Bulletin board material? Baylor buys billboards near UC's campus before teams' first Big 12 matchup

CINCINNATI — The University of Cincinnati Bearcats football team has had a slow start in its first year as a member of the Big 12 Conference. The team's 2-4 record is the lowest in the conference, tied only with the Baylor Bears, which happens to be the next opponent at Nippert Stadium this Saturday.

And if you drove down I-71 near UC's campus by the Martin Luther King Dr. exit on Friday, you might have noticed something about that game on the electronic billboards lining the highway: A welcome to the Big 12 message from... the Baylor Bears.

Sports reporters in Waco, Texas, home of Baylor University, have reported that it isn't uncommon for Baylor to purchase billboards in the cities of its away games.

Something about the message feels a bit troll-ish. To purchase a "welcome" to the conference message, right outside of campus, the day before game day: Bulletin (or bill) board material anyone?

The Bearcats are 0-3 in conference play so far. Baylor is 1-2, picking up a win over the only other team that is 0-3, University of Central Florida (a game which was won by only one point).

Back to the billboard: Baylor University tweeted about the messages, in a way-too-nice-to-be-genuine way. But weirdly enough, UC replied, also with a way-too-nice-to-be-genuine tone, using two heart emojis (one red, one black), writing "see you tomorrow!"

Is this a case of killing them with kindness? (See: Andrew Luck whenever he used to get sacked) Or is it just a couple of 2-4 teams playing nice, knowing they aren't in contention?

Either way, UC hopes to pick up its first ever Big 12 win against a very beatable Baylor team.