List of UCF Knights football seasons

For UCF's current season, see 2016 UCF Knights football team.
Bright House Networks Stadium, the Knights home field
UCF playing Texas at Bright House in 2007

The UCF Knights college football team competes as part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, representing The University of Central Florida in the American Athletic Conference (The American). Since the program's first season in 1979 under Don Jonas, the Knights have played over 400 regular-season games, earning 216 official victories. UCF and has won four division championships (2005, 2007, 2010, 2012), four conference championships (2007, 2010, 2013, 2014), and has made six postseason appearances since joining FBS (2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012), including the 2014 Fiesta Bowl, a BCS Bowl.[1] The Knights current head coach is George O'Leary, who has led the team since 2004. The Knights have played their home games at Bright House Networks Stadium located on the main campus of UCF in Orlando, Florida since 2007.

UCF as a Division III program, and subsequently completed their ascension to Division I-A, now known as the Division I Football Subdivision (FBS), in 1996. As a Division I–AA program, the Knights made the 1990 and 1993 playoffs, and were picked as the preseason No. 1 team to start the 1994 season.[2] The Knights are notorious for playing close games against tough opponents. Examples include a 6–10 loss at Auburn in 1998, a 23–24 loss at Georgia in 1999, and a 40–38 upset against Alabama in 2000 during their homecoming on a last-second field goal by Javier Beorlegui.[3]

Since O'Leary took over the program, the Knights have gained national prominence as members of Conference USA and The American. Before O'Leary, UCF had not made a postseason appearance since joining the FBS. Under his lead, the Knights have appeared in six bowl games, won four C-USA Eastern Division titles, and were the 2007 and 2010 Conference USA Champions. UCF was nationally ranked for the first time in school history, following a nationally televised rout of Houston on November 5, 2010.[4][5] In 2013, O'Leary led the Knights to their first eleven-win regular season (12–1), first perfect conference record (8–0), first win against a Big Ten opponent (Penn State), first win against a Top–10 team (Louisville), third conference title, and the programs first appearance and victory in a BCS bowl game by defeating then-sixth ranked Baylor 52–42.

The Knights main rivals are the East Carolina Pirates, Marshall Thundering Herd, and South Florida Bulls. UCF has played one Consensus All-American, Kevin Smith in 2007, and produced two Heisman Trophy candidates, Daunte Culpepper in 1998 and Kevin Smith in 2007. The program has also produced a long-line of NFL players. Playing in fourteen Super Bowls and including four pro-bowlers, the list most notably includes Blake Bortles, Brandon Marshall, Bruce Miller, Daunte Culpepper, Matt Prater, Asante Samuel, and Josh Sitton.

Seasons

Year Coach Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs Coaches# AP°
Division III Independent (1979–1981)
1979 Don Jonas 6–2–0
1980 Don Jonas 4–4–1
1981 Don Jonas 4–6–0
Division II Independent (1982–1989)
1982 Sam Weir 0–10–0
1983 Lou Saban 5–6–0
1984 Saban/Jerry Anderson§ 2–9–0
1985 Gene McDowell 4–7–0
1986 Gene McDowell 6–5–0
1987 Gene McDowell 9–4–0 Semifinals Division II playoffs (1–1)
1988 Gene McDowell 6–5–0
1989 Gene McDowell 7–3–0
FCS Independent (1990–1995)
1990 Gene McDowell 10–4–0 Semifinals Division I–AA playoffs (2–1)
1991 Gene McDowell 6–5–0
1992 Gene McDowell 6–4–0
1993 Gene McDowell 9–3–0 First Round Division I–AA playoffs (0–1)
1994 Gene McDowell 7–4–0
1995 Gene McDowell 6–5–0
FBS Independent (1996–2001)
1996 Gene McDowell 5–6
1997 Gene McDowell 5–6
1998 Mike Kruczek 9–2
1999 Mike Kruczek 4–7
2000 Mike Kruczek 7–4
2001 Mike Kruczek 6–5
Mid-American Conference (2002–2004)
2002 Mike Kruczek 7–5 6–2 2nd (East)
2003 Kruczek/Alan Gooch§ 3–9 2–6 5th (East)
2004 George O'Leary 0–11 0–8 7th (East)
MAC Record: 10–25 8–16
Conference USA (2005–2012)
2005 George O'Leary 8–5 7–1 1st (East) L C-USA Championship Game, Tulsa 27–44
L Hawai'i Bowl, Nevada 48–49OT
2006 George O'Leary 4–8 3–5 4th (East)
2007 George O'Leary 10–4 7–1 1st (East) W C-USA Championship Game, Tulsa 44–25
L Liberty Bowl, Mississippi State 3–10
2008 George O'Leary 4–8 3–5 4th (East)
2009 George O'Leary 8–5 6–2 2nd (East) L St. Petersburg Bowl, Rutgers 24–45
2010 George O'Leary 11–3 7–1 1st (East) W C-USA Championship Game, SMU 17–7
W Liberty Bowl, Georgia 10–6 		20 21
2011 George O'Leary 5–7 3–5 4th (East)
2012 George O'Leary 10–4 7–1 T–1st (East) L C-USA Championship Game, Tulsa 27–33OT
W Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl, Ball State 38–17
C-USA Record: 60–44 43–21
American Athletic Conference (2013–present)
2013 George O'Leary 12–1 8–0 1st W Fiesta Bowl, Baylor 52–42† 12 10
2014 George O'Leary 9–4 7–1 T–1st L St. Petersburg Bowl, NC State 27-34
2015 O'Leary/Danny Barrett§ 0–12 0–8 6th (East)
American Record: 21–17 15–9
Total: 225–202–1
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title
†Indicates Bowl Coalition, Bowl Alliance, BCS, or CFP / New Years' Six bowl.
#Rankings from final Coaches Poll.
°Rankings from final AP Poll. § Denotes interim coach.

References

General:

In-text:

  1. ↑ "UCF Football History". University of Central Florida Athletics. 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-20.
  2. ↑ "Division I–AA Football Comes to Orlando". University of Central Florida Athletic Association. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
  3. ↑ "UCF Football Flashback - Going on Krucz Control: Part 7 of 8 - The History of UCF Football". University of Central Florida Athletics Association. 2007-08-08. Retrieved 2013-12-08.
  4. ↑ "UCF ranked No. 23 in coaches poll and No. 25 in AP, vaulting into Top 25 for first time in school history". Orlando Sentinel. 2010-11-07. Retrieved 2010-11-07.
  5. ↑ "UCF ranked No. 25 in latest USA Today coaches poll". Orlando Sentinel. 2010-11-28. Retrieved 2010-11-29.
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