By Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer

In the increasingly wacky world of college athletics, the University of Cincinnati Bearcats play a football game today that in some ways they would be better off losing.

UC (5-4, 2-3 Conference USA) will try to knock off unbeaten and 10th-ranked Texas Christian University (9-0, 6-0) at 3 p.m. at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas, and derail the Horned Frogs' drive for a berth in a Bowl Championship Series bowl game.

But if they do, the Bearcats could hurt their own bowl chances. And they could cost the UC athletic department a lot of money.

All of which means nothing to the UC players.

"All I'm worried about is the guy across from me," guard Kyle Takavitz said. "You can't worry about scenarios."

There are a few:

• If TCU becomes the first school from a non-BCS conference to play in a BCS bowl game, the football-playing schools from C-USA will split a bowl payoff of roughly $13 million. If no C-USA school gains a BCS bowl bid, the schools split $1 million.

• And if TCU goes to a BCS bowl, the Bearcats, who still need one more win to become bowl-eligible, will have a better chance of landing a berth in one of the five bowl games affiliated with the league, assuming they win their last two games against Memphis and Louisville.

But the UC players are more concerned with spoiling TCU's perfect season.

"I think it would be fun to knock them off the pedestal," Takavitz said.

It would be especially satisfying for the Bearcats, who beat TCU last year and shared the conference championship with the Horned Frogs, only to have their co-championship overlooked this season.

"We've been talking about that for a long time," cornerback Zach Norton said. "It's kind of a downer when you beat somebody and you have to share something with them and they get all the recognition."

TCU deserves all the recognition it's receiving this year. The resourceful Horned Frogs have won five games by three points. Backup QB Brandon Hassell has started five games in place of the injured Tye Gunn and has completed 56.1 percent of his passes for 1,318 yards and has nine touchdowns to two INTs.

"They're very Ohio State-like," UC coach Rick Minter said. "That is, they put their team most often on the backs of their defense. They play great in the kicking game and they don't make many errors."

With a strong finish, UC could still secure a fourth straight bowl bid. A win over TCU could be a step in that direction. But then, so could a loss.

"They've got a chance to make history," Norton said of TCU, "but we've got to keep our history going of three consecutive bowl games. We're trying to make it four."

Cincinnati at No. 10 TCU

Kickoff: 3 p.m. today, Amon G. Carter Stadium (48,008), Fort Worth.

Records: UC 5-4 (2-3 Conference USA), TCU 9-0 (6-0).

Radio: WLW-AM (700).

TV: None.

Line: TCU by 7.

What to watch: The Horned Frogs seek their second straight 10-win season as they attempt to become the first school from a non-BCS conference to make a BCS bowl game. The Frogs rank second in the conference in rushing offense and first in rushing defense.

UC	Team stats	TCU
390	Offense avg.	443
184	Avg. by rush	209
205	Avg. by pass	234
318	Defense avg.	357
119	Avg. by rush	93
199	Avg. by pass	264
26	Avg. points for	29
24	Avg. pts. against	20

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E-mail bkoch@enquirer.com