Cincinnati will play their fourth straight conference game against a conference opponent previously winless in AAC play, as they travel to face Memphis Wednesday night. Television coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Wednesday’s college football schedule: Game times, TV coverage for Cincinnati-Memphis
Can Memphis finally grab their first AAC win?
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Unfortunately for the Bearcats, not all of those opponents have stayed winless. Cincinnati opened AAC play with an embarrassing 26-20 loss to a horrid South Florida team. They followed that up with easy wins over even worse Temple and UConn teams, and have had a bye week to prepare for a Memphis team that has struggled in a new conference.
Memphis started the year with a two-touchdown home loss to Duke, and lost their following game in a tight win to Middle Tennessee State on the road. They got on the win column the next week with a blowout win over Arkansas State, but have since suffered conference losses to UCF, Houston and SMU. The good news for the Tigers that separates them from the other teams at the bottom? They’re not getting blown out of games, so they’re better than their record shows.
The numbers
Rankings and records: Neither team is ranked. Cincinnati is 5-2 with a 2-1 conference record, putting them in fourth place in the conference. Memphis is 1-5 and 0-3 in AAC play, good for eighth place. The Tigers hold a 18-12-0 all-time lead in the series.
Vegas: Cincinnati is a three-point favorite, and the over/under is 46 points. OddsShark has more.
Weather: 60s with possible thunderstorms.
Three names to know
Martin Ifedi. The Memphis defensive lineman leads the conference with 11.5 tackles for a loss and is second with 7.5 sacks.
Brendon Kay. The senior took over after Munchie Legaux's devastating injury, and has thrown for 13 touchdowns while running for three more.
Nick Temple. Cincinnati's junior linebacker has four sacks, eight tackles for a loss, and an interception this year.
Two things at stake
Cincinnati is just a game out of the AAC championship picture, and a loss to Memphis would crush those hopes.
Memphis has come so close game after game, and a win on national television would be huge.
How to witness
TV: 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2
Radio: 600 AM for Memphis. 700 AM for Cincinnati.
Online streaming: WatchESPN.
Further reading
For more from Cincinnati, head to Down the Drive.
More from SB Nation college football:
• Long reads: Chip Kelly’s New Hampshire laboratory | Why we love college football
See More:
