UCF Knights

The UCF Knights play at FBC Mortgage Stadium in Orlando, a program that went from Group of Five upstart to self-declared national champion in barely a generation. UCF's 2017 undefeated season, capped by a Peach Bowl win over Auburn, turned the Knights into college football's most famous underdog story. Now in the Big 12, UCF is chasing the credibility to match that swagger.

UCF's football program began play in 1979 and steadily climbed the divisional ladder, reaching full FBS status in 1996. The 2017 team went 13-0 and, after being left out of the College Football Playoff, controversially declared itself national champion — a claim recognized by one NCAA-designated selector but not by the CFP itself. UCF joined the Big 12 in 2023, seeking to prove that season was the start of something lasting rather than a singular outlier.