Coming off two consecutive road games against ranked teams, UCF football deserves a breather before facing its biggest game of the 2026 season.

The Knights fell to 3-3 (1-2 in Big 12) after back-to-back gut-wrenching losses. They jumped out to a 17-point lead at Houston before Cougars quarterback Conner Weigman ran in three touchdowns in a 27-17 comeback victory, then saw Oklahoma State pull away in the fourth quarter for a 42-28 win last week. UCF's defense, its biggest strength early in the season, has seen its rankings plummet to 10th in the conference in scoring (21.7 points per game), 14th in yardage (355.2 ypg) and 12th against the pass (236.8 ypg).

With prized transfer QB Alonza Barnett III injured since Week 2 with a hamstring injury, the offense is in similar position, coming in dead last in the 16-team Big 12 at 354.8 ypg. FIU transfer Keyone Jenkins has been improving every week, throwing for 265 yards and four touchdowns at Oklahoma State, and paired with a solid run game headed by Duke Watson, there's hope for the second half of the season.

UCF's trials aren't over yet — the hardest matchup of the year comes right after this week's bye — but four of the final six games come at home. With the last four games against teams who currently have two conference wins between them, the Knights have a path to their first bowl game since 2023, their first year in the Big 12.

Here's what you need to know about UCF's remaining schedule:

Does UCF football play today?

No. The Knights are on their lone bye week of the 2026 season. This is the first year they've had just one off week since 2023.

UCF has two weeks to prepare for its toughest test of the year: a homecoming date in Week 8 against No. 8 BYU, which enters Week 7 undefeated at 5-0. The Cougars have their own challenge ahead today with a showdown against No. 2 Notre Dame.

After that, UCF plays its annual Space Game on a Friday night against 4-1 Baylor. The Knights play two more home games in November — against 3-2 Arizona State and 3-3 Iowa State — before wrapping up the regular season at Deion Sanders's Colorado team.

UCF football schedule 2026

Here is UCF's schedule and results for this season, along with known TV info. All times Eastern.

• Oct. 17:Open

• Oct. 24: UCF vs. BYU* | TBD

• Oct. 30: UCF vs. Baylor* | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN

• Nov. 7: UCF at Kansas* | TBD

• Nov. 14: UCF vs. Arizona State* | TBD

• Nov. 20: UCF vs. Iowa State* | 6 p.m. | FS1

*- Big 12 game