Weather radar indicates that rain is already commenced in the Queen City so wet seats and drizzle await fans who will be attending the University of Louisville-Cincinnati football game at Nippert Stadium.
That will make conditions even more nasty in a game with significant implications for both teams.
Cincinnati, 9-2, still has an outside shot at a BCS bowl because Central Florida, which defeated UofL, still has another game next week. The Bearcats also will have a chip on their shoulders because they will be left behind when Louisville enters the Atlantic Coast Conference next season. They will be highly motivated.
UofL, which has failed to impress anyone in a while, badly needs a win over a good team to feel better about a season in which the program went from being a top 10 team to being just another also-ran. Teddy Bridgewater went from a leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy to not being mentioned in recent weeks.
This game could also reveal just how much the weak schedule has affected the team. Instead of getting better, UofL appears to have regressed in the eyes of many observers. As cold weather crept into the schedule, the Cardinal receivers suddenly became less sure handed and Bridgewater not quite so accurate. The defense not quite as formidable, the offensive line inadequate, and the running sorely suspect.
A large part of the problem may have been the caliber of the competition, with players having difficulty getting excited about the teams they’re playing. That excuse goes out of the window against Cincinnati. The Cardinals have something to prove for a change. Whether they have any toughness left is the answer only they can provide.
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The first 5,000 fans who enter Nippert will receive a wristband that equates to one replica of the Keg of Nails. Beginning at the start of the fourth quarter, fans will be able to collect their souvenir on Sheakley Lawn, located between Marge Schott Stadium (baseball stadium) and Nippert Stadium.
They should hand out replicas of a wrecking ball demolishing Nippert Stadium. A long needed upgrade finally being enacted there. Bathrooms as hard to find as UofL fans in Lexington or Cleveland Browns fans in Cincinnati.
Paulie
So, basically, fans already having to endure the inclement weather as well as maybe not so hospitable Bearcats fans, have to trudge to some other location, during the game, to pick up this doodad? Can they then return to their seats? Sounds like a souvenir I can pass on. Go Cards!