Is it 2017 or 2025 because Scott Frost is back in the building as the new, or one could say old, head coach for UCF? After Gus Malzahn resigned to take the offensive coordinator position for the team up North in Tallahassee, UCF chose to reach back into their back of tricks and memories and pull out Scott Frost and bring him back as the Knights head coach.
Frost led the Knights to their first undefeated season back in 2017 and a win in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl against Malzahn and Auburn and claimed a National Championship as the best team in football that season. Frost then took a job at his Alma Mater with the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and it was anything but sunshine and flower as he never had a winning season and was fired just three games into his fifth season with the Cornhuskers.
Now, back at UCF, Frost isn't coaching the same 2017 team he had before, and UCF isn't even in the same conference they were before. Now they are in the Big 12, recruiting is at an all-time low, and basically, this team needs a serious rebuild. Is Frost up to the challenge? That will be seen, but he will have to do it, playing a tough Big 12 schedule this season.
The Big 12 is usually one of the last conferences to release their season schedules, as they wait till February. While UCF knew their opponents for the 2025 season, they officially have a schedule to start game planning for and it's one that isn't going to be easy.
Here is the 2025 UCF football schedule:
- Week 1: vs. Jacksonville State 8/28
- Week 2: vs. North Carolina A&T 9/6
- Week 3: BYE Week
- Week 4: vs. UNC 9/20
- Week 5: at Kansas State 9/27
- Week 6: vs. Kansas 10/4
- Week 7: at Cincinnati 10/11
- Week 8: vs. West Virginia (Homecoming) 10/18
- Week 9: BYE Week
- Week 10: at Baylor 11/1
- Week 11: vs. Houston (Space Game) 11/8
- Week 12: at Texas Tech 11/15
- Week 13: vs. Oklahoma State (Senior Knight) 11/22
- Week 14: at BYU 11/29
UCF will kick off Big 12 play the way they did their first season in the Big 12, playing Kansas State in the Little Apple of Manhattan, Kansas. This will be a tough game as Kansas State is coming off a bit of what could be called a down year under head coach Chris Klieman, but it didn't lose a ton of players. However, if they can get a big win in that game, it could lead to a great Big 12 play.
The non-conference schedule doesn't seem too bad until the Knights welcome Bill Belichick and UNC to the Bounce House, With the reputation Belichick brings with him from the NFL, this will be a huge game for UCF and could be a big win before heading into Big 12 play.
The Knights will play a lot of games at home this season, which will be helpful with the UCF faithful behind them, especially with how excited they all were about Frost returning to UCF. With the way the 2024 season went, not a lot will be expected from UCF in 2025, which is just how Frost likes to play.