The bell once was the biggest bauble in Cincinnati’s football season — since 1888, the two schools have the oldest nonconference rivalry in the U.S. — but UC now has bigger fish to fry. It played in a BCS bowl game last season and is 5-0 and ranked No. 10 in the nation.
The Bearcats are the biggest surprise in college football, have the hottest coach in Division I and, I think, they probably have the best team in the state.
Ohio State is ranked No. 9 and has a better defense, but I’d give Bearcat quarterback Tony Pike — who’s beginning to draw some Heisman consideration — and his offensive mates the nod over their OSU counterparts.
Both teams have a good head coach, but when it comes to moxie, imagination and making something out of nothing, UC’s Brian Kelly is unrivaled.
Nippert Stadium barely seats 35,000 and the Bearcats have no practice field, yet in the 2½ seasons Kelly’s been at UC, his teams are 26-6.
UC lost 10 defensive starters from last year, but rather than be plagued by inexperience, Kelly moved several seasoned offensive players to defense, including former Notre Dame quarterback Demetrius Jones, now a starting linebacker.
Although Miami — 0-5 this season and riding a 10-game losing streak — isn’t the best barometer, UC’s defense held the RedHawks to just 30 rushing yards and sacked talented redshirt freshman quarterback Zac Dysert 10 times.
Kelly’s most imaginative move Saturday — facilitated by an injury — was making Barnett, a stalwart at cornerback last weekend, the starting wide receiver. The junior ended with six catches for 57 yards.
Keeping Kelly will be a problem for UC. There’s a provision in his contract that makes opting out early a lot easier if facility upgrades are not made quickly.
That could mean he might not be there when UC and OSU meet in three years. The game was supposed to be at Paul Brown Stadium — where the Bucks nearly lost to UC in 2002 — but last year Ohio State gave UC $1 million to move that 2012 game to OSU.
OSU will do what it has to do to try to ensure its dominance in the state. Miami once used to muscle Cincinnati as well — in fact, the RedHawks still hold the advantage in the series at 58-48-7 — but that’s not the case these days.
And that may better explain that message Barnett wrote on the black patches beneath his eyes: “Ding ... Ding.”
Some may say that’s a tribute to the Victory Bell, but it well could be the sound of the UC train leaving the station on this quaint rivalry.
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