For the first time this year, I arrived at the Stadium not knowing who's going to win.

Now, last Saturday I KNEW Rutgers was going to beat Maryland, and we all know how that turned out.

But this game really is a toss-up between the 21st-ranked Scarlet Knights and what Greg Schiano earlier this week called "the hottest team in college football": No. 20 Cincinnati.

This is as close to a must-win as it gets. A win and the Knights are back on the right track, and will have an easy path to a 2-0 conference start with a cupcake next week at Syracuse. A loss and after just five games, the Knights will have equaled last season's loss total and with West Virginia and South Florida still left to play in the Big East, pretty slim hopes of reaching a BCS bowl.

The Bearcats are 5-0 for the first time in 53 years, ranked in the top 20 for the first time in 31 years, and leading the country in turnover margin.

I don't THINK this will be easy for the Knights.

Yet then again, I DID think last week's game would be relatively easy.

I guess as the old saying goes, that's why they play the games.

I'll check in around game time and let you know about any last-minute depth chart changes or new developments.

And by the way, it's not a bad time to be a Red Sox fan, eh?