The long wait is over. We finally got our first look at UCF Football’s 2020 schedule on Tuesday and there are plenty of positives for the Knights. The team will get to ease into its schedule with most of its tougher opponents coming in later months and won’t even have to leave the state of Florida in November.
But there is obviously one big question remaining that won’t be answered until the season is already underway: what amazing uniform combos will UCF be breaking out for each of those games?
Rather than wait months to find out, I decided to place the burden of deciding these critical choices on myself. For the record, I have next to no knowledge of what UCF is actually planning to wear but given the unhealthy amount of time I have spent looking at, learning about and writing on the team’s threads, I consider myself enough of an authority to give this a shot.
Oh, and if any of these actually end up being what the team wears for that game, I didn’t get lucky or make a good guess. UCF saw my great ideas and stole them. Obviously.
Sept. 4 vs UNC: Gold/Black/Black with normal decals
This is the combo that took home first place in my UCF Uniform Rankings, and it has not been seen since the team’s College GameDay appearance in 2018. It is unquestionably the most “on brand” look that the Knights have at their disposal and that makes it the perfect choice for a home and season opener against a ranked Power Five opponent.
2019 was far from a bad year. A third straight 10-win Top 25 season is nothing to scoff at. But UCF certainly wasn’t in the national spotlight as much as it had become accustomed to in recent years. This is an ideal look for when the Knights try to take center stage with a statement win once again.
Sept. 12 vs FIU: Pewter/Black/Black with chrome gold decals
More than four years in and we’ve still never seen this combo on the field, even though it was used heavily in promotional images when this uniform set was originally released. It has to be time to see it in action. FIU is the perfect opponent because the Golden Panthers are the first team that the Knights ever wore pewter helmets against, way back in 2016. It would just be poetic.
Sept. 19 at Georgia Tech: White/White/Black with chrome gold decals
We saw this combo for the first time last year, and it would’ve looked even more awesome if it wasn’t worn in a loss to Pitt. So, let’s go ahead and get it a redeeming win in another road game against an ACC opponent. This look is just too nice to retire because of superstitions. (It’s also one of a couple combos that I want to see worn again as a kind of “redemption tour” after they were sported in losses. But not White/Anthracite/White. We don’t need to see that ever, ever again.)
Sept. 24 at ECU: Gold/White Alternate/Gold with white decals
Hi UCF fans! It’s me, Christian! Voluntarily including gold pants in UCF’s uniform lineup! Look, the gold pants got too much harsh treatment when they returned to the mix in 2018, but I think this was mainly because they were part of a clunky and ultimately unappealing military appreciation combo. Using them is worth another shot, this time paired with gold lids and the wonderful white jerseys that feature gold numbers and gold Knightro’s on the sleeves.
All that gold could pair nicely together, especially with the white UCF decals matching with the white of the jersey.
Oct. 3 vs Tulsa: White/Anthracite/Anthracite with chrome gold decals
This is always a serviceable look, and we’ve seen it sported in two early season wins over the last three years. Why not break it out again for Family Weekend? And more importantly, a Saturday game against Tulsa just definitely feels like something that’s going to get slotted at noon. Can’t have the team wearing black jerseys in October Florida heat.
Oct. 16 at Memphis: White/White/White with black decals
I actually got this idea from UCF’s space unis this past year, which featured a black decal on the moon helmets. Why not take that same decal and slap it on a whiteout? We’d basically be looking at a complete white-and-black look, with an all-white background featuring black decals, black numbers and black sleeve trim. It could look stellar.
The Knights also went with a whiteout last time they traveled to Memphis and ended that game with a hard-fought win. Don’t fix what isn’t broken.
Oct. 24 vs Tulane: Black/Black/Black with white decals
USF is a road game this year, which means we’ve got to find somewhere to slot a blackout. Can you really do better than homecoming? This exact combo was last worn against FAU in 2018 and it remains my favorite blackout. And coming off of the Memphis game, UCF could basically go from a white-and-black look to a black-and-white look in back-to-back weeks. Let’s start assembling uniforms like a great album: one combo flows into the next.
Oct. 31 at Houston: Pewter/White/White with chrome gold decals
Ever since UCF moved to this current iteration of uniforms, I had been hesitant about pairing white and pewter together. But the Knights tried it with a pewter/white/pewter combo against FAU last year and the results were fantastic. I definitely want to see those colors mixed again, but why not try a different take on it instead of just repeating that same combo? White pants should work just fine with this look.
Nov. 7 vs FAMU: White/Black/White with Patriotic UCF and Knightro decals
I’ve gone on record many times about my dislike of the various military appreciation looks that UCF (and college football as a whole) feels the need to attempt once a year. But we know it’s going to happen so might as well slot it for an FCS game that no one outside of Orlando is going to watch. Last year’s patriotic look against UConn was the closest I’ve come to not minding it so it’s essentially replicated here except with white pants to add a little more contrast.
Nov. 14 vs Temple: White/Black Alternate/White with chrome gold decals
I’ve been called stubborn more times in my life than maybe any other word, so here’s my attempt to prove that’s not true: I’m giving the black alternate jerseys another shot. I’m far from alone in the fan base when it comes to my dislike of these jerseys, but this combo (worn against SC State in 2018) was the one time I actually found it pleasing to look at.
Using lots of white to offset that huge white collar while matching the gold numbers with gold decals just worked. I’d have no issues seeing it again in this form and it would add a nice change of pace after four straight weeks of the same white or black jerseys in this hypothetical schedule.
Nov. 21 vs Cincinnati: Some amazing space uniform that I can’t even comprehend
There isn’t an official Space Game listed on the schedule yet, but this game makes way too much sense. This could very easily be a matchup of the two top teams in the conference (and you never know, maybe even a GameDay appearance) so there’s no reason that UCF shouldn’t take this opportunity to show off what have become the most innovative uniforms in college football.
I’ve given up trying to guess what the Knights have planned for their space sets, but it’s always amazing and always grabs tons of national attention. Why not finally combine that hype with a marquee game? Plus, it can’t hurt to bring UCF Athletics’ 4-0 record in Space Games to a contest this important.
Nov. 27 at USF: Pewter/Pewter/Black with black Knightro decals
We haven’t seen this combo since 2017 and I desperately want to get it back onto the field, so I’m writing it into existence. There’s something just so sleek about pairing pewter with black and that decal came out great the first time around.
It’s also perfect for a USF game because it minimizes any visible gold in the uniforms. It’s easy to forget that gold is the Bulls’ color too and I’ve never liked when UCF wears it against them. Why not give South Florida fans a glimpse of what good uniforms actually look like?
(Disagree with my choices? I don’t really care because I’m right and you’re wrong. But if you feel that strongly about it, you can tweet your frustrations at me at @ByCASimmons)