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FACTS & STATS: Site: High Point Solutions Stadium (52,454) -- Piscataway, New Jersey. Television: ESPNU. Home Record: Cincinnati 4-1, Rutgers 5-1. Away Record: Cincinnati 3-1, Rutgers 1-2. Neutral Record: Cincinnati 0-0, Rutgers 1-0. Conference Record: Cincinnati 3-1, Rutgers 3-2. Series Record: Cincinnati leads, 8-7-1.

GAME NOTES: The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are playing for a possible tie atop the Big East Conference standings on Saturday as they entertain the Cincinnati Bearcats at High Point Solutions Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey.

The Scarlet Knights currently have a record of 3-2 in conference play and are getting back to action against league foes after defeating Army last week on the road in a 27-12 final. The win was the second in a row for a team that had dropped back-to-back decisions against Louisville and West Virginia in October.

As for the Bearcats, leaders in the conference standings at 3-1 entering the week, they are in the midst of a stretch in which they play four of five games on the road, and ironically that one home date was last week against West Virginia. Unfortunately, not only did Cincinnati drop that decision (24-21) and fall out of the national rankings, the team also lost the services of quarterback Zach Collaros who will now miss the rest of the season because of a leg injury that he suffered versus the Mountaineers.

As far as the all-time series between these two teams is concerned, the Bearcats cling to an 8-7-1 edge at the moment thanks to winning five in a row over the Knights. However, Rutgers has been strong at home over the years with a 6-2 record in the series.

The Bearcats' chances to win the Big East title were probably dashed last Saturday when Collaros went down with an injury that will keep him on the shelf for the rest of the season. Before going to the sideline, Collaros was 7-of-11 for 70 yards in the three-point home loss to WVU. Munchie Legaux stepped in to convert 10-of-21 passes for 144 yards, but he was sacked once and had a pass picked off. Running back Isaiah Pead, who will now figure even more prominently into the offensive attack play for the Bearcats, tallied a game-high 113 yards and scored twice on 19 carries. Without Collaros this is a completely different team, and now everyone on the offensive side of the ball will have to get used to the playing style of Legaux who is still just a sophomore and has much to learn. The scoring offense may be ranked first in the conference and 15th in the country this week, but where would the Bearcats be without the combined 131 points dropped on Austin Peay and Akron early in the season?

The Bearcats limited West Virginia to a mere 32 net rushing yards, a far cry from the number of yards the Mountaineers had been used to under previous regimes, but still the hosts couldn't get into the win column. The pass defense did surrender 372 yards and a score to WVU, but closer to the line of scrimmage a couple of guys, Walter Stewart and John HUghes grabbed the spotlight as the former registered 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one recovery, while the latter had two sacks of his own and was credited with a blocked kick. Unfortunately for the Bearcats, the pass defense has been picked on quite a bit this season as the team gives up 287.8 ypg which is the most in the Big East and ranks the team 115th in the nation this week. The run defense is a much different story though, allowing just 81.4 ypg which is second-best in the country.

The Rutgers offense staggered out of the box against the Black Knights last weekend at West Point, scoring just six points in the first half after failing on the PAT following that first TD. Chas Dodd had his ups and downs as he converted 17-of-27 passes for 196 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but he was also picked off twice and sacked one time in the road win. Mohamed Sanu continued to raise his profile with a game-high 13 catches for 129 yards, although he was kept out of the end zone. Sanu has been a machine for the Scarlet Knights moving down the field, ranking second in the nation this week with an average of 9.4 catches per game. Sanu, who has seven TDs, already has more than four times as many receptions as anyone else on the roster and if Dodd knows what is good for him he'll continue to search out his star receiver while converting close to 57 percent of his pass attempts.

Holding the Black Knights to just six completed passes and 77 total yards through the air was no great shake for the Rutgers defense since Army rarely plans to pass the ball excessively, but limiting the hosts to just a single rushing TD on 54 attempts was something to cheer about for sure. Khaseem Greene helped to apply pressure with his team-high 13 tackles and one stop behind the line of scrimmage, while Steve Beauharnais contributed nine stops and one sack in the road triumph. Benefiting from clashing with both Army and Navy within a span of just five games, Rutgers now has the 11th-best pass defense in the country, one that is allowing just 175.0 ypg. The unit is fourth in the conference and tied for 14th nationally with 2.90 sacks per contest as well.

Without Collaros and playing on the road with so much riding on this contest, the Bearcats will have a hard time keeping up with Rutgers this weekend.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Rutgers 27, Cincinnati 17