Rivalries
Cincinnati's oldest football rivalry, begun in 1888, is with Miami University, located in Oxford, Ohio about 40 miles to the northwest.
The Victory Bell awarded to the winner of each contest. It is the oldest college football rivalry west of the Allegheny Mountains and the third-oldest rivalry in college football. The first contest was also the first collegiate football game played in the state of Ohio. It is also the longest out-of-conference rivalry.
Cincinnati and the University of Louisville battle for the Keg of Nails annually. This rivalry dates back to 1929. As of 2009, there are no nails in the Keg of Nails, nor does anyone know if there ever were any in the first place.
When Cincinnati joined the Big East in 2005, they and the University of Pittsburgh started the River City Rivalry. The game is a battle for the River City Rivalry trophy.
In basketball, the Bearcats' crosstown rival is the Xavier University Musketeers. Xavier is a Jesuit university located less than 3 miles from the University of Cincinnati's main campus. The Bearcats and the Muskies meet annually in the popular Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout.
The Bearcats also have basketball rivalries with the Charlotte 49ers, and Memphis Tigers while Louisville Cardinals remains the biggest game.
In addition to the rivalries already mentioned, Cincinnati also has an intermittent rivalry with Ohio State University and the University of Kentucky. Although Cincinnati does not play either school regularly, these are geographic rivals. Other than Louisville, they are the closest universities of similar size and stature. Cincinnati also beat Ohio State in both of its back-to-back national title games in basketball.
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