UCF Knights football faces Oklahoma, not Texas or TCU in Big 12 debut

At long last, the Big 12 Conference released its football schedule Tuesday afternoon — the first involving UCF and the league's other three newcomers (BYU, Cincinnati and Houston), and likely the last for SEC defectors Oklahoma and Texas.

Nine of the Knights' 12 games in 2023 — and beyond — will take place within one of the FBS' deepest leagues, one which produced the national runner-up this past season, TCU.

Here is a full look at UCF's opponents for next season, and some notes on each of their future foes. All kickoff games and television broadcast assignments will be determined at a later date.

Kent State

Date: Aug. 31

Location: FBC Mortgage Stadium, Orlando

Buzz: Fans of a certain age might forget that UCF and Kent State once shared the same conference — long before the MACtion brand stood for mid-week shootouts. The Knights are 2-2 all-time against the Golden Flashes, losing in both 2003 and 2004 before bolting the league for Conference USA the following year. Kenni Burns will make his head coaching debut for Kent State in this contest; he takes over for Sean Lewis, who accepted the offensive coordinator position at Colorado in December. UCF plucked one of Kent State's best offensive linemen out of the NCAA's transfer portal, first-team All-MAC selection Marcellus Mitchell.

Boise State

Date: Sept. 9

Location: Albertsons Stadium, Boise, Idaho

Buzz: Gus Malzahn coached his first game for UCF in the only prior meeting between these former Group of Five torchbearers, a thrilling 36-31 home win for the Knights in which they dug out of a 21-0 hole. UCF will need to be careful not to overlook the Broncos when they step foot onto the famed "smurf turf." Boise State won 10 games this past season, capped off with a 35-32 triumph over North Texas in the Frisco Bowl. It limited opponents to just 19.5 points per game, totaling 30 sacks and 15 interceptions. George Holani topped the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the second time in his career and announced plans to return to Boise for 2023.

Villanova

Date: Sept. 16

Location: FBC Mortgage Stadium, Orlando

Buzz: UCF's last tune-up before running the Big 12 gauntlet is a home bout with Villanova, a one-time Football Championship Subdivision national title winner. The Knights last faced the Wildcats to open the 2006 season. Steven Moffett threw for 199 yards and three touchdowns, and Kevin Smith added a pair of scores on the ground in a 35-16 triumph at what was then known as the Citrus Bowl. Villanova posted a 6-5 record last year, splitting its eight contests in Colonial Athletic Association play. Army soundly defeated the Wildcats, 49-10, in their lone outing against FBS opposition.

Kansas State

Date: Sept. 23

Location: Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Manhattan, Kan.

Buzz: Lost in TCU's trip to the College Football Playoff, historic win over Michigan and lopsided loss against Georgia, Kansas State lifted the trophy as Big 12 champs. Of course, the Wildcats endured their own whooping courtesy of Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. K-State rushed for 3,192 yards as a team, anchored by departing running back Deuce Vaughn, but Will Howard added 15 touchdown passes in his seven outings. Nine "super seniors" return, including a pair of impact offensive linemen, so expect the Wildcats to be in the mix again.

Baylor

Date: Sept. 30

Location: FBC Mortgage Stadium, Orlando

Buzz: Hard to believe we're approaching 10 years since Blake Bortles led the Knights to a Fiesta Bowl upset of Baylor as 17-point underdogs, but such is the nature of time. Baylor struggled down the stretch in Dave Aranda's third year at the helm, losing each of its last four games to finish 6-7. However, the Bears faced, arguably, the league's three best teams (Kansas State, TCU and Texas) to in that stretch. Incumbent starter Blake Shapen and Mississippi State transfer Sawyer Robertson are expected to battle for the QB1 spot.

Kansas

Date: Oct. 7

Location: David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, Lawrence, Kan.

Buzz: Kansas provided one of college football's most fun stories for the opening month and a half of the 2022 campaign. The Jayhawks were riding high at 5-0, and hosted College GameDay ahead of a massive clash with TCU then proceeded to lose seven of their last eight, including a memorable triple-overtime Liberty Bowl battle with Arkansas. Lance Leipold returns for his third year in charge, and he's got one of the most dynamic playmakers in the league back in quarterback Jalon Daniels.

Oklahoma

Date: Oct. 21

Location: Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman, Okla.

Buzz: Easily the spiciest matchup on UCF's schedule — not only due to Oklahoma's prestige and the fact these teams have never met but, of course, for renewing acquaintances with three-year starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel. In 26 starts for the Knights (25 starts), Gabriel completed 60.7% of his attempts for 8,037 yards, 70 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He holds program records for yards per attempt (8.8) and interception-to-attempt ratio (.015). Jeff Lebby, UCF's former offensive coordinator, calls the plays for the Sooners. Oklahoma uncharacteristically struggled in Brent Venables' first year in charge, going 6-7 and allowing an unsightly 461.0 yards per game.

West Virginia

Date: Oct. 28

Location: FBC Mortgage Stadium, Orlando

Buzz: UCF and West Virginia met in consecutive seasons two decades ago, with the Mountaineers sweeping the home-and-home series. Chris Henry, who had a five-year playing career with the Cincinnati Bengals, burned the Knights for 12 combined receptions, 216 yards and three touchdowns in the pair of meetings. West Virginia, which went 5-7 this fall, runs a bit of a gauntlet in the opening month — at Penn State in the opener, and Pittsburgh two weeks later to renew the Backyard Brawl.

Cincinnati

Date: Nov. 4

Location: Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

Buzz: With South Florida officially out of the picture for the foreseeable future, Cincinnati is best positioned to become UCF's mortal enemy in league play. There's a decent amount of hostility between the fan bases, while the teams have produced some memorable moments on the field as well. In late October, the Knights snapped Cincy's 19-game winning streak against American Athletic Conference opponents, vaulting into the AP Top 25 and a tie for first place in the process. UCF is 4-4 all-time against the Bearcats, winning just once at Nippert Stadium. Scott Satterfield is the new man in charge of Cincinnati after Luke Fickell left for Wisconsin; his Louisville teams beat Malzahn's Knights each of the last two years.

Oklahoma State

Date: Nov. 11

Location: FBC Mortgage Stadium, Orlando

Buzz: Considering the Cowboys' consistency under Mike Gundy, this is likely UCF's marquee home date. Oklahoma State has posted a winning record in each of the last 17 seasons, but have topped nine victories just once since 2017. Starting quarterback Spencer Sanders, who threw for 9,553 yards in a four-year career for the Cowboys, transferred to Ole Miss, and five of the Cowboys' six leading receivers followed him out the door. Oklahoma State ranked second-to-last in the Big 12 in rushing yards, yards per carry and rushing touchdowns last season.

Texas Tech

Date: Nov. 18

Location: Jones AT&T Stadium, Lubbock, Texas

Buzz: Texas Tech rewarded head coach Joey McGuire for a successful first season with a lucrative six-year, $26.6 million contract on Dec. 28. The Red Raiders went 8-5, beat both Texas and Oklahoma in the same season for the first time and handled Ole Miss in the Texas Bowl. Jones AT&T Stadium turned into a fortress; Texas Tech won seven of its eight games on home soil. Three quarterbacks registered at least 1,000 passing yards, while Tahj Brooks, SaRodorick Thompson and Donovan Smith shared the team lead with seven rushing TDs apiece.

Houston

Date: Nov. 25

Location: FBC Mortgage Stadium, Orlando

Buzz: UCF got the better of Houston in seven of its previous 10 meetings, averaging 29.7 points per contest. Dana Holgorsen made waves on the recruiting trail, landing three of the program's nine highest-rated commits ever according to the 247Sports' composite rankings (ATH Mikal Harrison-Pilot, WR Jonah Wilson, RB Parker Jenkins). The Cougars will miss the near-telepathic connection between quarterback Clayton Tune and wide receiver Nathaniel "Tank" Dell, a Mainland High grad, as both players depart for the pros.