UCFs Friday Night Baylor Test Suddenly Feels Bigger Than Last Year

UCF gears up for a pivotal clash against a weakened Baylor team as they seek redemption in a crucial Big 12 face-off.

UCF’s Week 9 trip to Baylor stands out as one of the best Friday games on the 2026 college football slate, and it gives the Knights a chance to settle a score under the lights.

The Big 12 matchup will be the fourth meeting between the programs since UCF joined the league, and both sides will look a lot different than they did a year ago. Baylor has watched most of its offensive production leave for the NFL. Sawyer Robertson went undrafted and was invited to the Denver Broncos minicamp; Josh Cameron was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars; Michael Trigg was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an UDFA, and Kole Wilson signed with the Cleveland Browns as an UDFA.

UCF, meanwhile, rebuilt through the transfer portal and added depth across the roster. The Knights brought in Alonza Barnett III to be their starting quarterback, added Josh Derry and Jonathan Bibbs at receiver, and put together a running back pairing of Landen Chambers and Duke Watson.

That backdrop makes the rematch even more intriguing after Baylor handled UCF in a 30-3 win last season. Robertson carved up a top-rated pass defense in the conference, throwing two touchdown passes and nearly 200 yards in the opening quarter alone. Trigg, Cameron and Wilson each caught a touchdown from him.

UCF never found a rhythm offensively in that game. The Knights had trouble extending drives, Tayven Jackson threw two interceptions in the second half, and Baylor limited Myles Montgomery to 74 rushing yards.

The loss was the second-largest by point differential in Scott Frost’s career. His biggest loss came by 39 points against the No. 6-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders.

The Friday night matchup against Baylor is part of a UCF schedule that includes three weeknight games next season. The Knights will also face Arizona State for the third time, with the two teams not meeting last season.

In Other News...

Former UCF Guard Jaylin Sellers Is Forcing A Bulls Decision

Jaylin Sellers has spent Las Vegas Summer League doing what former UCF guards have to do to stay in the conversation: make every possession count. In three appearances with the Chicago Bulls, the two-way guard has shown the kind of speed, defensive edge and efficient scoring that can catch a coaching staffs attention, and his best stretch came in a 24-point outing against the Washington Wizards.

For a player trying to carve out a place on the edge of an NBA roster, the appeal is obvious. Sellers is giving Chicago a reason to think beyond Summer League box scores, building a case for a back-end rotation role with the kind of all-around impact that can matter when the regular season begins and the Bulls have to sort out their guard depth. [Read more 🡒]

UCF Gets An Early Look At Two Very Different 2026 Battles

As UCF keeps counting down toward the 2026 season opener, a couple of roster spots are worth a closer look because they tell very different stories about where the Knights are headed. One is in the kicking game, where Australian punter Atticus Bertrams arrives with Wisconsin experience and looks positioned to handle the job, giving UCF a veteran option at a spot that can quietly shape field position all season.

The other is on defense, where walk-on Donnell Johnson III represents the long shot side of roster building. Johnson came to UCF after starting at Clarke University, but he did not get on the field after joining the Knights in fall camp, and his path now appears to be about earning whatever limited chances come his way in 2026. For a program trying to sort out depth while also settling on dependable specialists, those two names offer an early snapshot of just how different the next chapter can look. [Read more 🡒]

UCF Fans Will Want To Settle This All-Time Pass Rush Debate

UCFs pass-rush history has enough names to make any fan start arguing over eras, and the latest reminder comes from a look back at the Daytona News-Journals All-FBS team over the past 30 years. Nine defensive ends from the Knights have earned a spot on that list, a group that stretches across different coaching staffs, different defensive systems and even a few players who arrived at UCF after starting elsewhere or shifted positions along the way.

Bruce Miller, Malachi Lawrence, TreMon Morris-Brash and Nyjalik Kelly are among the names that keep showing up whenever the programs edge rushers are discussed, and the production behind them is part of the reason. The list also brings back the old sack totals that still frame the debate, along with the NFL paths that followed for several of those players, which is exactly what makes this kind of ranking so easy for UCF fans to revisit and so hard to settle for good. [Read more 🡒]