UCF Knights have expanded their upcoming football schedules by adding six home games, as announced by the university on Thursday. All these matches are slated to take place at FBC Mortgage Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
Among the newly added games, one will be against a Conference USA team, another against a future Mid-American Conference (MAC) member, while the remaining four matchups will feature current Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) teams.
To kick off the 2025 season, UCF will face the Jacksonville State Gamecocks on Thursday, August 28, marking their first-ever encounter. Jacksonville State recently transitioned to Conference USA from the FCS. Additionally, in 2025 (tentatively on September 6 or September 13), UCF will host the North Carolina A&T Aggies from the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) in another debut matchup.
In the 2026 season, UCF’s home lineup includes games against the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats from the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) in the FCS (likely the season opener), and the UMass Minutemen (likely on September 19), who are rejoining the MAC.
In 2027, UCF will play host to the UT Martin Skyhawks from the Big South/OVC Association in the FCS, with the game date yet to be announced but likely to be scheduled for September 11. The 2028 season opener will see UCF facing off against the Maine Black Bears at home on Thursday, August 31. UCF holds a 2-0 advantage in their previous encounters with the Black Bears.
Furthermore, UCF announced two future home-and-home series against power conference opponents. They will travel to face the Pitt Panthers on September 12, 2026, before hosting them in Orlando on September 15, 2029. Similarly, the Knights will visit the Northwestern Wildcats on September 9, 2028, followed by hosting the return game on September 6, 2031.
Terry Mohajir, UCF’s vice president and director of athletics, emphasized the strategic approach in scheduling, considering the nine-game Big 12 schedule. The non-conference philosophy revolves around playing a Power Four team, a Group of Five team, and an FCS program, while continuously evaluating scheduling strategies in light of the new College Football Playoff dynamics.
