The UCF Knights (9-3; 6-2 AAC) fought off a second half comeback bid by the S. Florida Bulls (1-11; 0-8 AAC) on Saturday at Raymond James Stadium (home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers). Their 46-39 win cements UCF as the victor for the War on I-4 rivalry, giving the Knights 7 wins to S. Florida’s 6 wins for the series. UCF’s move to the Big XII next season effectively kills S. Florida’s rivalry with UCF until at least 2028 due to scheduling conflicts. The win also brings the Knights back to New Orleans to face the Green Wave of Tulane (10-2; 7-1 AAC) for the AAC Championship Game on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 4pm and the game will be broadcasted on ABC. Per the AAC:
A matchup of top-25 teams is set for the 2022 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game presented by RoofClaim as No 19 Tulane will meet No. 22 UCF for the conference title Saturday at Yulman Stadium on the Tulane campus.
The American Football Championship Game will be held Saturday, Dec. 3, at 4 p.m. ET/3 p.m. CT. The championship game will be televised live on ABC for the eighth consecutive season.
Tulane clinched its spot as well as home-field advantage Friday with a 27-24 win at Cincinnati that left the Green Wave atop The American standings at 7-1 in conference play and 10-2 overall.
The Knights, who needed a win against South Florida in their regular-season finale Saturday to clinch their spot, scored a 46-39 victory in the War On I-4 matchup.
Tulane will make its first appearance in The American Championship Game, while UCF plays in the game for the third time. The Knights won the championship game in their previous two appearances, in 2017 and 2018.
Tickets for the 2022 American Athletic Conference Football Championship Game will be made available through the ticket offices of the participating institutions.
The latest information on the 2022 American Football Championship will be available on the conference’s Championship Central site at http://www.theamerican.org/football
Check out video highlights of UCF’s win over S. Florida, courtesy of the AAC, below: