When the regular season reaches its final week, there will be prayers for bad weather in Boulder.

Deion Sanders and Colorado hope to have a bowl game already secured when Central Florida visits Nov. 28. If the Buffaloes don’t, a wintry mix and temperatures below 40 degrees would be ideal as the team from Orlando makes its first trip to Folsom Field.

The programs met for the first time in 2024 when the Buffs won 48-21 in a homecoming for Coach Prime, a Fort Myers, Fla., native, and a handful of players from the state of Florida.

There won’t be homecomings this time as CU will look to remain unbeaten against a program still relatively new to the power conference world.

Let’s look at this year’s Knights:

Offseason storylines

The second Scott Frost era got off to a roaring start last fall with UCF winning its first three games, including a decisive win over Bill Belichick and North Carolina in Week 3.

What happened in Big 12 play was a letdown.

The Knights went 2-7 in conference, narrowly missing out on a bowl game against an average schedule, beating two teams below them in the standings in West Virginia and Oklahoma State while losing games in which they were underdogs.

Frost didn’t feel the need to change much, keeping his coordinators around and bringing in over 30 transfers after losing a similar amount of players as the previous offseason. 

When Frost was the coach at UCF the first time, his second season was a smash hit. The Knights went 13-0 in the American Athletic Conference and claimed a national championship after beating Auburn in the Fiesta Bowl while being denied a chance to participate in the College Football Playoff. 

That’s easier said than done this time. Frost’s program is now in the Big 12 and, even with one of the easier schedules, trips to Houston, Oklahoma State and CU, as well as visits from the likes of TCU, Arizona State and BYU make it hard to see a path to an unbeaten regular season this time around.

On offense

If the Knights take the Big 12 by storm and ascend into the upper echelon in the conference, it will be because of the offense. Frost is the architect of a unit that ranked 12th in the league in yards per game and 13th in points.

After uneven quarterback play throughout 2025, UCF got a proven winner in Alonza Barnett III, who spent four seasons at James Madison. He led the Dukes to the CFP last season, throwing for over 2,800 yards and 23 touchdowns.

Barnett has also shown rushing abilities, owning over 1,000 yards and 23 scores on the ground. He is the headliner among a group of Group of Six and FCS quarterbacks making the jump up to the Big 12, all of whom are hoping to have immediate success at the Power 4 level.

He’ll be playing behind a new-look offensive line that will need to hold up for Barnett. The likely running back duo of Landen Chambers and Duke Watson have plenty of upside after transferring in from Central Arkansas and Louisville, respectively.

Out wide, UCF returns its top three players in receiving yards, led by Duane Thomas Jr., who had a team-high 53 catches and 528 yards but failed to reach the end zone. Tight end Dylan Wade is also a reliable target, while wideout Waden Charles is a playmaker who could see an increase in production.

On defense

The offense must be better for UCF to take a step forward, but don’t discount this Knights defense.

Coordinator Alex Grinch is a veteran defensive play caller who has had multiple stops at major programs, most notably with Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma and USC. He had his struggles on the big stage, but he helped guide a UCF unit that ranked third in the Big 12 in passing yards allowed per game in 2025.

That was thanks to a veteran secondary that is almost entirely back, led by cornerbacks Jayden Bellamy (27 tackles, eight passes defended last season) and Antione Jackson (39 tackles, five passes defended) and safety Demari Henderson (61 tackles, one interception). 

Leading tackler Lewis Carter is also back at linebacker, but the Knights will need to get instant production from a few transfers on the defensive line. Edge rushers Bruno Dall (Akron) and Ken Talley (Arkansas) feel like the best bets to make a big impact. 

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The UCF Knights file

2025 record: 5-7 (2-7 Big 12)

Head coach: Scott Frost (2nd season of 2nd stint, 24-14 record overall at UCF)

Offensive coordinator: Steve Cooper (2nd season)

Defensive coordinator: Alex Grinch (2nd season)

Key returners: WR Duane Thomas Jr., WR Waden Charles, TE Dylan Wade, OL Preston Cushman, LB Lewis Carter, CB Jayden Bellamy, CB Antione Jackson, S Demari Henderson, 

Key newcomers: QB Alonza Barnett III, RB Landen Chambers, RB Duke Watson, OL Henry Tabansi, OL Brady Wayburn, DE Bruno Dall, DE Ken Talley