Cincinnati Bearcats Football Tickets

Nippert seat picks at a glance

At Nippert Stadium, a sideline seat between the 30-yard lines, in the middle or upper rows, is the smart buy. The stadium is wedged into UC's campus in the Clifton neighborhood, so upper sideline rows sit closer to the field than they would at a larger stadium, and they clear the bench crowd that blocks the front rows. The Bearcats play there from late summer to late November, in a venue that now lists 38,088 seats.

• Best overall: middle sideline rows between the 30s.
• Premium: the West Pavilion, with suites, loge boxes and club seating.
• Afternoon comfort: the west side, with the sun behind you.
• Budget: end zones, ideally higher up.

West Pavilion, east side and the ends

The 2015 renovation, which cost about 86 million, built the West Pavilion, which stacks suites, loges, club-level seating and the media level along that sideline. Opposite it stands the Herschede-Shank Pavilion on the east side. The playing surface is artificial turf.

Sun angle

The field's axis tilts a little off true north, running from north-northeast to south-southwest. On afternoon kickoffs, that generally puts the sun behind west-side fans and in front of east-side fans. For an early-season day game, the west side is the more comfortable choice.

Front rows and end zones

The very front rows on either sideline sit behind the benches, where players and staff cut off part of the near side. Climb a little and the whole field opens up. End zone seats cost less and are fun for red-zone plays, but from low rows the far end of the field compresses. If you buy behind the goal posts, buy height.

The Victory Bell, Big 12 visitors and peak dates

• Miami (Ohio): the Victory Bell series opened on December 8, 1888, when the two schools staged the state's first college football game, making it one of Division I's longest-running matchups. The ledger is close to level after 129 games, yet both sides have canceled meetings, and nothing is on the books beyond 2026.
• Louisville: the teams play for the Keg of Nails, UC's next-oldest rivalry, which returns only when both nonconference calendars have room. See Louisville Cardinals Football.
• Big 12 opponents: since 2023, ranked league teams and big-name visitors have drawn the largest crowds.

The largest crowd in Nippert history, 40,124, watched UConn visit in October 2015, two years before seats were taken out. Homecoming, night games and anything with title stakes add demand. Early dates against lesser-known opponents are the simplest purchase.

Catwalk, card-only stands and garages

Arrive early enough to see the Catwalk, when the team passes through The Grid roughly 150 minutes ahead of kickoff. Families can head to the Bearcats Family Fun Zone on Sheakley Lawn, which runs from about three hours out (two for noon starts) until halftime.

As of 2026, these rules apply at Nippert:

• Bags: only transparent bags get through; leave backpacks, big purses, coolers and camera cases at home, though medical bags are admitted after a check.
• Gates: doors open 120 minutes before kickoff.
• Payment: concession stands take cards only.
• Alcohol: two drinks per purchase, with sales ending in the third quarter.
• Parking: campus garages; single-game buyers prepay, and a shuttle leaves Eden Garage beginning four hours ahead of kickoff.

Rules and prices change, so read the Nippert gameday guide on the athletics site.

Small stadium, tight supply

Season subscribers are seated first, and the best sideline locations and garage spots go to those who give to the athletics donor fund. The university handles a separate student allocation, and single-game sales open after the season accounts are filled.

Few Big 12 stadiums are smaller. That works for you on quieter dates, when seats can be had right up to the weekend. It works against you when a ranked league rival, homecoming or a night kickoff comes along, because the small capacity can exhaust the primary supply and push buyers to resale. On the secondary market, prices follow wins and losses, the visitor, the kickoff slot and the forecast. Every Reserved Seat order carries a 100% guarantee.

Ohio's first game and a stadium from 1901

UC fielded a football team by 1885. Sixteen league championships have followed in six different conferences: four straight in the Mid-American (1949–1952), two in the Big East (2008, 2009) and two in the American Athletic (2020, 2021). Those Big East champions went to the Orange Bowl and the Sugar Bowl. In 2021 the Bearcats became the lone program from outside the power leagues ever to make the four-team Playoff, entering as the fourth seed and falling to Alabama at the Cotton Bowl. UC moved up to the Big 12 in 2023. Its colors are red and black, and its mascot is the Bearcat.

Games have been played on the Nippert ground since 1901. The first permanent concrete stands went up in 1915, and the 1924 dedication honored Jimmy Nippert, who was hurt playing for UC against Miami at the end of the 1923 season and later died. Most accounts rank it as college football's fourth-oldest playing site and fifth-oldest stadium. FC Cincinnati shared the stadium from 2016 through 2020, pulling out about 2,000 seats in 2017 so a full-size soccer pitch would fit. That same year, 30,596 fans came to see the U.S. women's national team play New Zealand, an Ohio attendance record for the women's game.

Sources

• Wikipedia – Cincinnati Bearcats football
• Wikipedia – Nippert Stadium
• Wikipedia – Victory Bell (Cincinnati–Miami)
• Cincinnati Athletics – Nippert Gameday Guide