Two teams hoping to get on the winning side of things in conference play square will square off Friday night when the Cincinnati Bearcats host the Temple Owls. Television coverage begins at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN2.
How to watch Temple vs. Cincinnati: Preview, TV schedule, odds and more
Can the Owls win a game?
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Cincinnati had a promising start to their season. They beat Big Ten opponent Purdue 42-7 in their opener, but followed that up with a 45-17 loss to Illinois the next week. After easy wins over terrible competition the next two weeks, the Bearcats were shocked by a winless South Florida team. The Bearcats have struggled offensively without  quarterback Munchie Legaux, but hope to get back on track against what has been a terrible Owls squad.
Temple has yet to win a game under first-year head coach Matt Rhule. Two of their five losses have come against teams that were ranked at the time, with a third coming to an undefeated Houston squad. Their losses against Fordham and Idaho are unacceptable for the Owls’ program, however. After the slow start, they’ll be breaking in their third different starting quarterback of the year -- true freshman P.J. Walker, a dual threat who was a three-star prospect coming out of high school.
The numbers
Rankings and records: Neither team is ranked or received any votes. Cincinnati is 3-2 and 0-1 in AAC play while Temple is 0-5 and 0-2 in conference competition. The Owls lead the all-time series 9-5-1, but Cincinnati has won the last three games between the two schools.
Vegas: Cincinnati is a 21-point favorite, with an over/under of 51.5 points. OddsShark has more.
Weather: Expected to be in the 50s with clear skies.
Three names to know
Brendon Kay. The Cincinnati quarterback took over for Munchie Legaux, and has thrown for seven touchdowns in just two games.
Nick Temple. The Bearcat linebacker has seven tackles for a loss and will look to find his way into the Temple backfield on Friday night.
Tyler Matakevich. One of the lone bright spots of the year for Temple has been the play of sophomore Matakevich. He is fourth in the nation with 67 tackles.
Two things at stake
With a win, Temple would gain Matt Rhule his first victory as a head coach.
Cincinnati is looking to rebound from a horrid AAC opener and prove that they can contend in the conference.
How to witness
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN2.
Radio: For Temple, 1210 AM. For Cincinnati, 700 AM.
Online streaming: WatchESPN. Comcast XFINITY subscribers can watch the game here.
Further reading
For more from Cincinnati, head to Down the Drive.
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