UCF football: Big 12 releases 2026 schedule

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UCF football: Big 12 releases 2026 schedule

ORLANDO — The path is officially set for UCF‘s fourth football spin through the Big 12.

The conference announced its 2026 schedule Wednesday, Jan. 21, during a broadcast on ESPNU. The Knights have a 7-20 record against league opponents across their first three years as Big 12 members, but they will look to make a leap under second-year head coach Scott Frost.

UCF retained a good amount of significant contributors from last fall and signed experienced quarterback Alonza Barnett III from Sun Belt champion James Madison, a first-time College Football Playoff qualifier. Nearly 30 new transfers have already joined the roster in time for the spring semester.

Nov 29, 2025; Provo, Utah, USA; UCF Knights head coach Scott Frost watches play against the BYU Cougars during the second half at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images

UCF will have seven home games, four of which come against opponents making their first trip to the remodeled Acrisure Bounce House. The Knights’ five road trips will cover nearly 6,500 miles.

They will have just one bye week this fall: Oct. 17.

Every game except UCF’s home opener is scheduled for a Saturday kickoff. However, select games may be adjusted to Fridays or other special dates.

UCF will await the decision of the Big 12 and its television partners before designating the date of its 10th annual Space Game to ensure the best possible game-day atmosphere, a school spokesman said.

Here is the full schedule, including tentative dates, locations and breakdowns of all 12 opponents.

Bethune-Cookman

Bethune-Cookman President Dr. Albert Mosley (from left), athletic director Reggie Theus and head coach Raymond Woodie Jr. raise the trophy after winning the game against Florida A&M during the Florida Classic, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.

  • Date: Thursday, Sept. 3
  • Time: TBA
  • Location: Acrisure Bounce House, Orlando
  • Details: UCF opens with a longtime local rival, facing Bethune-Cookman for the first time since 2021. The Knights have won the last eight meetings by an average of 31.1 points per game. B-CU, which capped a 6-6 season with a Florida Classic triumph over Florida A&M, last prevailed over the Knights in 1989. This will be UCF’s ninth season-opening Thursday night kickoff in the past 10 seasons.

Pittsburgh

Dec 27, 2025; Annapolis, MD, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Mason Heintschel (6) out runs East Carolina Pirates defensive lineman Zion Wilson (54) during the second half of the Military Bowl at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

  • Date: Saturday, Sept. 12
  • Time: TBA
  • Location: Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pa.
  • Details: UCF and Pitt have battled one another on the recruiting trail since the Knights made the Power Four leap, but this will mark the first head-to-head meeting since a memorable 2019 finish. The Panthers dialed up a trick play on fourth-and-three in the final minute as Kenny Pickett caught a game-tying touchdown pass and Alex Kessman kicked the decisive PAT. Junior edge rusher Sincere Edwards, assuming he recovers from his season-ending foot fracture, could make a return to Pittsburgh, where he spent the 2024 season and tallied three sacks.

Georgia State

Aug 30, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels linebacker Princewill Umanmielen (1) attempts to sack Georgia State Panthers quarterback Cameran Brown (8) during the third quarter at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

  • Date: Saturday, Sept. 19
  • Time: TBA
  • Location: Acrisure Bounce House, Orlando
  • Details: Georgia State replaced UMass on UCF’s 2026 schedule in October, and this will be the first meeting between the two schools. The Panthers closed last season with nine consecutive defeats, ending with a 1-11 record. Of note, they held a halftime lead against eventual Sun Belt champion James Madison, eventually falling 14-7. In that contest, Alonza Barnett III — UCF’s presumptive QB1 out of the transfer portal — completed just 11 of 22 attempts for 74 yards but scored a rushing TD.

TCU

Oct 4, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs wide receiver Jordan Dwyer (7) runs after the catch as Colorado Buffaloes defensive back Preston Hodge (4) attempts to make the tackle during the first half at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

  • Date: Saturday, Sept. 26
  • Time: TBA
  • Location: Acrisure Bounce House, Orlando
  • Details: This is the first time the Knights will open Big 12 play at home. UCF’s lone Big 12 road win the past two seasons came at TCU’s expense, a 21-point rally in September 2024. The Horned Frogs will have a new signal-caller as Josh Hoover joined national champion Indiana, and two-time Walter Payton Award finalist Jaden Craig arrived from Harvard. Following an overtime Alamo Bowl win over USC, TCU cracked the AP’s final Top 25.

Houston

Dec 27, 2025; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Cougars quarterback Conner Weigman (1) runs the ball during the second half against the Louisiana State Tigers at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

  • Date: Saturday, Oct. 3
  • Time: TBA
  • Location: TDECU Stadium, Houston, Texas
  • Details: Houston snapped UCF’s nine-year Space Game undefeated streak with a last-minute interception in the end zone. Willie Fritz oversaw a massive turnaround in his second year as head coach; the Cougars went 10-3 after beating LSU in the Texas Bowl, compared to 4-8 in 2024. Houston made waves in recruiting as well, signing consensus five-star quarterback Keisean Henderson as the heir apparent to Conner Weigman (2,705 passing yards, 25 TD passes, 9 INTs; 700 rushing yards, 11 TDs).

Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State University (OSU) introduces the new head football coach, Eric Morris, during a rally in Stillwater on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025.

  • Date: Saturday, Oct. 10
  • Time: TBA
  • Location: Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, Okla.
  • Details: This will not be the same Oklahoma State squad that spent the previous two Novembers rooted to the Big 12 basement. Eric Morris takes over as head coach, and he’s brought along many of the impact players that turned North Texas into a force in the American Conference — particularly quarterback Drew Mestemaker and running back Caleb Hawkins. North Texas topped the Football Bowl Subdivision in scoring at 45.1 points per game; Oklahoma State finished third-worst at 14.2 ppg.

BYU

Nov 29, 2025; Provo, Utah, USA; BYU Cougars running back LJ Martin (4) runs against UCF Knights linebacker Cole Kozlowski (43) during the second half at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images

  • Date: Saturday, Oct. 24
  • Time: TBA
  • Location: Acrisure Bounce House, Orlando
  • Details: UCF has designated arguably its toughest opponent as its homecoming date. BYU has won 23 of its last 27 games, yet was left out of the College Football Playoff twice. The Cougars finished 2025 with a victory in Orlando, pulling out a 25-21 decision against Georgia Tech in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. UCF jumped out to a 14-0 lead in Provo on Thanksgiving weekend, but Bear Bachmeier, LJ Martin and the Cougars scored 31 unanswered points to restore order.

Baylor

Jan 7, 2026; Waco, Texas, USA; DJ Lagway, a Florida quarterback currently in the transfer portal, sits with Baylor Bears football head coach Dave Aranda, left, during the first half of a game between the Baylor Bears and Iowa State Cyclones at Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images

  • Date: Saturday, Oct. 31
  • Time: TBA
  • Location: Acrisure Bounce House, Orlando
  • Details: Baylor took a big swing in the portal, luring legacy quarterback DJ Lagway to Waco, where his father Derek played running back from 1997-2001. Former five-star recruit Lagway threw for 2,264 yards, 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions as a sophomore for Florida. UCF’s fans will hope for a far better outcome against Baylor than three years ago, when the Knights surrendered a school-record, 28-point lead in a 36-35 defeat.

Kansas

Jul 9, 2025; Frisco, TX, USA; Kansas head coach Lance Leipold speaks with the media during 2025 Big 12 Football Media Days at The Star. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

  • Date: Saturday, Nov. 7
  • Time: TBA
  • Location: David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, Lawrence, Kan.
  • Details: The Jalon Daniels era is over, but the Jayhawks have a new star in the backfield in the form of Kansas State transfer Dylan Edwards. The rising senior gashed UCF for 166 yards and a touchdown in Manhattan last September. Quarterback is a mystery, with incumbents Cole Ballard and Isaiah Marshall and Rice transfer Chase Jenkins competing for the job. Like the Knights, Kansas has missed bowl games in back-to-back seasons. It has done a solid job of defending its turf, though — with at least four home wins in each of the last four seasons.

Arizona State

Arizona State head football coach Kenny Dillingham talks to his team during a time out a the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl against Duke at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025.

  • Date: Saturday, Nov. 14
  • Time: TBA
  • Location: Acrisure Bounce House, Orlando
  • Details: Arizona State underwent a transformation the last two offseasons since its stunning Big 12 title win in 2024; gone are stars like Sam Leavitt (transfer to LSU), Cam Skattebo (New York Giants) and Jordyn Tyson (likely first-round draft pick). But the Sun Devils have brought in some quality players as well, particularly at the receiver spot with Reed Harris, Omarion Miller and Raiden Vines-Bright. This will be the Sun Devils’ first trip to Orlando. Kentucky transfer Cutter Boley is the expected starting QB, but Arizona native and former UCF cult hero Mikey Keene is on the roster as well.

Iowa State

Jimmy Rogers speaks during his introductory press conference as Iowa State’s new head football coach on Dec. 8, 2025, at Iowa State University in Ames, IA.

  • Date: Saturday, Nov. 21
  • Time: TBA
  • Location: Acrisure Bounce House, Orlando
  • Details: Few teams nationally have had a bigger culture shock than Iowa State as Matt Campbell departed for the Penn State coaching vacancy. According to 247Sports, the Cyclones lost 55 players in the transfer portal, the majority of whom followed Campbell to Happy Valley. On the flipside, new coach Jimmy Rogers brought 15 players along for the ride from Washington State. Can Iowa State reload, or will this transition look more like a true rebuild?

Colorado

Sep 6, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders (center) leads the team onto Folsom Field before the game against the Delaware Fightin Blue Hens. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

  • Date: Saturday, Nov. 28
  • Time: TBA
  • Location: Folsom Field, Boulder, Colo.
  • Details: Deion Sanders remains in charge at Colorado, but results took a bit of a nosedive in 2025 with Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter in the NFL. The Buffaloes sunk to 3-9 after going 9-4 with a trip to the Alamo Bowl in ’24. Left tackle Jordan Seaton is a massive portal loss, but the Buffs will have at least 40 transfer additions, including blue-chippers DeAndre Moore Jr., Liona Lefau and Boo Carter. Highly touted redshirt freshman quarterback Julian Lewis gets his chance to become the new face of the program.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF football schedule 2026: Meet Knights’ Big 12 opponents

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