(AP) -- This week's Big East Conference football matchups (all times Eastern unless noted):

No. 5 Cincinnati (7-0, 3-0 Big East) at Syracuse (3-4, 0-2 Big East), noon (ESPNU)

Line: Cincinnati by 15.

Series record: Cincinnati leads 5-4-0.

Last meeting: 2008, Cincinnati 30-10.

What's at Stake

Cincinnati is streaking toward its second straight Big East title, and remaining undefeated would keep the Bearcats in the hunt for the national title, although they are at No. 8 in the latest BCS standings, the lowest of the unbeaten teams.

Syracuse lost its first two Big East games and has won only three conference games in the past four-plus years. Rookie coach Doug Marrone wants to distance the team from its sorry recent past, and doing it against a highly ranked team would be huge. It would be an upset along the lines of the Orange's shocking 17-9 win in 1984 over powerhouse Nebraska. Marrone was a sophomore offensive lineman on that Syracuse team, which finished 6-5.

Key Matchup

Cincinnati QBs Tony Pike and Zach Collaros against the Syracuse defense. The Bearcats lead the Big East in total offense (458 yards per game) and passing (306 ypg) with only four interceptions in 243 attempts and have not lost a fumble the entire season. On the ground, Cincinnati is averaging 5.1 yards per carry and 152 per game. It's likely that Collaros, an effective runner who threw for three touchdowns and had only two incompletions in a 41-10 victory over Louisville last Saturday, will make his second straight start. Coach Brian Kelly hasn't ruled out using Pike, who was fitted this week with a new cast for an injury to his non-throwing arm. Pike is the league leader in total offense (276.5 ypg).

Syracuse allowed zero yards rushing Saturday in a 28-14 win over Akron, its best performance since 1991, and is tied for sixth nationally in rushing defense (83.4 yards per game). Syracuse also has 11 fumble recoveries but only five interceptions, and the Orange have allowed 271 yards passing per game and a league-high 15 TD passes.

Players to watch

Cincinnati: WR Mardy Gilyard. He's tied for the most TD catches in school history (22) with Dominick Goodman (2005-08) and has eight this season. Gilyard has 2,486 receiving yards in his career and needs 27 to pass Goodman for the top spot.

Syracuse: WR Mike Williams. After being suspended last week for violating team rules, Williams was reinstated and has to pick up where he left off. He leads the Big East with 118.7 receiving yards per game, has scored six TDs, and his 20 career touchdown receptions tie him with Marvin Harrison for second in school history, two off the record held by Rob Moore. This is a big chance for Williams to shine against a team that has allowed a league-low five TDs passing.

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No. 20 West Virginia (6-1, 2-0) vs. South Florida (5-2, 1-2), 8 p.m.

Line: West Virginia by 3.

Series record: Tied 2-2.

Last meeting: 2008, West Virginia 13-7.

What's At Stake

West Virginia tries to remain unbeaten in Big East play, meeting a South Florida team that's reeling after being ranked in the Top 25 two weeks ago. The Mountaineers trail No. 16 Pittsburgh (4-0) and No. 5 Cincinnati (3-0) in the conference standings, but will face the Panthers and Bearcats within a three-week span next month. USF also faded after quick starts vaulted the Bulls into the Top 25 in 2007 and 2008. Since beating Florida State and Syracuse to improve to 5-0, the Bulls have been outscored 75-31 in losses to Cincinnati and Pitt. This has been a very competitive series, with each team winning twice, including once on the other's home field.

Key Matchup

West Virginia RB Noel Devine vs. a USF defense that was ranked among the nation's best before Cincinnati gained 401 yards and Pitt amassed 486 against the Bulls. Pitt RB Dion Lewis ran for 111 yards and two touchdowns. Devine is coming off a 178-yard performance that included a 56-yard TD run in the closing minutes of West Virginia's 28-24 win over Connecticut. The Florida native has five of his 13 career 100-yard games this season and is 89 yards shy of going over 1,000 for the second straight year. USF redshirt freshman quarterback B.J. Daniels has started four games since replacing the injured Matt Grothe, the Big East career leader in total offense. Daniels is a dual-threat quarterback and that could pose problems for the West Virginia defense.

Players to Watch

West Virginia: Devine is averaging 130.3 yards per game rushing, third in the nation. QB Jarrett Brown is 8-1 as a starter. He has completed 67.1 percent of his passes for 1,362 yards, nine touchdowns and six interceptions in seven games this season. Slot receiver Jock Sanders has 53 catches for 514 yards and two TDs.

South Florida: Just as Grothe was the past three seasons, Daniels is USF's leading rusher with 415 yards on 79 attempts. He's thrown for seven TDs and rushed for four. RBs Moise Plancher and Lindsey Lamar are averaging nearly 5 yards per carry and have combined to score six TDs. WR Carlton Mitchell is averaging 17.1 yards per reception and has four catches of 50-plus yards. He and WR Dontavia Bogan, averaging 16.7 yards per catch, each have three TD receptions.

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Rutgers (5-2, 0-2 Big East) at Connecticut (4-3, 1-2), Noon (Big East Network)

Line: Connecticut 7 1/2.

Series record: Rutgers leads 19-9.

Last meeting: 2008, Rutgers, 12-10.

What's at Stake

Connecticut is playing its first home game since the stabbing death of cornerback Jasper Howard and needs a quality Big East win. The Huskies have lost three games this season by a total of nine points.

Rutgers is looking for its first conference win of the season and needs to put together a win streak to have a chance to play in the postseason, because two of its victories have come over lower-tier Football Championship Subdivision teams.

Key Matchup

Rutgers receivers vs. Connecticut's young cornerbacks. Redshirt freshmen Blidi Wreh-Wilson and Dwayne Gratz split time last week trying to fill the shoes of Howard, who was killed on Oct. 18. They will have to find a way to stop Tim Brown, who is averaging almost 20 yards per catch and has 649 receiving yards this season. The Scarlet Knights are averaging 193 yards through the air.

Players to Watch

Rutgers: Freshman quarterback Tom Savage makes his first road start. He's thrown for more than 1,100 yards and five touchdowns, with just one interception. Running back Joe Martinek is averaging more than 5 yards per carry, and likes to play on grass. He ran for a career-best 147 yards and two TDs last month in Rutgers' 34-13 victory over Maryland at Byrd Stadium, the only other game the team has played on natural turf this season.

Connecticut: Sophomore quarterback Cody Endres threw for a career-high 378 yards and two scores last week in a 28-24 loss to West Virginia, and now has more than 1,300 yards passing in six games. Endres' success has coincided with the emergence of senior receiver Marcus Easley, who has had three consecutive 100-yard receiving games. He has three touchdowns and 365 yards of receiving over that span. UConn's tailback tandem of Jordan Todman and Andre Dixon have combined for 1,250 yards rushing.

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Arkansas State (2-4) at Louisville (2-5), 3:30 p.m. (WHAS)

Line: Louisville by 4.

Series Record: first meeting.

What's at Stake

This could be Louisville coach Steve Kragthorpe's last stand. The Cardinals have been unimpressive in their two wins and the Red Wolves are hardly pushovers - they took unbeaten Iowa to the limit earlier this month. Louisville badly needs a strong performance to boost its confidence before a brutal November that includes games at West Virginia and South Florida.

Key Matchup

Louisville vs. the training table. The Cardinals likely will be without several key players, including leading rusher Victor Anderson, who is battling a number of ailments. Without Anderson the Cardinals will rely on Bilal Powell, who has been prone to fumble at the worst possible moments. Quarterback Adam Froman should be ready to go after getting dinged in a 41-10 loss to No. 5 Cincinnati last week, but neither Froman nor backup Justin Burke have been able to kickstart Louisville's offense. The Cardinals are 105th in the country in scoring offense, averaging 20.14 points per game.

Players to watch

Arkansas State: LB Demario Davis. The sophomore is the anchor of the Sun Belt Conference's top defense. He was named the league's Defensive Player of the Week in a 27-10 win over Florida International, collecting eight tackles - including two sacks - and forced a fumble. He leads a defense that tops the conference in scoring defense, total defense and rushing defense.

Louisville: WR Scott Long. The lone big-play receiver on offense was held to one reception for 14 yards in the loss to Cincinnati. He and Froman have developed a connection, spending time over the summer working on routes and timing. For Louisville to be successful, Long needs to stretch the field, something that can only be done if Froman has time. That's been a challenge behind an inexperienced offensive line that is allowing three sacks a game, ranking 106th in the country.

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