| Sport | Football |
|---|---|
| First meeting | October 2, 1929 Cincinnati 7, Louisville 0 |
| Latest meeting | December 17, 2022 Louisville 24, Cincinnati 7 |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 54 |
| All-time series | Cincinnati leads, 30–23–1 (.565) |
| Largest victory | Louisville, 70–7 (2004) |
| Longest win streak | Cincinnati, 12 (1929–1969) |
| Current win streak | Louisville, 3 (2012–present) |
The Keg of Nails is a traveling trophy continuously awarded to the winner of the American college football rivalry game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and Louisville Cardinals.[1][2][3][4] The rivalry has stretched over the span of four conferences from the Missouri Valley Conference, to Conference USA, and more recently in the Big East Conference, which in 2013 was renamed to the American Athletic Conference. It is believed to be the oldest rivalry for the Louisville football team and the second oldest for Cincinnati, only behind the Victory Bell with the Miami RedHawks.
The rivalry went on hiatus following the 2013 season, as Louisville moved to the Atlantic Coast Conference on July 1, 2014. Cincinnati leads the series 30–23–1.[5] Cincinnati in the interim was invited to the Big 12[6] conference and joined in 2023.
- ^ KAY, JOE (2013). "Louisville, Cincinnati game all about the keg". nbc12.com. AP.
An old keg is the traveling trophy that goes to the winner of a long-standing Ohio River football rivalry.
- ^ KAY, JOE (December 6, 2013). "Bridgewater, No. 19 Louisville beat Cincinnati". AP.
The Cardinals and Bearcats have played since 1929, a rivalry that developed its own trophy — the Keg of Nails — and a lot of close finishes.
- ^ "Bearcats take on Louisville for 'Keg of Nails' Thursday". WLWT. December 5, 2013.
The keg doesn't actually contain nails. And nobody knows exactly who introduced it - a fraternity is the best guess. But the winner on Thursday will get to keep the memento of a rivalry that has been played since 1929 and has covered the Missouri Valley Conference, Conference USA, the Big East and the AAC.
- ^ Vaughn, Austin R. (September 24, 2015). "Rivalry Interrupted: 10 great college football games we may never see again". NCAA.
This rivalry has streached across four conferences: the Missouri Valley Conference, the Metro Conference, Conference USA and the Big East.
- ^ "Winsipedia - Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Louisville Cardinals football series history". winsipedia.
- ^ "Cincinnati to Enter Big 12 on July 1, 2023". University of Cincinnati Athletics. Retrieved 2022-12-13.