Can UCF Help the Big 12 Dominate the ACC Again in 2026?
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
The UCF Knights helped the Big 12 cruise through its ACC matchups last year and are in position to repeat history this upcoming season.
UCF will face the Pittsburgh Panthers in Week 2. It is part of a five-game slate featuring Colorado, West Virginia, Cincinnati and TCU against Georgia Tech, Virginia, Boston College and North Carolina.
Last season, the Big 12 went 6-1 against the ACC, including the Knights' blowout victory over Bill Belichick and North Carolina. The Knights' defense limited the Tar Heels to 217 total yards, forcing Gio Lopez to throw two interceptions before leaving the game due to injury.
Their performance in non-conference play has led to consecutive strong starts. For three straight seasons, the team has opened the year 3-0 before falling short against the Big 12's overwhelming talent.
This year, Bethune-Cookman (6-6 last season) and Georgia State (1-11) are the other programs on the schedule. UCF will likely be favored to win those games, especially with Alonza Barnett III leading the charge at quarterback. His experience in the College Football Playoffs is valuable on a team that hasn't gone to a bowl game in two seasons.
The Pittsburgh game is truly a toss-up. The Panthers went 8-4 (6-2 ACC) last year and recorded seven double-digit victories. They picked up a few ranked upsets, too, over then-No. 25 Florida State and then-No. 16 Georgia Tech.
West Virginia was one of Pittsburgh's losses, and it was a close one, 34-31. However, UCF is visiting Acrisure Stadium, and that's what makes Week 2's matchup a coin toss.
Road games are the Knights' Achilles heel. They lost every contest away from the Acrisure Bounce House, and four out of the five were double-digit losses. The offense couldn't string together long drives, which put the defense on the field more.
Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch emphasized the importance of creating turnovers throughout the season, but his defense couldn't do that. Despite having a top-three pass defense and NFL-caliber EDGEs in Malachi Lawrence and Nyjalik Kelly, the Knights couldn't stop the run.
The Knights recorded an average loss point differential of 21.8 points. They were out-rushed in every road game barring the Cincinnati matchup, in which quarterback Cam Fancher rushed for a season-high 108 yards.
UCF's bowl game hopes came down to defeating then-No. 11 BYU on the road, and they couldn't. Overcoming that weakness is the key to success, and linebacker Lewis Carter emphasized that message at Big 12 Media Day.
"We ain't have no road game wins last year," Carter told Sons of UCF. "I'm looking forward to that, man."
Join the Community! Don't miss out on our ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news!
It's completely free to join, simply by clicking the yellow button at the top of the homepage. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/roundtable-rtb/id6450423049) and stay even more connected!
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos