List of UCF Knights football seasons

The UCF Knights college football team competes as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, representing the University of Central Florida in the American Athletic Conference. Since the program's first season in 1979 under Don Jonas, the Knights have played over 465 regular-season games, earning 256 official victories. UCF has won six division championships (2005, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2017, 2018), six conference championships (2007, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018), and has made ten postseason appearances since joining FBS, including three BCS/NY6 bowl games.[1] The Knights also claim a National Championship for the 2017 season, as recognized by the Colley Matrix. The Knights current head coach is Josh Heupel. The Knights have played their home games at Spectrum Stadium located on the main campus of UCF in Orlando, Florida since 2007.

Bright House Networks Stadium, the Knights home field
UCF playing Texas at Bright House in 2007

UCF began as a Division III program, and subsequently completed their ascension to Division I-A, now known as the Division I Football Subdivision (FBS), in 1996. As a Division I–AA program, the Knights made the 1990 and 1993 playoffs.[2]

After George O'Leary took over the program, the Knights gained national prominence as members of C-USA and later the AAC. O'Leary guided UCF to their first division title (2005), first conference championship (2007), first bowl game (2005), first bowl victory (2010), first appearance/victory in a New Year's Six game (2014), first national rankings,[3][4] and numerous other milestones and superlatives.

The Knights' main rivals are the South Florida Bulls; other historic rivals include East Carolina and Marshall. UCF has played one Consensus All-American, Kevin Smith in 2007, and produced three Heisman Trophy candidates, Daunte Culpepper in 1998, Kevin Smith in 2007, and McKenzie Milton in 2017 and 2018. The program has also produced a long-line of NFL players. Playing in fourteen Super Bowls and including four pro-bowlers, the list most notably includes Blake Bortles, Brandon Marshall, Bruce Miller, Daunte Culpepper, Matt Prater, Asante Samuel, and Josh Sitton.

Seasons
Year Coach Overall ConferenceStanding Bowl/playoffs Coaches# AP°
Division III Independent (1979–1981)
1979 Don Jonas 6–2–0
1980 Don Jonas 4–4–1
1981 Don Jonas 4–6–0
Division II Independent (1982–1989)
1982 Sam Weir 0–10–0
1983 Lou Saban 5–6–0
1984 Saban/Jerry Anderson§ 2–9–0
1985 Gene McDowell 4–7–0
1986 Gene McDowell 6–5–0
1987 Gene McDowell 9–4–0Semifinals Division II playoffs (1–1)
1988 Gene McDowell 6–5–0
1989 Gene McDowell 7–3–0
FCS Independent (1990–1995)
1990 Gene McDowell 10–4–0Semifinals Division I–AA playoffs (2–1)
1991 Gene McDowell 6–5–0
1992 Gene McDowell 6–4–0
1993 Gene McDowell 9–3–0First Round Division I–AA playoffs (0–1)
1994 Gene McDowell 7–4–0
1995 Gene McDowell 6–5–0
FBS Independent (1996–2001)
1996 Gene McDowell 5–6
1997 Gene McDowell 5–6
1998 Mike Kruczek 9–2
1999 Mike Kruczek 4–7
2000 Mike Kruczek 7–4
2001 Mike Kruczek 6–5
Mid-American Conference (2002–2004)
2002 Mike Kruczek 7–56–22nd (East)
2003 Kruczek/Alan Gooch§ 3–92–65th (East)
2004 George O'Leary 0–110–87th (East)
MAC Record: 10–258–16
Conference USA (2005–2012)
2005 George O'Leary 8–57–11st (East)L C-USA Championship Game, Tulsa 27–44
L Hawai'i Bowl, Nevada 48–49OT
2006 George O'Leary 4–83–54th (East)
2007 George O'Leary 10–47–11st (East)W C-USA Championship Game, Tulsa 44–25
L Liberty Bowl, Mississippi State 3–10
2008 George O'Leary 4–83–54th (East)
2009 George O'Leary 8–56–22nd (East)L St. Petersburg Bowl, Rutgers 24–45
2010 George O'Leary 11–37–11st (East)W C-USA Championship Game, SMU 17–7
W Liberty Bowl, Georgia 10–6		2021
2011 George O'Leary 5–73–54th (East)
2012 George O'Leary 10–47–1T–1st (East)L C-USA Championship Game, Tulsa 27–33OT
W Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl, Ball State 38–17
C-USA Record: 60–4443–21
American Athletic Conference (2013–present)
2013 George O'Leary 12–18–01stW Fiesta Bowl, Baylor 52–42†1210
2014 George O'Leary 9–47–1T–1stL St. Petersburg Bowl, NC State 27-34
2015 O'Leary/Danny Barrett§ 0–120–86th (East)
2016 Scott Frost 6–74–43rd (East)L Cure Bowl, Arkansas State 13-31
2017 Scott Frost 13–08–01st (East)W AAC Championship Game, Memphis 62–552OT
W Peach Bowl, Auburn 34–27†		76
2018 Josh Heupel 12–18–01st (East)W AAC Championship Game, Memphis 56–41
L Fiesta Bowl, LSU 32-40†		1112
2019 Josh Heupel 10–36–22nd (East)W Gasparilla Bowl, Marshall 48-252424
2020 Josh Heupel 6–45–34thL Boca Raton Bowl, BYU 49-23
American Record: 68–3246–18
Total:272–217–1
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

References

General:

  • Holic, Nathan, and the UCF Alumni Association. University of Central Florida: The Campus History Series (2009), ISBN 978-0-7385-6768-6
  • MacCambridge, Michael. ESPN College Football Encyclopedia: The Complete history of the Game (2005), ISBN 1-4013-3703-1

In-text:

  1. "UCF Football History". University of Central Florida Athletics. 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-20.
  2. "Division I–AA Football Comes to Orlando". University of Central Florida Athletic Association. Archived from the original on 2012-07-15. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
  3. "UCF ranked No. 23 in coaches poll and No. 25 in AP, vaulting into Top 25 for first time in school history". Orlando Sentinel. 2010-11-07. Archived from the original on 2010-11-09. Retrieved 2010-11-07.
  4. "UCF ranked No. 25 in latest USA Today coaches poll". Orlando Sentinel. 2010-11-28. Archived from the original on 2010-12-02. Retrieved 2010-11-29.
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