The Battle for the Victory Bell games should continue

The most recent Battle for the Victory Bell, held in 2024, ended in an unfortunate loss for Miami University. It also happened to be the first college football game I got to experience.

The Victory Bell battle I attended was engaging and exciting to me because some of the University of Cincinnati team had gone to the same high school as me. The game gave me a chance to understand what it was like to be on the opposite side of the same players who helped make my high school football games so memorable.

Before that day, I was never invested in collegiate sports, but the energy at that game was so contagious that I continued to attend every Miami home football game that season.

The rivalry between Miami and UC, which started in 1888, is the longest-standing, non-conference rivalry in college football. Since then, only 11 games have been canceled, and only because of global reasons like World War II. The two teams have met every year since 1945, minus 2020 due to COVID-19, to fight for the Victory Bell. As of now, the meetups are set to end this year on Sept. 19 for the foreseeable future.

The Battle for the Victory Bell has been a staple in both Miami’s and UC’s football seasons for decades. There have been 128 football games, and Miami has 60 wins to UC’s 61; throughout the rivalry, there have only been 7 ties.

The upcoming game will be the 129th and last matchup. This is Miami’s final chance to secure a win and end with a tie for the record.

For years, the Battle for the Victory Bell was scheduled in a home-to-home contract between the schools. This contract allowed the games to be consistently scheduled every year, while alternating the location between Yager Stadium at Miami and Nippert Stadium at UC.

Shockingly, Miami initiated the end of the rivalry, according to Bearcat Journal, and the 2026 matchup was scheduled at TQL Stadium, a neutral location, instead of either college's fields. UC decided to discontinue the home-to-home contract as well. There is no real published reasoning for why Miami decided to end the contract with UC, but sources told WLWT in a 2024 article that Miami was not receiving compensation for the matchup.

The unfortunate end to such a traditional and loved rivalry might affect the number of Miami fans present at home games. Miami’s turnout at home games had a significant decrease in the 2010s, but the latest Victory Bell battle brought back a full and energetic stadium, according to reporting from The Miami Student. Since 2024, I have not seen Yager Stadium as crowded as it was during the last Battle for the Victory Bell.

In 2024, it seemed like the Battle for the Victory Bell match set the tone for the rest of Miami’s season. While many of the games I attended in the 2024 season still had low attendance, it still felt more energetic than the 2025 season without rivalry.

Win or lose, the Battle for the Victory Bell brings out a contagious, positive energy throughout all of campus. Miami should be fighting to keep this tradition alive and to hold the Victory Bell trophy in the RedHawks’ locker room.

gowansj@miamioh.edu

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Jamie Gowans is a junior in the Farmer School of Business. She is a marketing major with a history minor. She has been a writer for The Miami Student since her first year.