Only a handful of teams in the country remain undefeated and the Texas Tech football team has claims as one of them.
Will the Red Raiders (6-0, 3-0) keep that going when they visit Cincinnati for an early kickoff in the land of Skyline Chili?
It's an interesting matchup that, on paper, favors both teams having some success
against the other. Here's a breakdown of the matchup, plus our final score prediction.What to know about Texas Tech football against Cincinnati
The Red Raiders weren't an awe-inspiring group through the first third of the season, but Joey McGuire's team found ways to win. The hope was that learning during those times of adversity would shine through, and the team would start to find its stride at some point.
That time may have come in last week's 53-25 win over Arizona State. Aside
from a couple of special teams miscues, Texas Tech decimated the Sun Devils and the game was never really close. J'Koby Williams and Kenny Johnson established career-highs for rushing and receiving yards, respectively, and Ben Roberts joined the linebacker pick-6 club in the rout.
What to know about Cincinnati against Texas Tech football
The Bearcats got off to a 4-0 start that made everyone start to wonder if Scott Satterfield's team was going to be more of a factor than anticipated before the season. Since then, the wheels have started to come off.
The defense has been suspect all year, giving up 34 points per game in the last four contests, including last week's 45-42 loss at West Virginia. That loss came in a game where Cincinnati generated 622 yards of total offense but couldn't handle the passing (yes, passing) attack of run-first quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr.
Quarterback JC French has been solid, totaling 1,338 passing yards and 9 touchdowns without throwing an interception, and the rushing attack of Cole Tabb and Gi'Bran Payne has made the Bearcat offense a threat to anyone.
Matchup to watch when Texas Tech football visits Cincinnati
Texas Tech's defense will be tested in this one, and the matchup will be a battle of strengths, pitting Tech's run defense against Cincinnati's rushing offense.
The Bearcats have generated 1,387 rushing yards on the season, a whopping 231.2 yards per game on the ground, which ranks 12th in the nation. Meanwhile, the Red Raiders are giving up just 82 rushing yards per game, which ranks fifth in the nation.
Whichever team is able to maintain that advantage in the run game is going to have the edge for the game overall.
This is also a matchup of defensive weaknesses. Texas Tech is 134th in the country in passing defense, giving up 281.8 yards through the air per game. Cincinnati is no better in this category, giving up 294 passing yards per game, which ranks 136th out of 138 teams.
Score prediction for Texas Tech football vs. Cincinnati
Texas Tech 37, Cincinnati 24: Will Hammond should be able to have a solid day against Cincinnati's secondary while Texas Tech can shut down the Bearcat rushing attack. A dub puts Lubbock in the hot spot for potentially hosting College GameDay next week against Arizona.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Will Texas Tech football stay undefeated at Cincinnati? Our score prediction
