Texas (2-2, 1-0 Big 12) at Iowa State (1-2, 0-0); 6:30 p.m., (ESPN)

Series record: Texas leads 9-1; Line: Texas by 8 ½

WHAT’S AT STAKE

Texas and coach Mack Brown would be in rough shape if they lost to the Cyclones — who appear to be among the weaker teams in the league — since they already have a pair of defeats on their resume. A win would bring the Cyclones back to .500 and give them a ton of confidence heading into a touch stretch of Big 12 play.

KEY MATCHUP

Iowa State QB Sam Richardson vs. the Longhorns defense. Texas’s defense improved under new defensive coordinator Greg Robinson by allowing just 21 points in a win over Kansas State, and they’ve had nearly an extra week to prepare for the Cyclones. Richardson’s ability as a dual-threat quarterback has been compromised by an ankle injury, but he still had 255 yards passing and 2 TDs last week in a win over Tulsa.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Iowa State: RB Aaron Wimberly. He had 137 yards rushing last week and is now the starter. But he’s never seen a defense like the Longhorns. Texas: WR/RB Daje Johnson. He might the most explosive playmaker Texas has, and he’s expected back after missing the past two games with an ankle injury.

FACTS & FIGURES

Iowa State hasn’t won a Big 12 opener since pounding Kansas 45-3 in 2002…Texas’s win over Kansas State on Sept. 21 snapped a five-game losing streak against the Wildcats…The Longhorns are 4-0 in Ames and beat the Cyclones on the road 37-14 in the 2011 league opener…The Cyclones are one of just three teams nationally that hasn’t lost a fumble.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Edward Mujica is on the St. Louis Cardinals’ roster for the NL division series — even after losing his job as closer in mid-September. Manager Mike Matheny said Mujica’s role would be “right-handed reliever.”

Rookie Trevor Rosenthal took over for Mujica, who was among the league leaders with 37 saves but had two blown saves the final month. Mujica, who began the year as a setup man, allowed 18 hits in 7 1-3 innings in September. In his final outing, Mujica lasted one-third of an inning and gave up two runs on three hits — all for extra bases.

Matheny declined for the second straight day to announce starters past Lance Lynn in Game 2, although he said rookies Shelby Miller and Michael Wacha would be available for bullpen duty in Game 1. Rookie second baseman Kolten Wong was a surprise addition.

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ST. LOUIS (AP) — Andrew McCutchen and the Pittsburgh Pirates are riding high from their first postseason victory in 21 years. And now, after beating the Cincinnati Reds in the wild-card game, the Pirates are set to face another familiar foe in an unfamiliar month: the NL Central champion Cardinals in October. Game 1 of their division series is Thursday night in St. Louis.

The Cardinals edged the Pirates for the division title, with Pittsburgh winning the regular-season series, but they have quite the advantage in postseason experience. Adam Wainwright has to like this matchup, too. St. Louis’ ace is set to start the opener and will be available on regular rest for a possible deciding Game 5 against a team he went 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in three starts this season.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs were missing several key players, including Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles, as they began preparing for Sunday’s game at Tennessee. Charles missed Wednesday’s workout because of blisters on his feet. Chiefs coach Andy Reid said he believes Charles will be ready to go against the Titans.

Top cornerback Brandon Flowers remained out of practice with inflammation in his knee, and starting free safety Kendrick Lewis has been dealing with a sprained ankle. Rookie right tackle Eric Fisher, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, is still undergoing evaluations from a concussion he sustained in last weekend’s 31-7 win over the Giants. Even punter Dustin Colquitt was out of practice. He hurt his knee last Sunday.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — It was a gamble from the get-go, the decision by the Kansas City Chiefs to trade two draft picks for Alex Smith this past offseason. So far, it’s paying off. Smith is off to the best start of his career, leading the Chiefs to a 4-0 mark. He’s on pace to set career bests for yards passing, yards rushing and touchdown passes, and has even outplayed the 49ers’ Colin Kaepernick — the guy who took his starting job last season.

Perhaps most importantly, Smith hasn’t made many mistakes. He threw his first two picks last Sunday against the Giants, but has otherwise been flawless. And that’s a big reason the Chiefs are tied with the Titans, their opponent Sunday, for the NFL’s best turnover margin.