After the UCF Knights accepted the bid to play at the Boca Raton Bowl on Dec. 7, their opponent was officially announced on Monday.
UCF will face No. 17 BYU in the Boca Raton Bowl at FAU Stadium on Dec. 22 at 7 p.m. and the game will broadcast on ESPN.
The game has been approved for 20% stadium capacity, or 6,000 individuals. FAU Stadium’s full capacity is 30,000, according to FAU’s website.
After UCF Athletics said the Knights may face an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent, the options dwindled after a few ACC schools opted out of of playing in postseason bowls.
The BYU Cougars will certainly be the most formidable opponent the Knights have faced this season.
The Cougars currently rank No. 14 in the AP Top 25 Poll, while ranking No. 17 in the College Football Playoff Rankings behind an impressive 10-1 record.
BYU’s lone loss came on the road against undefeated Coastal Carolina 22-17 within the final seconds of the contest.
“BYU plays complementary football, in terms of offense, defense and special teams, as well as any team in the country,” UCF head coach Josh Heupel said. “This will be a tremendous challenge for our football team— and certainly one our players are excited about.”
BYU is the only team in the FBS to rank in the Top 10 on both offense and defense averaging 43.0 points per game, while only giving up 14.6 points.
UCF has posted up prolific numbers on offense as well, ranking second in the nation in both total offense — with 585.6 yards per game — and passing — 373.0 yards — while scoring at a 44.3-points-per-game pace. Both the total offense and passing yard figures are on track to be all-time UCF high, UCF Athletics said in a release.
The Knights rank first overall in the American Athletic Conference in four offensive categories.
BYU junior quarterback Zach Wilson has thrown the same amount of touchdown passes this season as UCF sophomore quarterback Dillion Gabriel — with 30 a piece. Wilson is a projected first-round pick in the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft.
Ironically enough, Gabriel’s father played quarterback at Hawaii and defeated the the ranked No. 4 ranked BYU Cougars behind Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer back in 1990.
“Back home, the Hawaii-BYU rivalry is huge,” Dillon Gabriel said in September. “We’d always put that BYU game on, when they ended up beating Ty Detmer after he won the Heisman. Personally, I’ll never be a BYU fan because of it. I’m with my dad on that one.”
The all-time series between UCF and BYU is currently tied 1-1.
BYU defeated UCF in 2011, but the Knights got the better of the Cougars in 2014 during a 31-24 victory.
The two schools have plans to cross paths again in two future contests — the game in 2023 is set to be played in Orlando, while the 2024 game is scheduled to be in Utah.
A win will likely result in the Knights finishing up the 2020 campaign back in the Top 25 rankings for a fourth consecutive season.
Check back with Knight News for more Boca Raton Bowl coverage.
