The Bounce House on the UCF campus in Orlando will be the site of the opening of the Knights' 2022 football season in a Thursday ESPN+ primetime assignment against South Carolina State.
UCF and South Carolina State will kick off their 2022 seasons at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, Sept. 1.
The Knights will play at home again the following weekend with a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff on Friday, Sept. 9, versus Louisville at the Bounce House. That contest will be shown on ESPN2.
Then UCF takes to the road for the first time in 2022 for a 7:30 p.m. ET matchup Sept. 17 at Florida Atlantic on CBS Sports Network.
In addition, Temple will play at UCF at the Bounce House at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, Oct. 13, on ESPN.
Kickoffs for the South Carolina State, Louisville, Florida Atlantic and Temple games were part of an announcement today that included the first three weekends of the 2022 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 2022:
| Date | Opponent | Kickoff/TV |
|---|---|---|
| Sept. 1 (Thur.) | South Carolina State (7-5, won Cricket Celebration Bowl in 2021) | 7 p.m. ET/ESPN+ |
| Sept. 9 (Fri.) | Louisville (First Responder Bowl) | 7:30 p.m. ET/ESPN2 |
| Sept. 17 | at Florida Atlantic | 7:30 p.m. ET/CBSSN |
| Sept. 24 | Georgia Tech | TBD/TBD |
| Oct. 1 | SMU* (8-4, selected for Fenway Bowl) - Family Weekend | TBD/TBD |
| Oct. 13 (Thur.) | Temple* - Space Game | 7 p.m. ET/ESPN |
| Oct. 22 | at East Carolina* (7-5, selected for Military Bowl) | TBD/TBD |
| Oct. 29 | Cincinnati* (13-1, CFP semifinalist) - Homecoming | TBD/TBD |
| Nov. 5 | at Memphis* (selected for Hawaii Bowl) | TBD/TBD |
| Nov. 12 | at Tulane* | TBD/TBD |
| Nov. 19 | Navy* | TBD/TBD |
| Nov. 25/26 (Fri./Sat.) | at South Florida* | TBD/TBD |
| Dec. 3 | AAC Championship Game | TBD/ABC or ESPN |
Home games in bold
*American Athletic Conference games
One AAC game will be selected for Black Friday (Nov. 25) among a group of three games in the final week of the regular season. The Black Friday selection will come from UCF-South Florida, Tulane-Cincinnati and Tulsa-Houston. That selection will be made by Oct. 3.
The full AAC schedule includes a minimum of 40 conference-controlled regular-season home games on either ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU, plus four on CBSSN (all Navy games) and 27 on ESPN+
In non-league action, UCF will be meeting South Carolina State for the fourth time—following previous Knight home wins in 2008, 2016 and 2018. The Knights play Louisville for the fourth time overall, with the Cardinals making their first trip to Orlando (and leading the series 2-1). UCF faces Florida Atlantic for the third time in five years and the second time in Boca Raton following a 48-14 Knight triumph there in 2019. UCF is 3-0 overall against the Owls. Georgia Tech makes its first visit to the Bounce House—with the previous four meetings between the two teams played in Atlanta (the most recent a 49-21 Knight win in 2020).
Among 2022 AAC home opponents, UCF is 8-2 versus SMU, including a 5-0 record in Orlando. UCF leads the Temple series 7-2—with the Knights winning three of four in Orlando. UCF is 3-4 overall versus Cincinnati while winning two of the three games played in Orlando. The Knights stand 2-1 overall against Navy—defeating the Midshipmen in 2018 in the lone prior contest in Orlando.
UCF stands 30-2 (.937) at home over the last five seasons (2017-21), highlighted by a 21-game homefield win streak that encompassed three consecutive unbeaten home slates in 2017 (7-0), 2018 (8-0) and 2019 (6-0). The Knights finished unbeaten at home again in 2021 at 7-0. UCF overall has won 50 combined games over the last five seasons (2017-21).
In 2022 AAC road games for the Knights, East Carolina faces UCF for the 21st time overall (the series is tied 10-10 including the Knights' 5-6 mark in Greenville meetings). UCF is 6-2 in trips to play Memphis (with losses in its first visit in 1990 and its most recent in 2020, a wild 50-49 Tiger triumph). The Knights lead the overall series 14-2. UCF is ahead in the overall series against Tulane 9-2, including 3-2 in New Orleans. UCF leads South Florida 7-6 overall—with the teams splitting the half-dozen earlier games in Tampa. The date for that game will be selected by Oct. 3.
Sixteen returning starters (eight on defense, eight on offense) plus a handful of key specialists are back for UCF coach Gus Malzahn in 2022 as UCF looks to compete for the AAC championship it last won in 2017 and 2018.
The Knights return a solid list of weapons for 2022:
--their starting quarterback, Mikey Keene, who in 2021 as a true freshman threw for 1,730 yards and 17 TDs; he is competing for the top job with Ole Miss transfer John Rhys Plumlee
--their top six rushers, led by Isaiah Bowser, who ran for 703 yards and nine TDs in only eight games, and Johnny Richardson, who led the team with 733 yards and three TDs
--four of their top six receivers, paced by Ryan O'Keefe and his 84 receptions for 812 yards and seven TDs
--two of their top four tacklers in safeties Quadric Bullard (83 tackles, 6 PBU) and Divaad Wilson (72 tackles)
UCF sold its entire season-ticket allotment in 2019 and 2021 for the first times in history (with attendance limited in 2020 due to Covid), and the Knights expect to accomplish that again in 2022. 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.