ORLANDO - UCF is picked third in the 2022 American Athletic Conference football preseason media poll announced today by the league.
The Knights (225 points, 7 first-place votes) finished behind only Houston (243 points, 7 first-place votes) and defending champion Cincinnati (242 points, 10 first-place votes).
UCF was picked to win the AAC in 2018, 2019 and 2020—accomplishing that feat in 2018. The Knight also won AAC crowns in 2013, 2014 (shared with Cincinnati and Memphis) and 2017 when other league members were predicted first in the preseason.
2022 American Athletic Conference Preseason Media Poll
| Team (First-Place Votes) | Points | ||
| 1. | Houston (7) | 243 | |
| 2. | Cincinnati (10) | 242 | |
| 3. | UCF (7) | 225 | |
| 4. | SMU | 187 | |
| 5. | Memphis | 162 | |
| 6. | East Carolina | 157 | |
| 7. | Tulane | 115 | |
| 8. | Tulsa | 93 | |
| 9. | South Florida | 71 | |
| 10. | Navy | 61 | |
| 11. | Temple | 28 |
Preseason Poll Notes
The favorite in the American Athletic Conference preseason media poll has ended up winning the conference title three times in the league's first nine seasons:
| Year | Favorite | Conference Finish | Champion | |
| 2013 | Louisville | 2nd | UCF | |
| 2014 | Cincinnati | t-1st | UCF, Cincinnati, Memphis | |
| 2015 | Cincinnati | t-3rd East | Houston | |
| 2016 | Houston | t-3rd West | Temple | |
| 2017 | South Florida | t-2nd East | UCF | |
| 2018 | UCF | 1st East | UCF | |
| 2019 | UCF | 2nd East | Memphis | |
| 2020 | UCF | t-3rd | Cincinnati | |
| 2021 | Cincinnati | t-1st | Cincinnati |
Fifteen returning starters (eight on defense, seven on offense) plus a handful of key specialists are back for Gus Malzahn in 2022. The Knights return a solid list of weapons for 2022:
--their starting quarterback, Mikey Keene, who threw for 1,730 yards and 17 TDs
--their top five 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
--five of their top seven 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)