The Cincinnati Bearcats have canceled future football games versus the Ohio Bobcats and Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, the school announced on Tuesday.
Cincinnati was scheduled to face Ohio at Peden Stadium in Athens, Ohio, on Sept. 12, 2026, which was the second game of a home-and-home series that began back in 2018 in Cincinnati. However, the Bearcats will no longer make that trip and will likely pay a $500,000 cancellation fee, per the terms of the original contract.
The Bearcats have also backed out of a home-and-home series with the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. The series was scheduled to begin on Sept. 20, 2025 in Bowling Green, Ky., before concluding on Sept. 26, 2026 in Cincinnati. Per a copy of the original contract, the series carries a $500,000 cancellation fee.
Games with both Ohio and WKU were canceled due to Cincinnati’s move from the American to the Big 12 Conference this season.
Cincinnati also confirmed our report from earlier on Tuesday that its future football series with the Nebraska Cornhuskers has been rescheduled. The series will kickoff with Cincinnati hosting Nebraska at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind., on Aug. 30, 2025. The contest will be a home game for Cincinnati and the Bearcats will control about 75% of the tickets.
Seven seasons later, the Bearcats will travel to take on the Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb., on Sept. 11, 2032, which will conclude the revised two-game series.
“The transition from the American to the Big 12 presented some challenges with future scheduling that we needed to address,” said UC Deputy AD/CFO John Daniel. “This game at Lucas Oil Stadium helped give us flexibility financially while creating a unique opportunity for UC football to host Nebraska. It will be an eighth home game in 2025. Playing at an NFL stadium in a major market with an outstanding recruiting base is a win for us.”
Football Schedules