UCF Knights
Big 12Orlando, FLFBC Mortgage Stadium
2026: 3–3 (1–2 Big 12). Last: lost at No. 18 Oklahoma State 42–28. Next: BYU, Saturday, Oct 24.
- W 73–6Bethune-Cookman
- L 7–12at Pittsburgh
- W 44–30Georgia State
- W 21–13TCU
- L 17–27at No. 20 Houston
- L 28–42at No. 18 Oklahoma State
- Oct 24BYU
- Oct 30Baylor
- Nov 7at Kansas
- Nov 14Arizona State
- Nov 20Iowa State
- Nov 28at Colorado
- Outfitted by Nike
UCF has played football since 1979 and is officially 307–250–1; 391 of its 558 games are in our file. UCF claims one national championship (2017). Their best finish in the final AP poll is No. 6, in 2017. They have won four American Athletic Conference titles (the last in 2018) and two Conference USA titles, counting shared titles. Since 1988, the NFL Draft has taken 49 players from here in its first seven rounds, 5 of them in the first round. George O’Leary (2004–2015) won more games here than any other coach: 81. The most-played rival is East Carolina: 21 meetings, East Carolina leads 11–10. This season, under Scott Frost, they’re 3–3.
Résumé
- All-time record
- 307–250–1 official; 215–176 on file; how we count
- Postseason
- 6–9 matches the official bowl record
- AP No. 1 finishes
- 0
- Weeks at No. 1
- 0 of 49 ranked
- Elo now
- 1470 91st of 138 FBS
- Computer rankings
- Massey No. 56 · Composite No. 53 in FBS, Oct 17. From Massey Ratings
- Conference titles
- 6 last in 2018
- Seasons
- 40 since 1983, 391 games
Identity
- Fight song
- Charge On
- Mascot
- Knightro
- Student section
- Knightmare
- Apparel
- Nike deal through 2029
- Band
- Marching Knights since 1980, 416 members
2026 season 3–3
RosterFull 2026 season| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 3 | vs Bethune-Cookman | W 73–6 | 80% |
| Sep 12 | at Pittsburgh | L 7–12 | 30% |
| Sep 19 | vs Georgia State | W 44–30 | 66% |
| Sep 26 | vs TCU | W 21–13 | 42% |
| Oct 3 | at 20Houston | L 17–27 | 33% |
| Oct 10 | at 18Oklahoma State | L 28–42 | 49% |
| Oct 24 | vs BYU | Preview | 24% |
| Oct 30 | vs Baylor | Preview | 46% |
| Nov 7 | at Kansas | Preview | 43% |
| Nov 14 | vs Arizona State | Preview | 51% |
| Nov 20 | vs Iowa State | Preview | 45% |
| Nov 28 | at Colorado | Preview | 50% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
This season, game by game
Future schedule
2027–33- 20273 games: 2 home, 1 away, non-conference only
- LouisianaAug. 28
- at North CarolinaSept. 4
- UT MartinSept. 11
- 20283 games: 2 home, 1 away, non-conference only
- MaineAug. 31
- at NorthwesternSept. 9
- Florida AtlanticSept. 16
- 20293 games: 3 home, non-conference only
- James MadisonSept. 8
- PittsburghSept. 15
- Massachusetts
- 20302 games: 2 home, non-conference only
- Florida InternationalSept. 7
- FloridaSept. 14
- 20311 game: 1 home, non-conference only
- NorthwesternSept. 6
- 20331 game: 1 away, non-conference only
- at FloridaSept. 3
UCF’s announced games beyond the seasons on our schedule, as its Wikipedia article lists them (announced schedules as of September 15, 2026). Schedules change; a season shows only the games named so far, and many articles list non-conference games only. Future schedules: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
On the 2026 team
- Duke Watson483 rushing yards, 3 TD (leads UCF in rushing yards)
- Keyone Jenkins806 passing yards, 8 TD (leads UCF in passing yards)
- Tackett Curtis39 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT (leads UCF in tackles)
- Demari Henderson30 tackles, 1 sack, 2 INT (leads UCF in interceptions)
- Joshua Derry28 catches, 304 yards, 2 TD (leads UCF in receiving yards)
- Jayden Williams27 tackles, 1 INT
Program greats See all
Heisman finalists, College Football Hall of Famers, consensus All-Americans, national award winners and first-round picks, for what they did at UCF.
Blake BortlesNo. 3 pick, 2014
Kevin SmithConsensus All-American, 2007
McKenzie MiltonQB of the 2017 national champions
Daunte CulpepperNo. 11 pick, 1999
Breshad PerrimanNo. 26 pick, 2015
Mike HughesNo. 30 pick, 2018- Malachi LawrenceNo. 23 pick, 2026
Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
Around the program
- Apparel
- Nike · Official source
- UCF Athletics; read 2026-10-10
- Mascot
- Knightro · Official source
- UCF Athletics; read 2026-10-10
- UCF Athletics; read 2026-10-10
- Student section
- Knightmare · Official source
- UCF Athletics; read 2026-10-10
- Athletic director
- Terry Mohajir · Official source
- UCF Athletics; read 2026-10-10
- Offensive coordinator
- Steve Cooper · Official source
- UCF Athletics; read 2026-10-10
- Defensive coordinator
- Alex Grinch · Official source
- UCF Athletics; read 2026-10-10
Found by several AI researchers searching the web, then kept only where the page loads and says so in words naming the program; every quote is checked again each time the data is rebuilt. Official source: the school’s own page. All of them.
The apparel deal
Nike, through 2029. Five-year extension announced in October 2023. Nike has outfitted UCF since 2010.
- UCF Athletics, Oct 31, 2023: Five-year deal keeps Nike as apparel and footwear provider through the 2028-29 academic year
Apparel deals: Field Drip. Terms as the outlets reported them; checked Oct 3, 2026.
Program strength since 1983
Best seasons everMore coverage
- No. 2 BYU meets UCF in Big 12 play, winnipegfreepress.com,
- Eric Morris previews ranked OSU-Houston showdown, addresses defensive struggles against UCF, newson6.com,
- OSU football: Wesloski records 17 tackles, Keltner sets field goal record against UCF, newson6.com,
- No. 18 Oklahoma State's late defensive stops hold off UCF, 1075thegame.com,
- Eric Morris reacts to Oklahoma State's 42-28 win over UCF, praises Mestemaker and defense, newson6.com,
- No. 18 Oklahoma State surges past UCF 42-28 after a fumble-return turning point, winnipegfreepress.com,
- Oklahoma State vs. UCF live score, updates and highlights, newson6.com,
- UCF vs. Oklahoma State Oct. 10: TV, Stream, iheart.com,
Found through the GDELT Project, which indexes news sites worldwide. Each link opens the story on the outlet’s own site; each picture is that outlet’s own preview of its story, shown from its site and credited to it.
Podcasts
- UCF Knights Roster Battles: QB Depth & The BYU Test | Beatline Knights, Beatline Knights, , 10 min
- UCF Mailbag: Jenkins' 4 TDs, The Fumble That Killed It & BYU Preview | Beatline Knights, Beatline Knights, , 8 min
- UCF on the BYE this week so let's check in on some things (E114), UCF: 1 More Knight, , 30 min
- UCF Enters The Bye Week 3-3 With 6 Games Left | Can The Knights Make A Bowl Game?, Charge On, , 17 min
- BYE Week Blues: Are We Close To Alonza's Return for UCF | UCF Podcast, Locked On UCF, , 54 min
Found through Podcast Index, the open podcast directory. Each link opens the episode’s page.
Head coaches
| Coach | Years | Record |
|---|---|---|
 Scott Frost | 2016–2026 | 27–17 |
 Gus Malzahn | 2021–2024 | 28–24 |
 Josh Heupel | 2018–2020 | 28–8 |
| Danny Barrett | 2015 | 0–4 |
 George O’Leary | 2004–2015 | 81–68 |
| Alan Gooch | 2003 | 0–2 |
| Mike Kruczek | 1998–2003 | 36–30 |
| Gene McDowell | 1996–1997 | 10–12 |
Most-played series
All rivalries- East Carolina
10–11 in 21
- 2012 W 40–20
- 2014 W 32–30
- 2015 L 7–44
- 2016 W 47–29
- 2017 W 63–21
- 2018 W 37–10
- 2019 W 41–28
- 2020 W 51–28
- 2021 W 20–16
- 2022 L 13–34
Lost the last one.
- Memphis
15–2 in 17
- 2011 W 41–0
- 2012 W 35–17
- 2013 W 24–17
- 2017 W 40–13
- 2017 W 62–55
- 2018 W 31–30
- 2018 W 56–41
- 2020 L 49–50
- 2021 W 24–7
- 2022 W 35–28
Won the last two.
- South Florida
8–6 in 14
- 2013 W 23–20
- 2014 W 16–0
- 2015 L 3–44
- 2016 L 31–48
- 2017 W 49–42
- 2018 W 38–10
- 2019 W 34–7
- 2020 W 58–46
- 2021 W 17–13
- 2022 W 46–39
Won the last six; holds the War on I–4 Trophy.
| Opponent | Games | UCF record |
|---|---|---|
| East Carolina | 21 | 10–11 |
| Memphis | 17 | 15–2 |
| South Florida | 14 | 8–6 |
| Houston | 13 | 8–5 |
| Tulane | 13 | 10–3 |
| Tulsa | 12 | 3–9 |
| Marshall | 12 | 9–3 |
| Cincinnati | 11 | 5–6 |
Rivals the program names: Cincinnati, South Florida, UConn.
The trophy it holds: War on I–4 Trophy (South Florida). Who holds each comes from the games on file; the trophies from Wikipedia.
Every opponent (112)
Every program UCF has played, A to Z, with UCF’s record against it. Each links to the series, game by game.
- Akron 4–3
- Alabama 1–0
- Arizona 1–0
- Arizona State 0–2
- Arkansas 0–1
- Arkansas State 1–1
- Auburn 1–3
- Austin Peay 1–0
- Ball State 2–2
- Baylor 1–2
- Bethune-Cookman 3–0
- Boise State 2–0
- Boston College 1–1
- Bowling Green 2–1
- Buffalo 4–1
- BYU 1–4
- Central Michigan 1–0
- Charleston Southern 1–0
- Cincinnati 5–6
- Clemson 0–1
- Colorado 0–1
- Duke 0–1
- East Carolina 10–11
- Eastern Illinois 2–0
- Eastern Kentucky 1–0
- Eastern Michigan 3–1
- Florida 1–3
- Florida A&M 1–0
- Florida Atlantic 4–0
- Florida International 4–2
- Florida State 0–1
- Furman 0–1
- Georgia 1–1
- Georgia State 1–0
- Georgia Tech 2–4
- Hawai’i 0–1
- Houston 8–5
- Idaho 1–0
- Illinois State 2–1
- Indiana State 0–1
- Iowa State 0–1
- Jacksonville State 1–0
- Kansas 0–2
- Kansas State 0–3
- Kent State 3–2
- Liberty 2–0
- Louisiana 4–0
- Louisiana Tech 3–1
- Louisville 1–3
- LSU 0–1
- Marshall 9–3
- Maryland 1–1
- Memphis 15–2
- Miami 0–2
- Miami (OH) 1–2
- Michigan 0–1
- Middle Tennessee 1–0
- Mississippi State 0–2
- Missouri 0–2
- Navy 2–2
- NC State 1–2
- Nebraska 0–1
- Nevada 0–1
- New Hampshire 1–0
- New Mexico 1–1
- Nicholls 1–0
- North Carolina 1–0
- North Carolina A&T 1–0
- Northern Illinois 1–2
- Northwestern State 1–0
- Ohio 1–2
- Ohio State 0–1
- Oklahoma 0–1
- Oklahoma State 2–1
- Ole Miss 0–1
- Penn State 1–3
- Pittsburgh 1–3
- Purdue 0–2
- Rice 3–1
- Richmond 0–1
- Rutgers 1–1
- Sam Houston 1–0
- Samford 3–0
- SMU 9–2
- South Carolina 0–5
- South Carolina State 4–0
- South Dakota 1–0
- South Florida 8–6
- Southern Miss 2–6
- Stanford 1–1
- Syracuse 0–3
- TCU 2–0
- Temple 8–2
- Texas 0–2
- Texas Tech 0–2
- Toledo 2–1
- Tulane 10–3
- Tulsa 3–9
- UAB 8–2
- UConn 6–2
- UL Monroe 4–2
- Utah 0–1
- Utah State 0–1
- UTEP 3–1
- Villanova 2–0
- Virginia Tech 0–3
- West Virginia 1–4
- Western Michigan 1–0
- Wichita State 0–1
- William & Mary 2–0
- Wisconsin 0–1
- Youngstown State 1–0
Conference titles
6, counting shared titlesAs the program counts them in its Wikipedia article, shared titles included, and listed under each conference’s current name (a Western Conference title of the 1900s counts as a Big Ten title); season pages use the name the conference had that year. A title the article files under a conference the team wasn’t in that season is listed under the one it was. Division titles include years the team tied for its division.
Conferences
- Independent 1979–2001
- Mid-American Conference 2002–2004
- Conference USA 2005–2012
- American Athletic Conference 2013–2022
- Big 12 since 2023
- 1990Went independent from independence in football. Source
- 1996Went independent from independence in football. Source
- 2002Joined the Mid-American Conference from independence in football. Source
- 2005Joined Conference USA from the Mid-American Conference. Source
- 2013Joined the American Athletic Conference from Conference USA. Source
- 2023Joined the Big 12 from the American Athletic Conference, announced September 10, 2021. Source
UCF’s football conferences by season, from CollegeFootballData.com’s memberships (renamed conferences keep the name of the time). The moves and their announcement dates from Wikipedia’s lists of NCAA Division I conference changes; the year is the first season in the new conference. Conference realignment: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
National award winners
All awards| 2017 | Scott Frost coach | Eddie Robinson, Bear Bryant Award |
Consensus All-Americans 1
| 2007 | Kevin Smith RB |
Led the nation 3
| 2012 | Quincy McDuffie kickoff return average (34.2) |
| 2007 | Kevin Smith rushing yards (2,567 yds), rushing touchdowns (29 TD), points (180 pts), points per game (15.0) |
| 2001 | Doug Gabriel yards per catch (28.7) |
The NCAA’s official national leaders since 1937, from Wikipedia’s yearly leader lists.
In the NFL Draft
By college- Drafted, rounds 1–7
- 49 since 1988
- First-round picks
- 5
| 2026 | Malachi Lawrence DE | No. 23, Dallas Cowboys |
| 2018 | Mike Hughes CB | No. 30, Minnesota Vikings |
| 2015 | Breshad Perriman WR | No. 26, Baltimore Ravens |
| 2014 | Blake Bortles QB | No. 3, Jacksonville Jaguars |
| 1999 | Daunte Culpepper QB | No. 11, Minnesota Vikings |
Who came and went in the 2026 transfer portal, and every portal year.
The school
University of Central Florida- Enrollment
- 69,713 59,552 undergraduates, fall 2024
- Where
- Orlando, Florida
- Public or private
- Public Research 1
- Founded
- 1963
- Graduates’ median earnings
- $58,308 10 years after starting
Enrollment, place and Carnegie research tier from the National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS, public domain). Earnings from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard (CC BY 4.0): the median for students who received federal aid and were working, not in school. Founding year from Wikidata. Every school’s in the data.
Official accounts
- Football
- X @UCF_FootballInstagram @ucf.footballFacebook ucffootball
- Athletics department
- YouTube channel/UCgp8zWRHZLNlO5Fv3t_rJfQ
Official accounts: the schools’ athletics websites: the ones ucfknights.com lists for its football program and athletics department, as of Oct 12, 2026.
Season by season
National championsShaded: national title seasons, No. 1 in the final AP poll or claimed by UCF (1 claimed).
| Season | Record | Conf. | AP pre | AP final | Coach | Elo | SP+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3–3 | 1–2 | Scott Frost | 1470 | 4.1 | ||
| 2025 | 5–7 | 2–7 | Scott Frost | 1444 | -1.2 | ||
| 2024 | 4–8 | 2–7 | Gus Malzahn | 1432 | 2.8 | ||
| 2023 | 6–7 | 3–6 | Gus Malzahn | 1530 | 3.4 | ||
| 2022 | 9–5 | 6–2 | Gus Malzahn | 1573 | 10.3 | ||
| 2021 | 9–4 | 5–3 | Gus Malzahn | 1622 | 4.8 | ||
| 2020 | 6–4 | 5–3 | 21 | Josh Heupel | 1653 | 13.6 | |
| 2019 | 10–3 | 6–2 | 17 | 24 | Josh Heupel | 1739 | 19.1 |
| 2018 | 12–1 | 8–0 | 21 | 11 | Josh Heupel | 1756 | 16.5 |
| 2017 | 13–0 | 8–0 | 6 | Scott Frost | 1733 | 14.1 | |
| 2016 | 6–7 | 4–4 | Scott Frost | 1441 | -2.2 | ||
| 2015 | 0–12 | 0–8 | George O’Leary, Danny Barrett | 1309 | -15.5 | ||
| 2014 | 9–4 | 7–1 | George O’Leary | 1633 | 5.7 | ||
| 2013 | 12–1 | 8–0 | 10 | George O’Leary | 1726 | 12.3 | |
| 2012 | 10–4 | 7–1 | George O’Leary | 1629 | 6.3 | ||
| 2011 | 5–7 | 3–5 | George O’Leary | 1515 | 5.1 | ||
| 2010 | 11–3 | 7–1 | 21 | George O’Leary | 1634 | 5.1 | |
| 2009 | 8–5 | 6–2 | George O’Leary | 1510 | -5.4 | ||
| 2008 | 4–8 | 3–5 | George O’Leary | 1423 | -15.8 | ||
| 2007 | 10–4 | 7–1 | George O’Leary | 1572 | 3.5 | ||
| 2006 | 4–8 | 3–5 | George O’Leary | 1369 | -10.3 | ||
| 2005 | 8–5 | 7–1 | George O’Leary | 1448 | -11.7 | ||
| 2004 | 0–11 | 0–8 | George O’Leary | 1244 | -22.2 | ||
| 2003 | 3–9 | 2–6 | Mike Kruczek, Alan Gooch | 1352 | -21.8 | ||
| 2002 | 7–5 | 6–2 | Mike Kruczek | 1555 | 0.8 |
Every season back to 1983 (15 more)
| Season | Record | Conf. | AP pre | AP final | Coach | Elo | SP+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 6–5 | Mike Kruczek | 1523 | 3.7 | |||
| 2000 | 7–4 | Mike Kruczek | 1506 | -0.4 | |||
| 1999 | 4–7 | Mike Kruczek | 1468 | -10.0 | |||
| 1998 | 9–2 | Mike Kruczek | 1590 | 10.2 | |||
| 1997 | 5–6 | Gene McDowell | 1486 | 10.5 | |||
| 1996 | 5–6 | Gene McDowell | 1385 | -12.0 | |||
| 1995 | 1–2 | 1330 | |||||
| 1994 | 1–1 | 1321 | |||||
| 1993 | 1–1 | 1287 | |||||
| 1991 | 1–1 | 1216 | |||||
| 1990 | 0–1 | 1132 | |||||
| 1986 | 0–1 | 1132 | |||||
| 1985 | 0–2 | 1131 | |||||
| 1984 | 1–1 | 1163 | |||||
| 1983 | 0–1 | 1137 |
Officially 307–250–1 since 1979 (per Wikipedia, rechecked weekly); game by game here, 215–176 (391 of its 558 games are on file). Our file starts in 1983; the program began in 1979. Some games are missing from our source.
No season on file for 1987–89, 1992: the program may not have played, or our source may be missing them.
Records are computed from every game on file at CollegeFootballData.com, whose coverage of the earliest seasons can be incomplete. Elo is this site’s own rating; see how it works on the records page.