The Cincinnati–UCF football rivalry is an American

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...

between the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...

Bearcats and

University of Central Florida The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university whose main campus is in unincorporated Orange County, Florida. UCF also has nine smaller regional campuses throughout central Florida. It is part of the State University ...

Knights A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

. The rivalry dates to the first game between the teams in 2015. The schools have played in the same conference since 2013 when both joined the

American Athletic Conference The American Athletic Conference (The American or AAC) is an American collegiate athletic conference, featuring 11 member universities and five affiliate member universities that compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) ...

, and has continued after both schools began play in the

Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...

in 2023.

History

In 2017,

UCF The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university whose main campus is in unincorporated Orange County, Florida. UCF also has nine smaller regional campuses throughout central Florida. It is part of the State University ...

was ranked No. 25th in the nation.

McKenzie Milton McKenzie Milton (born October 10, 1997) is a former American football quarterback who previously played for the Florida State Seminoles of the Atlantic Coast Conference and the University of Central Florida (UCF) of the American Athletic Confere ...

blew up the Bearcats’ defense for 374 yards and five touchdowns through the first three quarters before torrential rain pounded

Nippert Stadium James Gamble Nippert Memorial Stadium is an outdoor stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, on the campus of the University of Cincinnati. Primarily used for American football, it is the home field of the Cincinnati Bearcats football team. The stadium has ...

, sending the teams to the locker room. The game was called after an hour and seven-minute delay and UCF was awarded the victory. In 2018, the

remained undefeated. UCF was ranked No. 11th overall in the Nation. National spotlight was on the game as the No. 19 Bearcats headed to Orlando for a prime time match up as ESPN College GameDay broadcast from UCF’s campus. UCF played in front of a sold-out crowd in the

Bounce House FBC Mortgage Stadium (formerly known as Bright House Networks Stadium and Spectrum Stadium, also known as the Bounce House) is an American football stadium located in Orlando, Florida, United States, on the main campus of the University of Central ...

. UCF went on to win 38–13, vaulting them to No. 8 in the nation and eventually winning the conference championship against Memphis. Cincinnati quarterback

Desmond Ridder Desmond Ridder (born August 31, 1999) is an American football quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Cincinnati, where he was twice-named AAC Offensive Player of the Year before be ...

, stated "That game not only set me up for the future but being able to lead everyone else on the team and know there's going to be tough environments and tough situations that we’re going to play in but to stay calm and stay under control is the biggest things in those moments." In 2019, the Bearcats hung on for a 27–24 home victory against No. 18 UCF. This helped Cincinnati to a No. 17 ranking the following week. In 2020, Cincinnati was now undefeated since 2020 Birmingham Bowl, ranking them 7th in the country. The Bearcats ultimately came from behind and won 36–33 against the Knights.

Game results

: Game ended after 3rd quarter due to weather

References

College football rivalries in the United States Cincinnati Bearcats football UCF Knights football {{DEFAULTSORT:Cincinnati-UCF football rivalry

History

Game results

See also

References