This Saturday, Oct. 11, the UCF Knights and Cincinnati Bearcats renew their rivalry with kickoff scheduled for 12:00 pm at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati.
The UCF–Cincinnati rivalry is still young, but rich in drama. Their first meeting came in 2015, when Cincinnati rolled past UCF 52–7. Since then, the series has evened out. Entering this meeting, the two teams stand tied at 5–5.
When both schools joined the American Athletic Conference (AAC) era, the rivalry blossomed. They faced one another regularly and shared conference bragging rights. But in 2023, UCF, Cincinnati, and Houston formally exited the AAC to join the Big 12 Conference.
The two teams' first Big 12 chapter already featured a memorable moment. In 2023, UCF edged Cincinnati 28–26, aided by a daring onside kick late in the game. That win was UCF’s first in Big 12 play and snapped a losing streak in the rivalry. In 2024, Cincinnati responded by holding on 19–13 in Orlando — a hard-fought, defensive duel.
Going into this third meeting, the two teams have very different vibes.
UCF has dropped its first two Big 12 clashes this year, losing two nail-biters to Kansas and Kansas State.
Cincinnati, on the other hand, is 2-0 in the Big 12 with two impressive wins over Kansas and Iowa State. Iowa State was ranked No. 14 in the country in the two teams' match-up last week.
On Saturday, both teams will bring more than just their current season records to the field. They’ll carry the weight of their conference history — from AAC roots to Big 12 ambition — and the pride of their rivalry.
For the Knights, they will look to revert to their winning ways, while Cincinnati looks to continue to roll. Right now, the Bearcats are a huge favorite, as ESPN Bet has them favored by 10.5 points.