UCF Faces Three Top 25 Teams After Initial Release Of Coaches Poll

The first major college football poll of this season was unveiled this afternoon.

While the preseason Top 25 AP Poll is still one week away, the Preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll was released this week, indicating where the sports coaches think FBS programs stand entering the upcoming season.

BREAKING: College Football Preseason Coaches Poll👀https://t.co/UOHDaVDFxk pic.twitter.com/ouboz88vXu
— On3 (@On3sports) August 4, 2025

Five Big 12 programs found themselves ranked in this poll, none of them making it inside the Top 10. Defending champion Arizona State is ranked the highest at No. 11. The remaining four all reside in the 20-range: Kansas State (No. 20), Iowa State (No. 21), BYU (No. 23) and Texas Tech (No. 24). Additionally, Kansas and Baylor, while not making the Top 25, still received votes.

The coaches have spoken 📊 pic.twitter.com/xaaNG2sFTP
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) August 4, 2025

This could put the UCF Knights in a tough spot to start conference play, as they will have to hit the road to face the No. 20 Wildcats, then return home to host Kansas.

However, after a month of facing four unranked teams, though Baylor did receive votes, the Knights will have to go on the road to face two Top 25 teams in the season's last three weeks: No. 24 Texas Tech and No. 23 BYU.

Date	Opponent	Top 25 Coaches Poll Rank
Aug. 28	vs. Jacksonville State	-
Sep. 6	vs. North Carolina A&T	-
Sep. 20	vs. North Carolina	-
Sep. 27	@ Kansas State	20
Oct. 4	vs. Kansas	RV
Oct. 11	@ Cincinnati	-
Oct. 18	vs. West Virginia (Homecoming)	-
Nov. 1	@ Baylor	RV
Nov. 7	vs. Houston (Space Game)	-
Nov. 15	@ Texas Tech	24
Nov. 22	Oklahoma State	-
Nov. 29	@ BYU	23

Despite facing four of the Big 12's five ranked Top 25 teams, UCF dodges the highest of them in No. 11 Arizona State.

The Knights will not have to face any Top 25 program during their non-conference slate, which can give them three games to prepare for their first Big 12 test. The first of that non-conference slate is their season-opener on Aug. 28 against Jacksonville State.

UCF Football Adds Important New Addition To Program

UCF Knights coach Scott Frost is bringing back an old staffer into a new role.

Trent Mossbrucker is set to become UCF's General Manager of Football Player Personnel, Acquisitions and Roster Management, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported Tuesday afternoon.

Sources: UCF is set to hire Trent Mossbrucker as the General Manager of Football Player Personnel, Acquisitions and Roster Management. He’ll again work with Scott Frost, as he did at UCF (first stint) and at Nebraska during Frost’s time there. pic.twitter.com/zNL0vEAVft
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) July 29, 2025

Mossbrucker has been Louisville's Recruiting Coordinator since January 2023. He served as Frost's Assistant Director of Football Operations during the 2017 season at UCF, before following him to Nebraska, serving as his Director of Football and Recruiting Administration. He spent the 2022 season at Purdue as its Assistant Director of Recruiting.

This will be Mossbrucker's first time holding a general manager title.

"Everybody's using that role a little bit different," Frost said on Sunday. "I think there's some places where the [general manager] has complete control over who is on the team. That won't be the case here."

Frost said he and Jeff Love, UCF's Executive Director of Player Personnel, had a "high hit rate" on the 70 new players that they brought in for this season's Knights squad. However, it was also a collaborative effort that took a lot of time.

"I just think we're a little short-handed, and there's some things I had to do as a head coach that I don't think a head coach should have to do," Frost said. "We'll bring someone in to help me, but it's certainly not going to be a guy that comes in and makes all the decisions for me either. We just need more people, and as we continue to gain resources, we have opportunities to add to the team, and we got to make sure it's the right guy."

Mossbrucker has been Louisville's Recruiting Coordinator since January 2023. He has worked with Frost before, serving as his Assistant Director of Football Operations during the 2017 season at UCF, before following him to Nebraska, serving as his Director of Football and Recruiting Administration. He spent the 2022 season at Purdue as its Assistant Director of Recruiting.

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