The Battle for the Bell
Cincinnati vs. Miami (OH)
71 of their 129 meetings are on file: they first met in 1888, and the earliest on file is 1954; officially, Cincinnati leads 62–60–7; as played, 36–34–1 in the games on file. Over the last 10 meetings it’s Cincinnati 9–1, and Cincinnati has won the last 2. The winner takes home the Victory Bell. Cincinnati holds it. The official count covers every meeting. Share
- Official series
- Cincinnati leads 62–60–7
- Cincinnati wins on file
- 36
- Miami (OH) wins on file
- 34
- Ties
- 1
- Earliest on file
- 1954 first met 1888
- Longest streak
- 16 Cincinnati
- Current streak
- 2 Cincinnati
- Last 10 meetings
- Cincinnati 9–1
- Most recent
- 2026
The series at a glance
| ’0 | ’1 | ’2 | ’3 | ’4 | ’5 | ’6 | ’7 | ’8 | ’9 | W–L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2–4 | ||||||||||
| 1960s | 2–8 | ||||||||||
| 1970s | 2–8 | ||||||||||
| 1980s | 6–4 | ||||||||||
| 1990s | 4–5–1 | ||||||||||
| 2000s | 6–4 | ||||||||||
| 2010s | 10–0 | ||||||||||
| 2020s | 4–1 |
- Average margin
- 14 points; 31 decided by one score (8 or fewer)
- At Cincinnati
- 23–21 Cincinnati’s record at home
- At Miami (OH)
- 13–12–1 Miami (OH)‘s record at home
- Neutral sites
- 1–0 Cincinnati first
- Shutouts
- 9
Every meeting on file, as played. Ranks are the AP poll’s going in.
Victory Bell
- Played for since
- —
- Held by
- Cincinnati
Who holds it comes from the games on file: the winner of the latest regular-season meeting (bowl rematches aren’t played for it); a tie leaves it with the holder (the usual rule; the article doesn’t say). From Wikipedia’s list of rivalry games and the rivalry’s article (CC BY-SA). More on the Victory Bell.
Games that tell the story
- Cincinnati’s biggest win2010: Cincinnati 45, Miami (OH) 3by 42 points
- Miami (OH)‘s biggest win1998: Miami (OH) 41, Cincinnati 0by 41 points
- Upset1999: Cincinnati 52, Miami (OH) 42Cincinnati had a 16% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
- Upset2023: Miami (OH) 31, Cincinnati 24Miami (OH) had a 21% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
- Upset1980: Cincinnati 23, Miami (OH) 13Cincinnati had a 25% chance, by our ratings before kickoff
Coach against coach
| Years | Cincinnati | Series | Miami (OH) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956–1960 | George Blackburn | 2–3 | John Pont |
| 1963–1966 | Charles Studley | 1–3 | Bo Schembechler |
| 1969–1972 | Ray Callahan | 1–3 | Bill Mallory |
| 1974–1976 | Tony Mason | 1–2 | Dick Crum |
| 1978–1980 | Ralph Staub | 1–2 | Tom Reed |
| 1984–1988 | Dave Currey | 3–2 | Tim Rose |
| 1990–1993 | Tim Murphy | 1–3 | Randy Walker |
| 1994–1998 | Rick Minter | 2–2–1 | Randy Walker |
| 1999–2003 | Rick Minter | 2–3 | Terry Hoeppner |
| 2014–2016 | Tommy Tuberville | 3–0 | Chuck Martin |
| 2017–2022 | Luke Fickell | 5–0 | Chuck Martin |
| 2023–2026 | Scott Satterfield | 2–1 | Chuck Martin |
Head-coach pairings with three or more meetings on file, the series read from Cincinnati’s side (Blackburn 2–3 against Pont). A season split between coaches goes to the one credited with the game.
Both programs through the years
Our Elo rating at the end of each season, a measure of how strong a team was, not a forecast; 1500 is an average FBS team.
Stars of the series
Biggest days
| Josh Betts Miami (OH) | 26 of 43, 416 yards, 4 TD | 2004 Passing | |
| Richard Hall Cincinnati | 14 carries, 238 yards, 3 TD | 2004 Rushing |
Biggest days: the week’s best individual games by our big-days rule, from box scores (2004 on).
Every game
Every game is listed as played on the field.