The Houston Cougars, now ranked No. 17 in the country, will be back in action this Saturday at home against Cincinnati. After a much-needed bye week with a chance for the team to rest up, Houston has four games left this regular season and it starts with this Week 10 matchup.

The kickoff time and TV network for Nov. 7 hadn't been revealed over the past week as the six-day window was used by both FOX and ESPN in order to determine the time. It was likely that Cincinnati's performance in Week 9 would play a factor.

All the details are now set as Houston looks to keep its hopes for the Big 12 championship alive with a win in the homecoming game. The Cougars at 6-2 entering this game need to win all of the remaining four games to have a shot.

Kickoff Time, TV for Houston vs Cincinnati

The Big 12 Conference and the networks announced on Saturday night that Houston will indeed kick-off at 2:30 p.m. CST on FOX.

This is the first time that Houston will be playing in this afternoon window all season. The Cougars are ranked in the AP Poll for the 10th straight week, which continues the longest stretch to begin a season since 1990.

Houston has had to deal with a number of 11 a.m. kickoffs this season such as the season opener vs Oregon State and Big 12 home opener against UCF. The Cougars were given the primetime slot on FOX in what was a top-20 matchup against Oklahoma State back on Oct. 17.

Houston had a packed crowd at TDECU Stadium that was sold out above official capacity for that signature ranked win so far. This is the second time that a Houston home game will be broadcasted on FOX this year.

An 11 a.m. kickoff has proven to be a challenge to get a packed stadium, so a bit of a later start time avoids that. Houston used to be play against Cincinnati in the American Athletic Conference days, so this is a familiar opponent that also moved to the Big 12 at the same time.

The Cougars will get both wildcat teams this year, as they beat Kansas State 35-16 back on Oct. 10. on the road. Cincinnati beat a No. 8-ranked Texas Tech team at home in Week 8 and showed it can beat anyone on any given day.

After the 49-25 drubbing the Wildcats took at the hands of Utah this past Saturday, Houston must be on top of its game, knowing that Cincinnati will come out looking to bounce back. Houston is currently 4-0 at home and will need to get to 5-0 to keep conference hopes alive.