The big rival for Luke Fickell formerly was That Team Up North. Now it is That Team Up Northwest.
First-year University of Cincinnati football coach Fickell was taking his Bearcats to play Miami University on Saturday (8 p.m. start), about 40 miles northwest of the UC campus. The Bearcats and RedHawks were meeting for the 122nd time in the Victory Bell series, with UC carrying an 11-year winning streak into the matchup.
For Fickell, the big game always was Michigan (aka That Team Up North), with Fickell having spent nearly 20 years as either an Ohio State player, assistant coach or interim head coach.