Temple @ Cincinnati preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 29, 2016 ) Cincinnati 13, Temple 34

Temple needs to win two of its final three games to become bowl-eligible, and that quest begins with a contest at Cincinnati on Friday. The Owls knocked off Navy a week ago, while the Bearcats also are coming off a win (at Tulane) and still have a slight chance to reach the postseason.

Cincinnati can finish 6-6 by winning its final three games, and the schedule is reasonable as the team looks to return to a bowl game after missing out last season. Temple, East Carolina and Connecticut - its final three opponents - have combined records of 9-18 overall and 5-11 in the American Athletic Conference. The Owls once again will turn to backup quarterback Frank Nutile, who has played well in place of the injured Logan Marchi. "We have this mindset that it's a championship game every week," Nutile told reporters after throwing for 289 yards and four touchdowns against Navy.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2. LINE: Temple -2.5

ABOUT TEMPLE (4-5, 2-3 AAC): Temple has made a bowl game each of the last two seasons and hopes Nutile and Adonis Jennings (nine catches for 189 yards and three touchdowns in the last two games) can continue their strong chemistry down the stretch. Isaiah Wright put up solid stats with Marchi, but he has only six catches in two games with Nutile under center. Ryquell Armstead leads the team in rushing (454 yards), but his 3.8-yard average is a big drop from his 5.9 mark from a season ago, and he has run for only three TDs in 2017, compared to 14 last year.

ABOUT CINCINNATI (3-6, 1-4): The Bearcats had lost five straight games before slipping past Tulane 17-16 when the Green Wave missed a 36-yard field-goal attempt in the final minutes. Freshman Gerrid Doaks ran for a career-high 149 yards in that contest and is averaging six per carry on the season. Hayden Moore threw for 248 yards - his third-highest total of the season - against Tulane and has a respectable 8-to-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio over the last six contests.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Temple won last year's matchup 34-13, outgaining Cincinnati 474-186 en route to the decisive win.

2. Kahlil Lewis (48 receptions) is the top wideout for the Bearcats but was limited to one catch by Tulane.

3. Over the last three games in which he has played, Nutile has completed just over 72 percent of his passes.

PREDICTION: Temple 33, Cincinnati 23