Name that team: 2-4 overall record, 3-of-6 games against ranked opponents and coming off their best offensive performance of the season. Heading into this week’s Iowa State vs. Texas matchup, it depends on which fan you are asking.

Both teams have ended in similar positions after six games but with two different stories. After a week-one embarrassment in a loss to FCS North Dakota State, the Cyclones went on to win two of their next five games with all three losses coming to ranked opponents. Texas handled its two easiest opponents — North Texas and Kansas — but struggled against ranked opponents and was manhandled 41-7 against BYU.

With the No. 111 ranked offense in the nation, the Longhorns appeared to be the Cyclones’ first defensive relief of the season, while the Cyclones’ No. 93 ranked offense looks like a dangling piece of meat in front of a hungry Texas defense’s face.

Not so fast.

While Texas has had its offensive struggles, it is coming off a game in which it more than doubled No. 11 Oklahoma’s total offense with 482 yards, despite falling short 31-26. Quarterback Tyrone Swoopes had a career game, throwing for 334 yards and scoring two touchdowns as well as picking up 50 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

“He’s just a big, strong athletic guy. He can throw the ball forever — he can throw the ball through that glass if he wanted to,” said coach Paul Rhoads, pointing to a glass trophy case. “He’s extremely strong and capable of doing anything with that ball.”

Suddenly, that No. 111 ranked offense doesn’t appear to be so soft. With senior receivers John Harris and Jaxon Shipley having breakout seasons, the ISU secondary will have their work cut out for them as the Longhorns continue to improve.

The same can be said for the Cyclones. After the abysmal offensive performance against NDSU, the offense improved weekly, coming ahead in last week’s 454-yard performance against Toledo, led by quarterback Sam Richardson.

“He was very productive,” Rhoads said of his performance against Toledo. “When you start to mature like he is right now… you make smart plays. He made a lot of plays with his feet and with his arm.”

But for Richardson, the Longhorn secondary provides a challenge with the No. 4 pass efficiency defense in the country. It will be a stark contrast from the Toledo secondary he faced, which ranked fourth-to-last in the nation in that category.

“You’ve got to take advantage of single coverages if they give you those,” Richardson said of Texas. “Just trying to find favorable match-ups. I know they are good on the back end, but I think we are pretty strong at receiver.”

Despite the teams’ different paths, they are still matched at 2-4, battling for four more wins to gain bowl-eligibility. Saturday’s matchup offers one more opportunity for a win for two teams finding their rhythms.