EST (Fox)

College Football Odds: Iowa State by 8 1/2.

Series record: Iowa State leads 1-0.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Both teams have lost two straight games. Cincinnati needs to win one of its last three games to achieve bowl-eligibility for the first time under second-year coach Scott Satterfield. Iowa State will try to give ninth-year coach Matt Campbell an eighth win for the fourth time. The Cyclones would be all but out of the Big 12 race with a third straight loss.

KEY MATCHUP

Iowa State defense vs. Cincinnati offense. The Cyclones have been the standard bearer of Big 12 defenses since 2020, but there's been slippage this year. They gave up a season-high 532 yards in a loss to Kansas last week, and they have especially struggled against the run. Corey Kiner and Evan Pryor lead Cincinnati's solid run game, and Brendan Sorsby is the Big 12's third-highest rated passer.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Cincinnati: Sorsby will try to shake off a tough outing in last week's 31-24 home loss to West Virginia. He had three turnovers, including an interception returned for a touchdown. Sorsby challenges defenses. He's throwing for just under 270 yards per game and he's a willing runner.

Iowa State: WR Jaylin Noel is on track for a 1,000-yard season, and his average of 99.2 per game ranks second in the Big 12. He had eight catches for a career-high 167 yards and two touchdowns in last week's 45-36 loss to Kansas.

FACTS & FIGURES

An Iowa State victory would give Campbell a fourth season with at least eight wins. ... Pryor has four touchdowns of 50-plus yards, three of them having gone for at least 60, tied for most in the Big 12. Three of his long touchdowns have come on the first offensive play of a drive. ... Bearcats LB Jared Bartlett is second in the Big 12 with 6.5 sacks. ... The Cyclones won the teams' only previous meeting 30-10 in Cincinnati last year, with Jayden Higgins catching six passes for 172 yards. ... ISU RB Carson Hansen has six touchdowns in his last four games. ... ISU DB Ta’Shawn James made a career-high 10 tackles against Kansas. He had entered the game with just 12 tackles in two years.

Matchup Prediction