 VS 
Thanks for reading week three of the Rivalry Name Rankings, brought to you this week by…the Ohio-Kentucky border.
Our No. 13 ranking is a game played between Cincinnati and Louisville, two of the newer members of the Big East Conference (both joined the conference in 2005).
Cincinnati currently leads in the all-time series, having a 26-19-1 record against Louisville since the teams started playing in 1929; Cinci won the first 12 games of the all-time series, finally losing in 1970. After sporadic intervals between games early in the series, the Bearcats and Cardinals have played every year since 1966. The rivalry game the two schools now play annually does not have a specific name, but the trophy they play for is well known. Why?
It’s the KEG OF NAILS! Based on the previously established groups which classify the game or trophy name, the Keg of Nails would fall under the “completely random” category. This means there is a good reason behind the name…just nobody really knows its origins. For now, here’s some football knowledge for you.
In 2006 – a year that marked the 45th playing for the Keg of Nails – Cincinnati finished 8-5 (4-3 in conference), ending the season with a win over Western Michigan in the International Bowl, played in Toronto. The Bearcats fell to the Cardinals last year in Louisville, 23-17. Louisville fared better than their conference opponent, going 12-1 (6-1 in conference) and finishing the season with a 24-13 win over Wake Forest in the Orange Bowl. The Cardinals’ lone loss this season occurred in New Jersey, as a surprising Rutgers squad won 28-25 on a last-minute field goal. Ironically, the best win of the Bearcats season was a 30-11 romp over those same Scarlet Knights.
But, let’s go back to the keg. According to the Cincinnati athletics website: “The trophy is a replica of a keg used to ship nails. The exchange is believed to have been initiated by fraternity chapters on the UC and UL campuses, signifying that the winning players in the game were ‘tough as nails.’
The trophy is a replica of a keg used to ship nails. The exchange is believed to have been initiated by fraternity chapters on the UC and UL campuses, signifying that the winning players in the game were ‘tough as nails.’ 
The present keg is actually a replacement for the original award, which was misplaced by Louisville, ironically lost during some construction of office facilities. It is adorned with the logos of both schools and the scores of the series games.”
I will have to go with their explanation for the origins of the keg, because quite frankly, I cannot seem to find a better explanation anywhere. If you, good reader, happen upon it, please drop me a line by posting to our blog site.
For my closing note, I must apologize to my friend and consultant, Michael Garson, who wanted this game closer to the top of the list. According to him, “Some schools fight for pride and intangibly valuable rights to brag for an entire year. Some schools fight for truly valuable objects. This is for a Keg of Nails…” (He says there is no need for an ending to his quote, because “It's a Keg of Effin’ Nails!”) While this may be true, the best names are still yet to come, so the keg finishes at No. 13 in the rankings.
That’s it for this week – if you have any comments for me, please post them on the blog website, using the link on the left. Thanks for reading. Go Wahoos.
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