It’s Time To Revise The Cincinnati-Miami (OH) Series

(Courtesy Journal News)

This Saturday marks the 118th iteration of the Battle for the Victory Bell. The game is set to kickoff at 4 pm EST and I can predict what’s going to happen about 3 hours later. The Bearcats will have walked off the field in a rout, either scoring upwards of 50 points, holding Miami (OH) to under 2 touchdowns, or both. It will have been UC’s eight straight victory in the rivalry, the longest winning streak for either team in the series. 70% of the fans in Yager Stadium will have been sent home happy because they’re rooting for Cincinnati. Additionally, those people who did attend the game, the majority of which are wearing red and black, will have likely paid more for their tickets than most other Redhawk home football games.

Quick aside, from this moment on I’m dropping the “(OH)” suffix from Miami’s name because writing that over and over again is just going to piss me off.

Now those opening statements might seem cocky and condescending of Cincinnati’s neighbor to the North but they are rooted in fact. Since moving to the Big East Conference the Bearcats have dominated this series. While they still trail in the overall standings (which means nothing today, by the way), UC has beaten Miami by an average of 30 points per game since 2006. The Redhawks simply aren’t competitive anymore on or off the field. Cincinnati has brought in better talent in the last decade, is pouring millions of dollars into a renovated football stadium, and has one of the biggest names in college football at the helm.

Meanwhile Miami struggles to fill its 24,000-seat Yager Stadium, except for the Battle for the Victory Bell it seems, and continues to make questionable coaching hires that leaves the program middling in the MAC. The most recent one is as perplexing as ever. In late 2010, the Redhawks hired Michigan State offensive coordinator Don Treadwell. Michigan State’s offensive coordinator. Offensive coordinator. If anyone in that administration didn’t see the problem with that hire from the get-go they haven’t been paying attention to college football. Currently the Redhawks are ranked dead last in total offense and it’s absolutely no surprise. This is all reflective of a Miami athletic department that seems to prefer allocating funds and its attention to college hockey instead of football or basketball.

So why does the University of Cincinnati continue to treat this series like both programs are on a level playing field?

Sure the teams get up for this game but for the future health of the Bearcats football program it makes no sense to continue to send the team 45 minutes up the road every other year to beat down on a rival that fewer and fewer people seem to care about, then bus them right back down to Clifton. Not only do Cincinnati fans tend to fill Yager Stadium more so than the home team’s own fans but in the last few years the game hasn’t even been carried on TV. Instead it’s typically streamed online via ESPN3 like it will be this Saturday. If this game doesn’t create more visibility for this program, why continue to abide by a deal that creates a useless away game on Cincinnati’s schedule every year?

Additionally the Bearcats don’t gain anything recruiting-wise by playing in Oxford. Cincinnati already recruits that area hard because of its close proximity to their home base. Instead the Battle for the Victory Bell could be played at a neutral site, like Indianapolis, Cleveland, or Detroit. Any of those are within driving distance for both team’s fanbases and the coaching staffs on both sides could benefit from recruiting the local area. I’m not sure how viable this is on a longterm basis or if the Miami AD would even go for this idea since they get a nice boost in revenue from this game every other year as is. Still, it’s a thought.

Either way, Cincinnati needs to work out a deal so this isn’t a home-and-home series going forward. Fiscally it doesn’t make sense or broaden the exposure of the Bearcats football program. In my mind it’s a wasted spot on the schedule much like the ones against FCS foes, except every other year UC has to travel to play this game. Additionally it just looks bad to have a contractually binding home-and-home series with a MAC program. Cincinnati has separated itself in almost every other aspect of the game so why pretend like there’s some real similarities between the programs that warrant the Bearcats traveling to Oxford on a regular basis?

Now, after reading all of that you probably think I’m leading you down a path that culminates in me convincing you that UC should abolish this series all together. That’s not the case. College football is all about rivalries and trophy games and with the way conference realignment has killed those in recent years, we need as many as we can hold on to. In short, I’m absolutely in favor of keeping this series an annual game, but the terms of the contract need to be revised.

Overall, this can’t be a home-and-home series going forward. Whatever UC athletic director Whit Babcock needs to do to make it happen, he must make this at least a 2-for-1 deal in Cincinnati’s favor in which at least 2 out of every 3 games are played at Nippert Stadium. Whether that third game is staged at a neutral site in one of the NFL stadiums in the surrounding area, including Paul Brown Stadium, I don’t really care. But the fanbase, the financials, and hopefully the coaches are staring at Babcock right in the face telling him that changes must be made.

Let’s get to some conference predictions.

AAC Games – 2013 Record: 18 – 4 (81.2%) – My goodness South Florida is bad.

Louisville v. Florida International: The Cardinals looked a bit lethargic for much of their game against their intrastate rivals Kentucky last weekend. But the better talent on the UL sidelines allowed them to pull out a win. Plus Bridgewater was solid down the stretch. Expect a more focused Cardinals team this week as they take on a reeling FIU team. Louisville 52, Florida International 12

Houston v. Rice: These rivals meet up on the gridiron yet again this week in the Bayou Bucket Classic. The Cougars are on a two game winning streak in this series and have won seven of the last ten. They’ll do so again this weekend although the Owls won’t be put away easily. Houston 45, Rice 35

Rutgers v. Arkansas: This has the potential to be the best game of the weekend for the AAC not only from a competitive standpoint but based on the fact that the Scarlet Knights could win this game. Arkansas hasn’t really been tested this year but haven’t looked all that great in their first three games of 2013 despite winning all of them. Plus they’ll have to travel to Piscataway and play in front of a likely energized Scarlet Knight fanbase. RU wins. Rutgers 30, Arkansas 27

Memphis v. Arkansas State: Against Middle Tennessee State, Memphis looked more competitive than I had originally thought. But, again, they’re still Memphis. The Tigers are going to lose to the Red Wolves this week. Arkansas State 23, Memphis 14

SMU v. Texas A&M: This is just a horrible situation SMU is running into this week. Not only are they going on the road to face Texas A&M, they’re facing an extremely motivated Aggies team that lost to Alabama last week. Expect Kevin Sumlin and Johnny Manziel to be even more focused this week and run the Mustangs out of College Station. Texas A&M 55, SMU 24

UConn v. Michigan: Connecticut looked relatively better last weekend against Maryland but still have a ways to go before they can pull themselves out of the basement. Plus they’re running into a buzzsaw this week facing a Michigan team that is coming off of a frighteningly close win against Akron. Even though the Huskies are playing at home, the Wolverines are just too darn good. Michigan 42, UConn 10