In what should come as a surprise to no one, UCF is set to break out what has become its signature Tampa combo for the final installment of the War on I4.
The Knights are set to don black helmets paired with white jerseys and black pants for their final clash with the South Florida Bulls. And this year, the combo will feature the chrome gold Knighthead decal. This makes it a road take on the blackout Knighthead look that was sported against USF last year.
Black/White/Black has become something of a classic combo for UCF, and you have to go all the way back to 2019 to find a game played in Tampa that the Knights didn’t wear it for. It saw a War on I4 win in 2020, the Gasparilla Bowl win over Florida in 2021 and will now be used for the final game of UCF’s main rivalry.
It’s quickly become what may be considered UCF’s most well-known road combo despite not seeing much use early on. The Knights originally unveiled a version of Black/White/Black against Michigan in 2016. From there, it wasn’t seen again until a Knighthead version of it was worn against UConn in 2018. It then popped up again against Temple in 2019 before finally first being used for a significantly meaningful game against USF in 2020.
The Knights have tried out a few different road combos against the Bulls, including Gold/Pewter/Pewter and Pewter/White/Black in 2016 and 2018. But this is just the right call. You don’t need to get too fancy or overly quirky when you play your rival (a lesson USF could learn as they are once again wearing slime).
Just go with what works: a tough and memorable road combo that is one of the base looks of your brand. And one that, just for fun, has had a lot of success in Tampa.
COMBO NOTES
- UCF has worn Black/White/Black in three straight games played in Tampa
- The Knights complete the regular season having worn a unique look in each game and 10 different combos
- UCF has now worn black helmets for the War on I4 in five of the last six meetings
- The Knights have not lost a game wearing this combo in six years
- UCF has now worn the new Knighthead decal twice, both times against USF
