Bearcats Should Shelve Miami Rivalry Game

The notion of discontinuing a rivalry that dates back to 1888 might come as a shock to some of you. The fact of the matter is UC

Sep 21, 2013; Oxford, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats wide receiver Shaq Washington (19) runs against Miami (Oh) Redhawks linebacker Josh Dooley (51) at Fred Yager Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

has outgrown its rivalry with Miami.

When was the last time you were concerned going into a game against the Redhawks? In my five years at UC never once has there been any concern Miami would knock off the Bearcats. That in an essence is the problem with this rivalry.

Cincinnati is currently in the midst of an 8-year winning streak, the longest winning streak in the 118 meetings between the two universities. The battle for the Victory bell has been less of a battle and more of cakewalk for Cincinnati as of late.

Cincinnati has outgrown the rivalry plain and simple. Two BCS bowls, four Big East Championships, four 10+ wins in four of the last five seasons has turned UC into one of the few bright spots in college football over that time period.

Meanwhile during that time Miami has had one 10 win season. In the four other seasons the Redhawks won 11 games combined. Combine that with Miami playing in the MAC and you can see why Cincinnati should put the rivalry on hiatus.

As the Bearcats look to move up in the competitive world that is college football they must stop playing easy teams. Miami has become an easy win on the schedule. That date could be used for a more competitive team from a more competitive conference.

Strength of schedule is a vital part of college football rankings. Replacing Miami with an ACC, B1G or Big 12 opponent would be exponentially better for UC both financially and in the scheme of college football.

Playing a team from a power five conference would benefit the Bearcats financially in a big way. First the game would be shown on national television. Currently Cincinnati v. Miami is shown on ESPN3. The online only channel of ESPN. The television revenue from a streaming game is laughable compared to that of a nationally televised game.

An opponent more recognizable on a national scale also helps the university sell tickets. With an expansion to Nippert quickly becoming a reality, filling Nippert is also a necessity. A game against a national opponent would ensure a packed Nippert stadium.

Going into this weekends game there has been plenty of talk on social media and online about cancelling the Miami game or possibly making it a home game for Cincinnati every season.

Miami has not been competitive in this matchup in 8 years. Sure the Redhawks competed this weekend, but is a lackluster performance by the Cincinnati offense really a reason to continue this rivalry? The simple answer is no.

I like beating Miami as much as the next person but should our personal feelings for the school in Oxford come between Cincinnati and a possible ranked opponent in the future? Personally I don’t think so.

Whether the score is 14-0 or 52-14 the outcome has been the same. Shelve the rivalry.