Cincinnati In Discussions With Alabama For Future Football Dates

Hearing that #UC has talked with #Alabama about future football dates. 2015 Nippert opener among possibilities. #Bearcats

— Tom Groeschen (@TomGroeschen) June 17, 2014

Goes without saying, but that would be a massive, massive move for this athletic department to make. There is a brief history of games between the Bearcats and Crimson Tide, even in Cincinnati. But most of that comes from the Bearcats independent era when they were reduced to renting themselves out as wins for hire. In total Alabama has played UC five times, four of those taking place between 1982 and 1990, with just one of those being in Cincinnati.

For their part Alabama has been in desperation mode searching for another 2015 game after the SEC placed a moratorium on scheduling while they debated the merits of an 8 game conference schedule versus a 9 game conference schedule. At this point they need a game, any game to fill out the schedule.

Battle wants to get this done quickly because the longer Alabama waits, "the more expensive it gets," he said.

The expense in this case being a potential trip to Cincinnati, and that is a trip that very few schools of Alabama's calibre have been willing to make in recent years. If Alabama does indeed wind up re-opening Nippert the Bearcats non conference schedule for 2015 would include home games with the Tide and Miami, with road trips to Miami (OH) and BYU. That will do.