Rivalries can really sneak up on you. Prior to last season, the Cincinnati Bearcats and the Houston Cougars were just conference foes who played each other a couple times every year. Then they played three increasingly epic showdowns during UC’s run to the American Athletic Conference title and everything changed. While the Cougars are nowhere near the same level of rival as Xavier, they have certainly become the Bearcats’ biggest adversary in the AAC.
This new rivalry is about to have its first chapter of the 2018-19 season written, as the Bearcats travel to Houston for a showdown with the Cougars on Sunday afternoon.