Can the Knights finish strong?

BY ADAM EATON | SONS OF UCF

Coming off their final bye week of the year, the UCF Knights find themselves staring down a challenging five-game stretch that will close out the 2025 schedule. The first of those challenges comes on the road against Baylor on Saturday, a place the Knights have never visited. 

The good news for UCF is that, for the first time all season, they have a plan for the quarterback position, as head coach Scott Frost announced that Tayven Jackson will once again start for the Knights. Jackson has been battling an AC Sprain in his non-throwing shoulder, which has caused him to miss one game and part of another. When healthy, he has been the most productive signal caller for UCF this season, going 3-2 as the starter while completing 65% of his passes and throwing five touchdown passes. 

The Stretch Run

Sitting at four wins, UCF will have to find a way to win two of its final five games if it wants to gain bowl eligibility. The path won’t be easy, as the Knights will face three ranked teams (Houston, Texas Tech, and BYU) down the stretch, interspersed with Baylor and Oklahoma State. Making matters even more daunting, three of the final five games are on the road, where the Knights have only won two games since joining the Big 12 in 2023. 

The question on all fans’ minds is: which team will show up for these upcoming games? The team that had things rolling in a solid win over West Virginia? Or, the team that gained -1 yards in the third quarter in a home loss to Kansas? Or better yet, the team that dominated time of possession almost 2 to 1 still ended up losing to Cincinnati, 20-11. 

History

Most UCF fans would like to forget the last time UCF squared off against Baylor, which came during the 2023 season. Celebrating their first-ever Big 12 home conference game, the atmosphere in the Bounce House was electric, helping propel the Knights to a 35-7 third-quarter lead. However, from that point on, Baylor scored 29 unanswered points to pull out a 36-35 win.