Miami coach Chuck Martin makes case for renewing Victory Bell rivalry

The 129th playing of the Battle for the Victory Bell was as dramatic as any in the series, but it also may be the last.

After Cincinnati came back from a three-score deficit to beat Miami, 35-31, at TQL Stadium on Sept. 19, the future of the rivalry is in doubt. Cincinnati and Miami currently have no future matchups scheduled, and the two sides seem divided on terms for the game to continue.

The Battle for the Victory Bell is America’s oldest and longest-played non-conference rivalry, with 129 meetings beginning in 1888. The Bearcats, with the most recent win, took a 62-60-7 advantage all-time and have dominated of late. Cincinnati has now won 18 of the last 20 matchups with the RedHawks, including 16 in a row from 2006 to 2022.

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Miami head coach Chuck Martin, for his part, was clear about his desire for the rivalry to continue. His specific request, however, may meet some opposition in Clifton.

“We should play Cincinnati, on the road, and every year,” Martin said. “We keep the rivalry going. They pay us — they’re gonna pay somebody. Pay us!”

The RedHawks and Bearcats had been playing a home-and home series since 1970, when the rivalry was tilted slightly in Miami’s favor. The teams did not play last season after Miami canceled trips to Nippert Stadium in 2025 and 2028, and Cincinnati responded with cancellations of games in Oxford in 2027 and 2029. This year the rivalry moved to TQL Stadium rather than an on-campus environment.

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Martin noted the rivalry has become more one-sided in recent decades, pointing to Cincinnati’s ascension to the Big 12.

“(The rivalry) has pretty much sucked, except the one time we beat them,” Martin said of the rivalry during his tenure. “Why would they not want to play us? They’re not afraid of us.”

Cincinnati head coach Scott Satterfield didn’t express the same passion for keeping the rivalry alive.

“I don’t have a whole lot of control over that. I just play the ones they tell us to play,” Satterfield said.

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Satterfield said the changing landscape of college football makes scheduling a Mid-American Conference team like Miami more difficult. He did express admiration for the length of the rivalry, but ultimately pointed to growing challenges in future scheduling commitments.

The Battle for the Victory Bell won’t be played next season, at the very least. Whether the teams can come to terms to save the future of the historic rivalry remains to be seen, but significant logistical challenges will make scheduling difficult.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Miami coach Chuck Martin makes case for renewing Victory Bell rivalry