Week 6: Cincinnati at Rutgers

It may be the league opener for both of these teams. But this game could go a long way in shaping the Big East championship race.

Rutgers fell 11 spots in the latest Associated Press poll from No. 10 to 21, which was the second-largest drop among the five top 10 teams to lose this past weekend. The fall came after Maryland surprisingly rolled to a 34-24 win over the Scarlet Knights at Rutgers Stadium.

Still, RU is considered a Big East contender. That also applies to the rising Cincinnati Bearcats, who now own the No. 20 ranking in the A.P. poll. With West Virginia and Louisville both 0-1 in league play, the proverbial door is wide open.

The question entering this one is, what’s the status of the Knights? Both the offensive and defensive lines are under the microscope after the Maryland loss.

The Terrapins ran right at RU, which is now ranked next-to-last in the Big East in rush defense. The Scarlet Knights allowed 239 net rushing yards to Maryland and are giving up an average of 143.2 yards per game on the ground.

On the other side of the ball, standout tailback Ray Rice was slowed by the Terps and RU managed just 82 rushing yards.

“I don’t think there’s any magic potion or anything,” said Rutgers coach Greg Schiano. “What happened is we didn’t play well on Saturday.”

That hasn’t been the case with Cincinnati all season. The Bearcats are winning by an average score of 46-11. They’ve forced 21 turnovers. They’ve won eight straight games. They’re averaging 453 yards per game.

The sledding is getting rougher now though. Although UC made a statement by defeating Oregon State by 34-3 back in early September, the rest of the wins have been against lightly regarded opponents. And Cincinnati didn’t even play outside of Ohio until this past weekend, when it pounded on San Diego State by 52-23 at Qualcomm Stadium.

“The preseason is over in a sense for us,” said UC coach Brian Kelly, who is now 6-0 as the head coach.

If there’s one thing Kelly wants to carry over from the Mark Dantonio era, it’s the way the Bearcats played last season against the Scarlet Knights. UC stunned a Rutgers team by 30-11 at Nippert Stadium the game after the Knights knocked off then-No. 3 Louisville.

Cincinnati’s biggest challenge on Saturday will be to stop RU quarterback Mike Teel and a passing attack that’s ranked second in the Big East. The Bearcats, meanwhile, are sixth in the league in pass defense.

On the flip side, Cincinnati, on the strength of quarterbacks Ben Mauk, Dustin Grutza and Tony Pike, has the league’s No. 3 passing offense. Mauk completed 17-of-23 passes for 257 yards against SDSU with four touchdowns.

Rutgers, however, has the Big East’s No. 1 pass defense. But senior safety Ron Girault and backup Glen Lee suffered injuries against Maryland. A decision on Girault may not be made until Saturday night.

Look for Rutgers to bounce back in front of the home crowd.

Rutgers by 7