Calling all Bearcats to the Belk Bowl!

Bearcat bowl games = UC Family Reunions! Just ask the alums who went to recent UC bowl games in Birmingham, Miami, New Orleans and Memphis. The holidays are better when you spend part of them with other UC fans celebrating and cheering on the Bearcats in a bowl. And now comes Charlotte and the Belk Bowl.

As fans plan their visit to Charlotte, two events stand out:

• First is obviously the game: UC vs. Duke, Thursday, December 27, with a 6:30 p.m. kickoff at Bank of America Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers.
• Second is Fan Central, UC’s official pep rally from 7 to 10 p.m. on Wednesday, December 26, hosted by the UC Alumni Association. If you’ll be in Charlotte the night before the game, this is the place to be. Get all the details here.

Part of the fun of bowl games is getting to experience a new city in the company of many other folks wearing the C-Paw. Charlotte has a reputation for doing a great job with its bowl game. Here’s a quick guide to resources to help with the Belk Bowl trip.

It’s been a wild ride for the Bearcats and their fans. After earning their fourth conference championship in five years (something no other football program has done), the Bearcats were rewarded with their first-ever trip to the Belk Bowl. However, news of the bowl bid was tempered by the drawn-out departure of former coach Butch Jones.

Then Whit Babcock pulled a rabbit out of his hat, demonstrating the benefits of having a truly connected Athletics Director by hiring Tuberville and stunning the college football world in the process. Since the December 8 press conference that welcomed him to Cincinnati, Tuberville has been acclimating to the university, assessing the team as it practices for the bowl, assembling an outstanding coaching staff, and recruiting the next wave of future Bearcats.

During his tenure at UC, Jones had emphasized to the players the need to focus and adapt to “sudden change” during a game, and those lessons have carried over to the “sudden change” occurring within the program this month. The players talk openly about playing the Belk Bowl for the constants in their lives — their teammates, their university and community, and the UC fans.

“We need a lot of fans there [in Charlotte],” said sophomore linebacker Nick Temple. “We want our fans to have our backs, so I’m hoping they’ll be there.”

If you haven’t gotten your tickets yet, you can get them here. The UC Alumni Association’s Belk Bowl activities are sponsored by GEICO.

See you in Charlotte!