UCF Football Preview 2025: Scott Frost is Back Where He Belongs
Yeah, why not give it another shot?Scott Frost had to take the Nebraska gig. He legitimately didn't seem like he wanted to leave UCF after what he built in two seasons - who moves from Orlando, Florida, to Lincoln, Nebraska? - but that was his school, his home, and his program.The guy was born in Lincoln.But for a whole slew of reasons, it just didn't work.
X CFN, Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu, CFN2025 UCF PreviewUCF Offense BreakdownUCF Defense BreakdownSeason Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season
The talent level wasn't there at Nebraska. The Big Ten was good, and Frost's teams invented creative and fun ways to gack away tight games.Out of the 31 Husker losses under Frost from 2019 to three games into the 2022 season, 23 of them were by one score. Less famously, out of the 16 wins, just two were against teams that finished with winning records, and 2018 Minnesota and Michigan State both finished 7-6.It also should've worked when Gus Malzahn took over UCF in 2021.Auburn hasn't exactly been booking College Football Playoff tickets since he was let go. It was a great hire for the Knights, he won nine games in each of his first two seasons, and the UCF football program was introduced to two things. Reality, and the Big 12.
When UCF was rocking, it won a big then-called Power Five game here and there, but that was the point all along in the big years under Frost and later Josh Heupel.The weekly grind of dealing with Power talent is brutal. Over the last two years since the move up in weight class, UCF is 5-14 against Power conference teams, and two of those came against fellow AAC transfers Houston and Cincinnati in 2023.
But UCF is going into Year Three of the Power conference life. It's building up the talent with more good transfers, the program overall is getting stronger, and sort of like the 0-12 thing Frost walked into after the 2016 season, the overall situation is far, far better than it seems.And taking over 2025 UCF is more turn-key than trying to make 2018 Nebraska rock.Scott Frost is back at UCF. Here we go. UCF Offense BreakdownUCF Defense BreakdownSeason Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season
© 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
What is Texas A&M football's overall raking in EA Sports College Football 26?
With mixed reviews from college football fans across the country, EA Sports College Football 26 officially dropped the top 25 overall teams in the video game that drops on July 10. Among those top-rated teams in this year's edition was the Texas A&M Aggies, who are the No. 8 program in the game with a team ranking of 88 overall. The school ranks as the fourth-best overall team in the Southeastern Conference, with Alabama ranked No. 1, Texas at No. 2, and Georgia at No. 6 in the official ratings before the 2025-2026 campaign begins. While Aggie fans are tired of seeing the team ranked high each preseason, resulting in disappointing results, the 2025 preseason just feels different. While EA Sports provided overalls for each program in the top 25, the company released the best offensive and defensive units in this year's edition. Texas A&M ranks at No. 12 in both categories with a 90 overall defense and an 89 overall offense. Here is the full list of team overalls in the 2026 edition: Team Overalls Much to the chagrin of Aggie fans, the rankings also faced much backlash from fans in the replies of the official drop, specifically regarding the game's top 10 teams. The Crimson Tide ranked as the best overall team is extremely generous considering the program did not reach the College Football Playoff last year and head coach Kalen DeBoer is in just his second season at the helm, with many questions about who will step up at the quarterback position. As you can imagine, those same feelings toward Alabama were made against the Aggies being at No. 8 on this list, after finishing the season with a loss in the Las Vegas Bowl to the USC Trojans. The ratings in the game will be adjusted accordingly to how the season progresses, however. With potentially one of the best running back rooms in the country featuring a healthy Le'Veon Moss, Rueben Owens and Amari Daniels, sophomore quarterback Marcel Reed and wideouts like NC State transfer KC Concepcion, the Aggies' offense could lead this team to become one of the best in the SEC this season. The 89 overall ranking is justifiable, but the concerns on defense leave me with questions on how EA Sports formulated the rankings. Regardless, the EA Sports College Football 26 video game will release in 13 days on Xbox and PlayStation. The standard edition is $69.99, with the deluxe and MVP editions costing $99.99 and $149.99, respectively. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Dylan on X: @dylanmflippo.
USA Today
9 hours ago
- USA Today
The Sporting News predicts Alabama's 2025 season, CFP fate in Year 2 under Kalen DeBoer
The 2025 college football season is just over two months away, and The Sporting News is among several national media outlets making its prediction for the Alabama Crimson Tide in Year 2 under coach Kalen DeBoer. Alabama finished 9-4 last season, hardly the worst start for a coach tasked with enormous expectations following the retirement of Nick Saban. But a stunning loss to Vanderbilt after the Crimson Tide's rollercoaster win over Georgia, followed by a pair of ugly losses down the stretch to Oklahoma and a Michigan team that was a shell of its 2023 self, left something of a sour taste to close 2024. DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb will have to break in a new quarterback in Ty Simpson, but Alabama has a lot of talent returning in 2025 -- particularly in the wide receiver room with Ryan Williams and Germie Bernard leading the way, and in the secondary with cornerbacks Zabien Brown and Domani Jackson, and safeties Keon Sabb and Bray Hubbard. The Crimson Tide also have an incoming freshman class that ranks in the top five in recruiting. Earlier this week, the Sporting News made its 12-team playoff predictions for the 2025 season. In the outlet's preseason projections, Alabama makes the College Football Playoff as the No. 7 seed and hosts a first-round playoff game against the Miami Hurricanes at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Per Bender: "Kalen DeBoer gets the Crimson Tide back in the College Football Playoff in his second season, and the Hurricanes are the at-large bid for the ACC. That means Carson Beck delivers as the new starting quarterback, and Mario Cristobal avoids a season-altering upset." A return trip to Tuscaloosa would mark Beck's second game in Bryant-Denny Stadium in as many seasons. As Georgia's starter in 2023 and '24, Beck went 0-2 against Alabama, including last year's 41-34 thriller on Sept. 28 that was clinched by a game-saving interception from the freshman Brown. For its part, Miami looked to be a lock for the ACC Championship Game last year under Heisman Trophy finalist and No. 1 overall NFL draft pick Cam Ward, but the Hurricanes lost its regular season finale in an upset at Syracuse. The Sporting News sees Alabama taking on defending national champion Ohio State in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, 2026. That means a matchup against former 5-star Crimson Tide QB commit Julian Sayin. "The Buckeyes are in the Rose Bowl for the second straight season as the Big Ten champion, and Alabama would be a formidable matchup. Julian Sayin -- who decommitted from Alabama after Nick Saban retired -- would be the center of attention in this matchup assuming he wins the starting job for the Buckeyes." Bender sees Alabama falling to the Buckeyes in Pasadena as part of his overall prediction that Ryan Day's team will return to the national championship game for a second year in a row; this time in a matchup against Texas at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Jan. 20. Alabama football schedule 2025 Alabama opens the 2025 season against Florida State at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee on Aug. 30. Kickoff was announced earlier this spring for 2:30 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on ABC. Here's the rest of the 2025 Alabama football schedule with updated start times. All times Central. Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama Crimson Tide news, notes and opinions.
Fox Sports
12 hours ago
- Fox Sports
2025 CFB Predictions, Picks: Back Penn State To Surpass Win Total
The college football season will be here before you know it. I usually dive into the deep end of the pigskin pool immediately after the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Finals are finito, so here we are. There aren't many moves I'm ready to make for Week 1 yet — I do love Over 54.5 total points in the Miami-Notre Dame — but I've done a good amount of work on regular season win totals and the power conference betting markets. Here are three future bets I like right now. Clemson to win ACC There aren't many higher on the Tigers than me. I'm far from a "Clemson guy," but Dabo Swinney's offense is loaded with skill and speed, and the Tigers have a first-round quarterback in Cade Klubnik. Sure, it's a younger group of skill position guys, but the talent is serious. And you already know there are four or five NFL players on defense. The ACC should be a two-horse race between Clemson and Miami, another team that's got gobs and gobs of talent. I currently have Clemson 4.5 points better on a neutral and that number might grow during the season. You'll have a nice middle shot if the Tigers are better than the market believes, and they are touchdown favorites or so in the ACC title game. PICK: Clemson (+120) to win ACC Penn State Over 10.5 wins A few people that I respect believe this is the most complete team James Franklin has ever had in Happy Valley. Obviously, that phrase gets overused in sports, but it's pretty difficult to disagree in this specific situation. The defense could be better than last year's and Penn State added a couple of legit receivers from the portal to go along with its returning quarterback Drew Allar, top two running backs and offensive coordinator. Stability is not an issue. One bettor flashed me a $5,000 ticket on Penn State to win the whole enchilada at 9/1. It'll pay $45,000 if it comes home. I certainly respect the play but just can't get there. My issue is that Franklin seems to find a way to flub a major decision in the biggest games. It's cruel, but fair. I'm pumping the brakes on a Big Ten title or national championship, believing it's a better bet to back the Nittany Lions to reach 11 wins. PICK: Penn State (+120) Over 10.5 wins Notre Dame Under 10.5 wins My "Bet Sweats" co-host Joe Ostrowski and I bet Notre Dame to win the national title at 10-1 a week before the College Football Playoff. We rode the wave over Indiana, Georgia and Penn State only to see the Irish get shoved against Ohio State in the championship game. Right size, wrong shape. The Irish are likely handing the keys on offense to freshman quarterback CJ Carr, a kid who is decidedly less experienced than transfers Sam Hartman and Riley Leonard were the last two seasons. And if Carr doesn't win the job, sophomore Kenny Minchey doesn't have much seasoning either. Notre Dame will run the ball a ton and their defense will carry the load for most games, but I can't ignore the quarterback youth or the schedule. And games against Miami, Texas A&M, Arkansas and USC are no walks in the park. PICK: Notre Dame (-140) Under 10.5 wins Sam Panayotovich is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and the BetMGM Network. He previously worked for WGN Radio, NBC Sports and VSiN. Follow him on Twitter @spshoot. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Get more from College Football Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
