It’s everyone’s favorite time of year again. That’s right, Bearcat football is finally back! Coming off a tough 36-17 loss against Michigan, last Saturday, the Cats are gearing up to take on the Miami Redhawks for the 122nd Battle for the Victory Bell.
The rivalry began in 1888, with both teams meeting every year since 1908, aside from 1943-44. This marks it the second oldest NCAA FBS rivalry, sitting only behind the Michigan-Notre Dame Rivalry. The Battle for the Victory Bell is also tied for being the second longest running rivalry series. The South’s Oldest Rivalry, between North Carolina and Virginia will also be playing their 122nd game this year. Both rivalries sit, then, behind Minnesota and Wisconsin, who will be playing for the 127th time this year.
Miami currently leads Cincinnati in the series with a record of 59-55-7(59 wins, 55 losses, and 7 ties). But UC has the momentum going into the game. The Bearcats have won the past 11 games of the series and have no plans of stopping under new head coach, Luke Fickell. In a recent press conference, when asked about how much he knows about the importance of the rivalry, Fickell said that he studied a little over the summer and while at Camp Higher Ground. But that he also leans on other coaches like Gino Guidugli, Doug Rosfield, and Austen Bujnoch, who have played at Cincinnati and have experienced the rivalry, first hand, to understand what it’s really about.
Both schools have also just announced that the rivalry series will be extended through 2029. Five home games for each school have been added, in addition to three games that will be held at Paul Brown Stadium. Details on the dates of the game can be found at the bottom of this blog.
This year’s Battle for the Victory Bell with continue this Saturday at 8:00 PM. The game will be held in Oxford at Miami’s home field, Yager Stadium, and will be televised locally on FOX19. Fans can also tune in to 102.7 WEBN for the start of the game, but it will be switched to 700 WLW following the Red’s game.
Meeting Dates for the Extension:
2018: Sept. 8 at Paul Brown Stadium
2019: Sept. 14 at Cincinnati
2020: Sept. 19 at Miami
2021: Sept. 4 at Cincinnati
2022: Sept. 17 at Paul Brown Stadium
2023: Sept. 16 at Cincinnati
2024: Sept. 14 at Miami
2025: Sept. 6 at Cincinnati
2026: Sept. 19 at Paul Brown Stadium
2027: Sept. 11 at Miami
2028: Sept. 9 at Cincinnati
2029: Sept. 8 at Miami
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