TicketsFeb. 25, 2008
Complete Release and Printable Schedule in PDF Format | 2008 Schedule
CINCINNATI - The BIG EAST Conference and University of Cincinnati unveiled the 2008 football schedule today. Under the direction of BIG EAST Coach of the Year Brian Kelly, Cincinnati is set to face 13 opponents in one of the most challenging schedules in the country.
Kelly's team faces a lineup that includes eight teams that played in the 2007 postseason, including three teams that competed in the Bowl Championship Series (BCS). The schedule includes six home games at Nippert Stadium and seven on the road.
One of only three schools nationally with three games against teams that played in the 2008 BCS, the Bearcats are the lone school in college football meeting two BCS representatives in non-league tilts. Five of the Bearcats' 13 opponents (Connecticut, Eastern Kentucky, Hawai'i, Oklahoma, and West Virginia) either won outright or shared their respective league titles in 2007 and three finished in the final Associated Press Top 25 Poll.
In the non-conference portion of its schedule, UC entertains regional non-conference foes Eastern Kentucky and Miami University (OH) and travels to face Oklahoma, Akron, Marshall, and Hawai'i.
"As we build our championship program in Cincinnati, we will need to continue to challenge ourselves against the best teams in the nation," stated Kelly. "By adding Oklahoma to an already tough BIG EAST schedule, we will gain the experience needed to challenge not only for a title in one of the nation's top conferences, but also a national title."
The Bearcats, who finished last season ranked in the AP Top 25 for the first time in school history at No. 17, have two BIG EAST games and one non-conference game already scheduled for national telecast. They host USF on Thursday, Oct. 30, at Nippert Stadium on ESPN and travel to Louisville on Friday, Nov. 14 to play the annual battle for the Keg of Nails on ESPN2. The game vs. Marshall is set to air on ESPN on Oct. 3.
The six bowl teams from 2007 on Cincinnati's 2008 schedule are Connecticut (Meineke Car Care), Hawai'i (Orange Bowl), Oklahoma (Fiesta Bowl), Rutgers (International Bowl), USF (Sun Bowl), and West Virginia (Fiesta Bowl).
"After bringing an exciting style of football to Cincinnati, we will have an opportunity to showcase the support for Bearcats football against a nationally competitive schedule that includes three teams that competed in the 2008 Bowl Championship Series," said Kelly. "Fans have a chance to see six home games and support the program in some of college football's best environments."
For the third time in four years, the Bearcats open the season at home on a Thursday night and finish away from home with a non-league game for the first time in 10 years.
Returning 16 starters, including three all-Americans, the Bearcats open up against reigning Ohio Valley Conference champion Eastern Kentucky on Thursday, Aug. 28 at 7:30 p.m. The match-up is the second in three years between the foes that are located 110 miles apart. The Bearcats shut out the Colonels, 31-0, to start the 2006 season.
The following Saturday, Sept. 6, Cincinnati makes its first-ever trip to Norman, Okla., to face Oklahoma. Listed No. 8 in the final AP Poll, OU is the only first-time foe on the Bearcats' 2008 schedule.
After an open week, UC goes from playing its newest opponent to renewing the oldest non-conference rivalry in the nation, on Sept. 20, when UC welcomes Miami (OH) for the 113th edition of the Battle for the Victory Bell. Cincinnati is looking to maintain possession of the traveling trophy for a third consecutive year after a 47-10 win in Oxford, Ohio, last season.
Cincinnati goes on the road the next week to reunite with Akron, at the Rubber Bowl, on Sept. 27. The two schools have met only four times, with UC winning the last contest, 20-14, in 2006.
UC continues its road swing the following week, when it invades Huntington, W.Va., on Friday night, Oct. 3, to tangle with Marshall. Owning a 7-3-1 all-time record against the Thundering Herd, the Bearcats won last season's game, 47-10, at Nippert Stadium. The contest is the second game of a home-and-home series.
Rutgers comes to the Queen City on Saturday, Oct. 11. The Scarlet Knights were 8-5 and played in the International Bowl this past season. The last two times the schools have played in BIG EAST action, UC recorded noteworthy victories on national television by a combined score of 58-34.
The Bearcats take their second open date on Oct. 18, before traveling to East Hartford, Conn. to face Connecticut on Saturday, Oct. 25. UC has won three straight games vs. UConn since joining the BIG EAST and four in-a-row all-time. The Huskies finished 9-4 in 2007 and played in a bowl game for the second time in program history, losing to Wake Forest, 24-10, in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.
On Oct. 30, the Bearcats return home for a short week of preparation before a Thursday night contest against USF. The two schools tangle for the sixth straight year, and the Bearcats own a 3-2 lead in the series. The home team had won all four games in the series before Cincinnati won 38-33 in Tampa last season. USF finished the 2007 season 9-4 and played in the Sun Bowl, losing to Oregon.
Cincinnati travels back to the "Mountain State" on Saturday, Nov. 8 to face West Virginia, which finished 2007 ranked No. 6. Last year, the Mountaineers defeated the Bearcats 28-23 in a late season game in Nippert Stadium. West Virginia finished 2007 11-2 and won the Fiesta Bowl. The 2008 game will mark the sixth straight year the two schools have met.
UC travels to Papa John's Stadium to face archrival Louisville, on Friday, Nov. 14 in a game to be nationally televised on ESPN2. Cincinnati holds a 26-20-1 lead in the series.
Cincinnati returns home for a Nov. 22 game when Ohio River rival Pittsburgh comes to town. Coached by Dave Wannstedt, the Panthers finished the 2007 season 5-7.
The Bearcats conclude the BIG EAST portion of their schedule on Nov. 29 when they host Syracuse. UC boasts a string of three-straight victories against the Orange, highlighted by a 52-31 win in the Carrier Dome last season.
On Dec. 6, the final day of the college football regular season, the Bearcats make a rare trip to Aloha Stadium, to face 2007 WAC Champion Hawai'i. It marks the first match-up against the Warriors since 2002, when the Bearcats dropped a 20-19 decision. The Warriors finished the 2007 regular season 12-0 and appeared in the Sugar Bowl where they lost to Georgia, 41-10.
The Bearcats begin Spring Practice on Tuesday, April 1. Open to the public, Bearcat Bowl II will take place at Nippert Stadium on Saturday, April 26. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Season tickets for Cincinnati football go on sale Monday, March 3. Check www.GoBEARCATS.com on Friday, Feb. 29 for more details. Game times for the remaining 10 games will be announced as they become available.