Here's How The UCF Knights' 2026 Opponents Did in Week 1 (and Zero)
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While a season might end up coming down to one single game, one single game does not make an entire season.
To make the College Football Playoff, teams are not only assessed by their own performances, but also by the strengths of their opponents.
Perhaps a team initially viewed as an upset was just the start of an all-time season, or an opponent thought strong was actually just in the beginning of a long downward spiral. The teams people thought they'd see in the preseason may not be the teams that they crack up to be, especially later in the season.
So, following the Knights' season-opening victory over Bethune-Cookman, here is our weekly check-in to see how the rest of the UCF Knights' 2026 opponents performed this weekend:
UCF Opponent | Opponent's Opponent | Result | UCF Opponent's Record |
|---|---|---|---|
Pittsburgh | vs. Miami (Ohio) | Win, 59-14 | 1-0 |
Georgia State | vs. North Carolina A&T | Win, 59-10 | 1-0 |
TCU | vs. North Carolina (in Ireland) | Loss, 15-10 | 0-1 |
Houston | vs. Oregon State | Win, 33-20 | 1-0 |
Oklahoma State | @ Tulsa | Loss, 24-10 | 0-1 |
BYU | vs. Utah Tech | Win, 63-7 | 1-0 |
Baylor | vs. Auburn (in Atlanta) | Loss, 17-16 | 0-1 |
Kansas | vs. Long Island Univ. | Win, 51-6 | 1-0 |
Arizona State | vs. Morgan State | Win, 70-7 | 1-0 |
Iowa State | vs. SE Missouri St. | Win, 38-10 | 1-0 |
Colorado | @ Georgia Tech | Win, 14-13 | 1-0 |
Notable Games:
- UCF's Next Opponent
- TCU Did Not Have Luck of the Irish
- Baylor Falls Short of Auburn
- Colorado Escapes Bobby Dodd Stadium
1. UCF's Next Opponent
The Pittsburgh Panthers opened their season by hosting the MAC's Miami (Ohio) and ended up putting on an offensive clinic with a 59-14 victory.
The Panthers, in the words of UCF coach Scott Frost, "threw it all over the place," with quarterback Mason Heintschel completing 31 of his 41 attempts for 453 yards and seven touchdowns, accounting for all but one of the Panthers' total trips to the end zone in the game. He mentioned Pittsburgh's offensive line "did a good job protecting" Heintschel.
"I think we got to earn our right to rush the passer by making sure that we do a good job against the run game, and then try to hold on," Frost said. "They're certainly going to get their share of passes on you. I think that's what they do."
The Panthers host the Knights at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.
2. TCU Did Not Have Luck of the Irish
The TCU Horned Frogs got their season underway across the pond last weekend in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, but could not end up getting past North Carolina, losing 15-10.
After ending the first quarter deadlocked at 10 points each, a North Carolina field goal and a safety courtesy of an errant snap by the Horned Frogs' long snapper were the only scoring plays for the rest of the game.
TCU did not make the game easy on themselves. Not only did it give up a safety, but it also went one for five on fourth-down conversion attempts, gave up six tackles for loss and was flagged 11 times for a total of 90 yards.
The Horned Frogs come to Orlando on Sep. 26.
3. Baylor Falls Short of Auburn
Despite Baylor's defense keeping it in the game, the Bears' offense, led by quarterback DJ Lagway, could not get it ahead of Auburn before the clock hit zero, losing in the Aflac kickoff game to Auburn, 17-16.
Both teams shined defensively, with the Bears picking off Tigers quarterback Byrum Brown three times on Saturday night, once even during the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Auburn picked off Lagway once, recovered a fumble Lagway lost and turned the ball over on downs twice. Both teams also combined for 19 tackles for loss, though Baylor did better in the sack department, getting five to Auburn's one.
The Knights host Baylor for the Space Game on Oct. 30.
4. Colorado Escapes Bobby Dodd Stadium
On the same night as the Knights' pummeling of the Wildcats, the Colorado Buffaloes were in a much closer bout against Georgia Tech in Atlanta.
The Yellow Jackets had the advantage in the passing attack, led by Alberto Mendoza, brother of No. 1 overall 2026 NFL Draft pick Fernando Mendoza, who threw for 237 yards to Colorado's Julian Lewis' 124 yards. However, despite this, Georgia Tech did not end up scoring from scrimmage the entire game.
It was a defensive showcase for both teams, as Colorado, despite rushing for 183 yards, only scored twice all night: once on the ground and once via a 20-yard touchdown pass on its last drive of the game. While Georgia Tech did attempt a game-winning field goal on their final drive, it ended up being no good, allowing coach Deion Sanders to begin his tenure's fourth season with a win.
The Knights are set to travel to Boulder to play Colorado to wrap up the regular season on Nov. 28.
Catch up on more UCF news below:
Three Things We Learned From UCF's Season-Opening Blowout of Bethune-Cookman
Meet The 2026 UCF Knights: Countdown To Kickoff - No. 0 Dylan Wade and Horace Lockett
Can UCF Men's Basketball Get Riley Kugel Back?
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Bryson Turner is a sports journalist who covers UCF Athletics. Turner has contributed to the Black and Gold Banneret, the home for UCF Athletics on SB Nation. He has called the Orlando area home since the age of 8 and received his bachelor's and master's degrees from UCF.
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