The 2018 schedule for the University of Cincinnati football team was released Tuesday by American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco.

The Bearcats will play seven games in Cincinnati, including six at Nippert Stadium and one at Paul Brown Stadium along with five road contests. UC's bye week will fall after its sixth game of the season, the weekend of Oct. 13.

The dance card opens up on Saturday, Sept. 1 in the Rose Bowl with a first-ever meeting with UCLA. The Bearcats face Miami (Ohio) in the 123rd Battle for the Victory Bell at Paul Brown Stadium. The RedHawks are the host team for the 2018 edition of the game as the Bearcats will look to build on their 12-game streak in the long-standing rivalry.

The home schedule starts on Saturday, Sept. 15 with a matchup against Alabama A&M and continues on Saturday, Sept. 22 against Ohio. The Bearcats and Bobcats have met 50 times on the gridiron and will match up for the first time since 1981.

UC opens league play on the road a week later, heading to Connecticut before closing out the first half of the season against Tulane in Nippert on Saturday, Oct. 6.

The second half of the campaign starts with back-to-back road contests at Temple (Oct. 20) and SMU (Oct. 27) before two-straight home games against Navy (Nov. 3) and USF (Nov. 10). Navy's trip to the Queen City will be the Midshipmen's first time in Nippert Stadium in a series which dates to 1940.

The Bearcats close out the road portion of the schedule on Saturday, Nov. 17 against 2017 AAC Champion UCF in Orlando before wrapping the regular season on Friday, Nov. 23 against ECU.

Times and TV networks for the first three weeks of the season will be announced in June, and the remaining games will be announced through the 12-day/6-day window process.

2018 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

DATE: OPPONENT (LOCATION) - TIME

Sept. 1: at UCLA (Los Angeles, California) - TBA

Sept. 8: vs. Miami (Ohio) (Paul Brown Stadium) - TBA

Sept. 15: ALABAMA A&M (Nippert Stadium) - TBA

Sept. 22: OHIO (Nippert Stadium) - TBA

Sept. 29: at UConn * (East Hartford, Connecticut) - TBA

Oct. 6: TULANE * (Nippert Stadium) - TBA

Oct. 20: at Temple * (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) - TBA

Oct. 27: at SMU * (Dallas, Texas) - TBA

Nov. 3: NAVY * (Nippert Stadium) - TBA

Nov. 10: USF * (Nippert Stadium) - TBA

Nov. 17: at UCF * (Orlando, Florida) - TBA

Nov. 23: ECU * (Nippert Stadium) - TBA

*-American Athletic Conference Game. All Times Eastern.