UC, Ohio State announce football dates

CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati and Ohio State University on Friday announced the dates for the two remaining football games in a multi-year agreement  between the two schools.

Ohio State will host UC in Columbus on Sept. 27, 2014 and Sept. 8, 2018.

“(UC and Ohio State) have worked jointly to nail down the dates for the last two games in an agreement that reaches back several seasons,” said UC deputy director of athletics Bob Arkeilpane. “We both had to work through conference realignment issues and how that impacted our scheduling. But now we can mark down on our calendars the next meetings between the Bearcats and the Buckeyes.”

In October, Ohio State announced the game against UC, which was scheduled for Sept. 8, 2012, had been moved. That postponed game was originally scheduled to be played at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, but Ohio State threatened to cancel the contest and exercise a buyout clause. The schools then decided to play the next two games in Columbus.

UC and Ohio State have met 15 times previously. The two have played four times in the past 13 seasons after going 68 years without facing each other.

The last time the schools met Ohio State cruised to a 37-7 win over the Bearcats in 2006. During the 2002 season Ohio State held on to beat the Bearcats at Paul Brown Stadium 23-19. The Buckeyes went on to win the National Championship that season over the Miami Hurricanes.

Many football fans in Ohio have wanted these teams to set up an annual game now that Cincinnati has returned to respectability in football.

In November, UC alum Urban Meyer was announced as the Buckeyes’ new head coach.