From UC
CINCINNATI – The Big 12 Conference announced the 2023 football schedule on Tuesday, and the University of Cincinnati will host five league opponents at Nippert Stadium with seven home games overall next fall.
Cincinnati will join the Big 12 on July 1, 2023. The Bearcats’ first season in their new Power 5 league will feature one of the most challenging, and among the most exciting, schedules in school history.
Cincinnati’s first conference game as a member of the Big 12 will be a marquee matchup against Oklahoma on Sept. 23 inside Nippert Stadium.
Other highlights include renewing old BIG EAST rivalries with road contests at Pitt (already announced) and West Virginia as well as the first-ever matchups with Iowa State and Baylor with both teams coming to Nippert Stadium.
The bye weekend will be Oct. 7.
The Cincinnati 2023 Football Schedule (home games in bold)
- Eastern Kentucky – Sept. 2
- at Pittsburgh – Sept. 9
- Miami (Ohio) – Sept. 16
- Oklahoma – Sept. 23
- at BYU – Sept. 29 (Friday night)
- BYE WEEKEND – Oct. 7
- Iowa State – Oct. 14
- Baylor – Oct. 21
- at Oklahoma State – Oct. 28
- UCF – Nov. 4
- at Houston – Nov. 11
- at West Virginia – Nov. 18
- Kansas – Nov. 25
Kickoff times and television network designations will be announced at a later date.
As previously announced, Cincinnati will open the season by hosting Eastern Kentucky on Sept. 2 before traveling to Pitt to restart the River City Rivalry against the Panthers on Sept. 9 at Acrisure Stadium. UC hasn’t faced Pitt since 2012.
The Bearcats close out non-conference play by welcoming Miami (Ohio) on Sept. 16 to Nippert Stadium in the 127th Battle of the Victory Bell.
Cincinnati opens its Big 12 slate by hosting Oklahoma on Sept. 23 in a game that will pit two of the only 14 teams that have ever played in the College Football Playoff. Oklahoma appeared in the 2016, 2019 and 2020 CFP, while UC advanced to the 2021 CFP. TCU is the only other Big 12 team to qualify for the CFP.
After the clash with the Sooners, UC will travel to Provo, Utah, to face BYU on a Friday night – Sept. 29.
Following a Oct. 7 bye, Cincinnati will host Iowa State on Oct. 14 and Baylor on Oct. 21 over back-to-back weeks before traveling to Oklahoma State on Oct. 28.
Cincinnati closes out the schedule by hosting recent-AAC rival UCF on Nov. 4, traveling to Houston on Nov. 11 and West Virginia on Nov. 18, and closing out the regular season by welcoming Kansas to Nippert Stadium on Nov. 25.