The Pittsburgh Panthers will try to keep their BCS Bowl hopes alive this weekend, as they take on the Cincinnati Bearcats in Big East play at Nippert Stadium. Along with West Virginia and UConn, the Panthers currently sit tied for first place in the Big East standings at 4-2. Unfortunately, with just one game left, Pitt would need a win this weekend as well as losses by both UConn and West Virginia in order to earn the Big East’s BCS bid. The Panthers put themselves in this poor position with losses to UConn (30-28) and most recently West Virginia (35-10) this past weekend. Despite setbacks in two of its last three games, Pitt is still bowl eligible for the third straight season.

As for the Bearcats, they were unable to defend their Big East title, sitting just 2-4 within the conference. Cincinnati has dropped four of its past five games, including a 38-17 loss at UConn last weekend, and is set for a losing campaign. In regard to the all-time series, Pitt owns a 7-2 lead over Cincinnati, but the Bearcats have taken the past two meetings, including a dramatic 45-44 win last season.

Cincinnati doesnt have much to show and the Panthers should be able to control the field of play both defensively and offesnively. Take the Panthers in this release.