CHATTANOOGA (Interstat)—Mercer will be the visiting team and Chattanooga the home team Saturday in an NCAA Football Championship Division game at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Bears are 7-2, and the Mocs are 6-3.

Mercer enters on a four-game winning streak and most recently defeated Citadel 28-19. Quarterback JP Pickles completed 17 of 20 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns and rushed 16 times for 46 yards and another score. Jaylen King completed his only pass for 18 yards, and linebacker CJ Favors made five tackles with a half-sack. In a 31-21 win at Samford, Pickles completed 16 of 22 passes for 108 yards and three touchdowns and ran 17 times for 86 yards. Pickles has passed for at least 108 yards in each of his past two games. Mercer’s other wins include a 17-14 decision over Western Carolina and a 54-3 victory at Virginia Military Institute. The Bears also beat Abilene Christian 34-17 and Presbyterian 62-3 and opened with a 23-15 win over Texas A&M-Commerce. The Bears’ most recent loss was a 44-11 setback at Georgia Tech, and their other loss was a 20-13 home decision against Furman. Mercer’s defense has allowed 19 points or fewer in three of its past four games.

Chattanooga has won three straight and most recently beat Virginia Military Institute 24-10. Quarterback Battle Alberson completed 5 of 8 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown and ran seven times for 35 yards and a score. Defensive end Orlando Daniels recorded two tackles and one quarterback hurry, and defensive back Jaden Nelson added two tackles. In a 41-18 win at Western Carolina, Alberson completed 5 of 11 passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns and had 11 carries for 37 yards. Alberson has passed for at least 103 yards in each of his past two games. Chattanooga’s other wins include a 19-3 decision over Samford, a 27-8 win at Citadel, a 41-7 victory over Wofford and a 24-10 win at West Georgia. East Tennessee State beat Chattanooga 14-3, Eastern Kentucky won 22-17 and Tennessee Tech won 24-9. Chattanooga’s defense has allowed 10 points or fewer in two of its past three games.

Mercer will visit Tennessee Tech next before hosting East Tennessee State. Chattanooga will travel to Furman next before visiting Alabama. Both teams have two regular-season games remaining after Saturday. Mercer will seek a fifth straight win, while Chattanooga will seek a fourth straight win.

The forecast for game time is 71°F. Interstat’s game simulator projects a final score of Mercer 36, Chattanooga 33. Interstat’s ELO system gives Mercer a 52.6 percent probability to win.