Rutgers @ Cincinnati preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 7, 2009 ) Cincinnati 47, Rutgers 15

It's not a surprise that Cincinnati is going through a transition period this season, but no one expected the Bearcats to fall so quickly. Cincinnati hopes for something good to happen Saturday night when it hosts host Rutgers in a battle of struggling Big East teams.

A year ago, the Bearcats were the talk of college football. Cincinnati finished 12-0 in the regular season and qualified for a BCS game, advancing to the Sugar Bowl. The situation is much different this season for the Bearcats (3-6, 1-3 Big East), who must win their last three games to even become eligible to play in a bowl game of any kind. Cincinnati finishes the season with games against Connecticut and Pittsburgh.

Last week's 37-10 defeat at West Virginia gave Cincinnati its first three-game losing streak since 2006.

Not even the return of quarterback Zach Collaros could help the Bearcats. He bruised his left knee in the loss to South Florida and was unavailable in a 31-7 defeat to Syracuse. Collaros completed 25-of-45 passes for 221 yards against West Virginia, but that doesn't tell the story of his rocky day. Collaros was sacked five times, threw two interceptions, lost a fumble and was called for intentional grounding in the end zone that gave West Virginia a safety.

Defense has been Cincinnati's biggest problem. The Bearcats rank seventh in the Big East in total defense and are last in the conference in scoring defense and pass defense.

Rutgers (4-5, 1-3 Big East) has also lost three straight games. The latest loss came last week to Syracuse when Ross Krautman kicked a 24-yard field goal with 1:07 to play, sending the Scarlet Knights to a 13-10 defeat. Freshman Jeremy Deering ran for a career-high 166 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown run.

Rutgers hasn't won since defeating Army 23-20 on Oct. 16. The Scarlet Knights, who play Louisville and West Virginia in the final two weeks, must win two of their last three to become bowl eligible. Coach Greg Schiano is trying to figure out who to start at quarterback. Sophomore Tom Savage replaced freshman Chas Dodd during last week's game. Dodd took over when Savage injured his hand against Tulane on Oct. 2 and held the job until struggling against the Orange.

Receiver Mohamed Sanu (leg), punter Teddy Dellagana (quad), defensive tackle Jamal Merrell (ankle) and cornerback Marcus Cooper (leg) are listed as questionable for Rutgers.