The Bounce House on the UCF campus in Orlando will be the site of the opening of the Gus Malzahn era in an exclusive Thursday ESPN primetime assignment against Boise State.
UCF and Boise State will kick off their 2021 seasons at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, Sept. 2.
The Knights will play at home again the following weekend with a 6:30 p.m. ET kickoff Sept. 11 versus Bethune-Cookman at the Bounce House. That contest will be shown on ESPN+.
Then UCF takes to the road for the first time in 2021 for a 7:30 p.m. ET matchup Sept. 17 on ESPN at Atlantic Coast Conference member Louisville.
Memphis will play at UCF on (Friday) Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
The traditional day-after-Thanksgiving UCF-South Florida contest will kick at either 3:30 or 7 p.m. ET at the Bounce House on either ABC or ESPN. ABC has a 3:30 p.m. slot available—ESPN has both 3:30 and 7 p.m. slots.
UCF's 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff at Navy on Oct. 2 was announced Wednesday by CBS. CBSSN will show that contest.
Kickoffs for the Boise State, Bethune-Cookman, Louisville, Memphis and USF games were part of an announcement today that included the first three weekends of the 2021 season for ABC and the ESPN network of stations and various other dates.
The remainder of kickoff times and television details will be announced week to week by ESPN and the American Athletic Conference--on either a 12- or six-day turnaround.
Here's the complete slate for the Knights in 2021:
| Date | Opponent | Kickoff/TV |
|---|---|---|
| Sept. 2 (Thur.) | BOISE STATE (5-2 in 2020) | 7 p.m. ET/ESPN |
| Sept. 11 | BETHUNE-COOKMAN (DNP in 2020) | 6:30 p.m. ET/ESPN+ |
| Sept. 17 (Fri.) | at Louisville | 7:30 p.m. ET/ESPN |
| Oct. 2 | at Navy* | 3:30 p.m. ET/CBSSN |
| Oct. 9 | EAST CAROLINA* | TBD/TBD |
| Oct. 16 | at Cincinnati* (9-1, Peach Bowl) | TBD/TBD |
| Oct. 22 (Fri.) | MEMPHIS* (8-3, won Montgomery Bowl) | 7 p.m. ET/ESPN2 |
| Oct. 30 | at Temple* | TBD/TBD |
| Nov. 6 | TULANE* (6-6, Famous Idaho Potato Bowl) | TBD/TBD |
| Nov. 13 | at SMU* (7-3) | TBD/TBD |
| Nov. 20 | UCONN (DNP in 2020) | TBD/TBD |
| Nov. 26 (Fri.) | SOUTH FLORIDA* | 3:30 or 7 p.m. ET/ABC or ESPN |
| Dec. 4 | AAC Championship Game | TBD/ABC |
Home games in bold
*American Athletic Conference game
All dates and times are subject to change for television
Attractive non-conference matchups with Boise State and Louisville plus assignments against three teams that played in postseason bowl games to finish the 2020 campaign—2020 AAC champion Cincinnati, 2019 AAC champion Memphis and Tulane—highlight a 2021 UCF football schedule that includes seven home dates at the Bounce House.
UCF's home slate for 2021 includes the winner of the 2020 Montgomery Bowl (Memphis), a Tulane team that participated in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl and a Boise State team that played in the Mountain West Conference Championship Game. Other home games are versus AAC foes East Carolina and South Florida plus Bethune-Cookman and Connecticut.
The Knights' road agenda is highlighted by a Oct. 16 matchup with defending AAC champion Cincinnati (9-1 in 2020), a trip to SMU to face the Mustangs (7-3 in 2020) and games at Louisville and AAC members Navy and Temple.
In non-league action, UCF will be meeting Boise State for the first time. The Knights will travel to face Louisville for the third time overall (the teams split two previous games in Louisville—UCF winning in 2013 and the Cards in 1985). The Knights hold a 5-2 series edge over Connecticut—with the Huskies making their fifth trip to the Bounce House. UCF will play Bethune-Cookman for the 17th time (14 of 16 previous meetings in Orlando) and the first time since 2014. The Knights lead that series 11-5 and have not lost since 1985.
Among 2021 AAC home opponents, East Carolina comes to Orlando for the ninth time (the Knights and Pirates have split the previous eight games) and faces UCF for the 20th time overall (ECU leads the overall series 10-9). Memphis comes to town for the eighth time, having never won in Orlando (the last two visits were AAC Championship Games in 2017 and 2018). The Knights lead the overall series 13-2. UCF is ahead in the overall series against Tulane 8-2, including 4-0 in Orlando. UCF and South Florida have split a dozen previous games—with the teams also splitting the half-dozen earlier games in Orlando.
In 2021 AAC road games for the Knights, UCF is 2-0 overall versus Navy—winning against the Midshipmen in 2017 in Annapolis. UCF and Cincinnati have split six previous games overall—with the Knights dropping two of three in Cincinnati. UCF leads the Temple series 6-2—with the Knights winning three of four in Philadelphia. UCF is 8-1 versus SMU, including a 3-1 record in Dallas.
UCF sold its entire season-ticket allotment in 2019 for the first time in history, and the Knights expect to accomplish that again in 2021. Interested fans are encouraged to call 407-823-1000 or email tickets@athletics.ucf.edu. For any games that are sold out, single-game ticket availability is based on returns from the visiting team allotment.