ORLANDO, Fla. – UPDATE: UCF will play Georgia Tech on Sept. 19.
ORIGINAL STORY: UCF will play eight games in 2020 -- and possibly more -- after the American Athletic Conference on Wednesday announced its plans for fall sports.
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UCF’s conference schedule, beginning Sept. 24 at East Carolina, remains unchanged.
The Knights’ game with Florida International remains up in the air because Conference USA has not announced its plans amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Knights will likely not play Georgia Tech -- and will not play North Carolina -- due to ACC rules. UCF’s game against Florida A&M was canceled when the MEAC suspended its season.
It’s not known if UCF will try to schedule any other nonconference games.
Here’s UCF’s conference schedule for 2020:
- Thursday, September 24 at ECU
- Saturday, October 3 vs. Tulsa
- Friday, October 16 at Memphis
- Saturday, October 24 vs. Tulane
- Saturday, October 31 at Houston
- Saturday, November 14 vs. Temple
- Saturday, November 21 vs. Cincinnati
- Friday, November 27 at South Florida
The AAC said nonconference games can be played at the discretion of member schools, but the “opponents will have to strictly adhere to protocols and standards for testing, pregame, in-game and postgame operations set by The American’s Medical Advisory Group.”
The American Football Championship will be played on either Dec. 5, 12 or 19 at the stadium of the regular-season champion. A decision regarding the date of the championship game will be made no earlier than Nov. 1.
“With the guidance of the health experts on the COVID-19 Medical Advisory Board and through the diligent work of the athletics staffs at our schools and at the conference, we have a sensible direction for the return of intercollegiate athletics in the fall,” said M. David Rudd, president of the University of Memphis and chair of The American’s Board of Directors. “The safety of our students, staff members and campus communities will continue to be our top priority. We are confident that the protocols put together by our Medical Advisory Group will guide a safe return to play. As medical information evolves, we will update our plans in conjunction with national, state and local guidelines.”
The AAC’s plan also calls for regular-season intraconference competition in men’s soccer, women’s soccer and women’s volleyball, capped by conference championship events in those sports, as well as men’s and women’s cross country. The number of qualifying teams for conference championships in men’s soccer, women’s soccer and women’s volleyball has been reduced to four.