Advertisement University of Cincinnati releases 2017 football schedule UC opens the season on Aug. 31 against Austin Peay Share Shares Copy Link Copy

The University of Cincinnati's 2017 football schedule was announced Thursday by American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco. The Bearcats will play six home games in the friendly confines of Nippert Stadium as well as six road contests. UC opens the season on Aug. 31 against Austin Peay. The game, a likely 7 p.m. ET start, was moved from its original date on Sept. 2 to allow the Bearcats to open training camp a few days earlier and allow students to attend the game ahead of Labor Day weekend. The Bearcats will face a challenging three-game road swing, heading to Michigan on Sept. 9, facing longtime rival Miami (Ohio) in the 122nd Battle for the Victory Bell in Oxford and opening league play against Navy at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 23 on CBS Sports Network in the first meeting for the two schools since 1956. A three-game homestand, including a bye week, will follow, with matchups against Marshall (Sept. 30), UCF (Oct. 7) and SMU (Oct. 21) next on the agenda. UC will have its bye week after the UCF game and before SMU. The Bearcats will close out October and enter November with a two-game road swing, facing USF in Tampa, Florida, on Oct. 28 ahead of a matchup in New Orleans against Tulane on Nov. 4. UC will play two of its final three games at home, playing host to two-time reigning American East Division champs Temple on Nov. 10 on ESPN2 before traveling to Greenville, North Carolina, a week later to play East Carolina. The Bearcats will close out the regular season on Nov. 25 at Nippert against UConn on senior day. The 2017 season is the fourth under The American’s current television contract, which provides for 80 percent of conference-controlled games to be televised nationally on either ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews or CBS Sports Network, with the remainder on ESPN3. The American Athletic Conference Football Championship, which was broadcast on ABC last year, is scheduled for Dec. 2 and will be televised either on ABC or ESPN. UC is tentatively scheduled to start spring practice on March 6. Details for the annual spring game will be announced once they are finalized. The schedule: Thursday, August 31 - AUSTIN PEAY (TBA)Saturday, September 9 - at Michigan (TBA)Saturday, September 16 - at Miami (OH) (TBA)Saturday, September 23 - at Navy * (3:30 p.m./CBS SN)Saturday, September 30 - MARSHALL (TBA)Saturday, October 7 - UCF * (TBA)Saturday, October 21 - SMU * (TBA)Saturday, October 28 - at USF * (TBA)Saturday, November 4 - at Tulane * (TBA)Friday, November 10 - TEMPLE * (TBA/ESPN2)