UCF's Football Schedule, 'Knight' Games

Discussing UCF’s kickoff times and which games will or will not be played at night.

Author:
Brian Smith
Publish date:
Jun 6, 2022 5:04 AM EDT

ORLANDO – With the UCF Football program gaining more and more popularity, that means more opportunities to be on television for games. It’s also a chance for the Knights to be on the tube when more viewers are watching.

Viewership is generally higher in the evenings, and this next season’s four night games will only help provide more exposure for UCF. A few additional thoughts about UCF’s night games, as well as a few points about two particular games that are not yet scheduled for at night.

**The first game of the year will be on ESPN+ against South Carolina State (Sep. 1), and it will be at Thursday night kickoff at 7:00 p.m. EST. That’s a good thing to help avoid the heat of Florida as best as possible, first off, which can be really extreme that time of year. Being a Thursday night game also means more eyeballs on UCF because there are very few games being played on a Thursday.

**No surprise that the Friday home contest versus Louisville (Sep. 9) will be at night, with kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m. EST on ESPN 2. This is not only the biggest home game of the year, it’s the biggest game of the year for UCF regardless of venue. Quarterback Malik Cunningham and the Cardinals defeated UCF 42-35 last season in Louisville, and the Knights will be looking for payback in the Bounce House.

**Will UCF get revenge against Malik Cunningham and the Louisville Cardinals?**
Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

**Playing on the road at Florida Atlantic (Sep. 17) will be interesting. The 7:30 p.m. EST start will be on CBS Sports Network, and it gives UCF a chance to play an in-state opponent that it has only faced three times. UCF won 33-29 in 2003, 56-36 in 2018, and 48-14 in 2019. Is Florida Atlantic finally going to get over the hump in 2022?

Starting in 2004, the Owls have only six seasons above .500 to their credit. Beating UCF would be big for FAU. Should be an emotional game with so many of the players on each roster coming from Florida high school programs.

**The final night contest comes when Temple (Oct. 13) comes to UCF for a 7:00 p.m. EST kickoff. The Knights hammered the Owls 49-7, on the road, in 2021. Will Temple come into the Bounce House and be ready to play unlike last season? There are also a few other intriguing points about this matchup.

This midseason contest comes after a week off for UCF, and following the home game against a talented SMU team. It’s also a Thursday night game that’s being broadcasted by ESPN, making it one of the biggest potential television games of the year for the Knights.

**Many thought that the Georgia Tech (Sep. 24) game would be at night, and technically it still could be. Many times television providers want to see how teams are playing before picking a time for the contest. Keep an eye on this game. If UCF and Georgia Tech start out well, it could be moved to a primetime television broadcast.

**The other contest that could certainly make its way into the evening hours would be SMU (Oct. 1). The Mustangs will be one of the AAC’s best teams in 2022. The Knights will be looking to slow down quarterback Tanner Mordecai after he sliced up the UCF defense last season to the tune of 377 pass yards, three touchdowns and one interception en route to SMU prevailing 55-27. It would not be surprising if SMU came into this contest ranked, and the same can be said about UCF.