The Big 12 spotlight shifts west this weekend as the No. 17 Cincinnati Bearcats visit the No. 24 Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday night. Cincinnati

Dampier is expected to start for No. 24 Utah against No. 17 Cincinnati this Saturday, according to a report from CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz. This season, Dampier has led Utah to a 5-2 record, throwing for 1,375 yards and 13 touchdowns with four interceptions on 69% accuracy and rushing for 442 yards and five touchdowns.

The Bearcats and Cougars square off Nov. 22 at Nippert Stadium, so there may be some powder blue scouts on hand at the game or to state their case on the GameDay set, which will have a brisk, early morning start at 7 a.m. Mountain time.

The Bearcats and Utes released their latest injury reports entering their game action on Saturday. Cincinnati football has one star missing this game after Evan Pry

Cincinnati ranks 128th in the FBS averaging 71.5 penalty yards per game, compared to Utah's 66th-ranked 54.4 per-game average. Both teams have strong red zone offenses. Utah is 24th in FBS, scoring on 91.7% of red zone trips. Cincinnati's red zone offense ranks 4th at 97.1%.

Utah has manhandled lesser competition but struggled against the best teams on its schedule. Time to put up or shut up.

Cincinnati loses RB Evan Pryor (ankle) for the Utah trip, with hope for a Nov. 15 return vs. Arizona. How the Bearcats adapt on the road.

The Bearcats (7-1, 5-0 Big 12) are tied atop the Big 12 standings with No. 10 BYU but face a tough path to reach the league title game in Arlington, Texas, with games against the Utes this week and the Cougars in late November still on the docket.

On Wednesday, the Utes revealed their actual helmets, which were all hand-painted by Armando Villarreal, the artist that has worked on the Utes’ previous hand-painted helmets.