UCF series with Big Ten’s Maryland set for 2025, ’28 canceled

UCF has canceled a future football series with Maryland.

FBSchedules.com was the first to report the cancellation of the home-and-home series that was agreed upon in 2021.

The series was set to kick off next year at SECU Stadium in College Park, Md., on Aug. 30. The return game was scheduled at FBC Mortgage Stadium on Sept. 9, 2028.

Maryland announced on Wednesday it has scheduled a home game against FAU on Aug. 30, 2025, indicating the future series with the Knights might be in jeopardy. The school didn’t mention canceling the UCF series, but FBSchedules.com confirmed the move with the Terrapins’ sports information department.

A spokesperson at UCF confirmed the report.

UCF is scheduled to host North Carolina on Sept. 20, 2025, and the cancellation of the Maryland game would leave the Knights with two non-conference spots left to fill. The Big 12 schedule includes road games against Baylor, BYU, Cincinnati, Kansas State and Texas Tech, with home games against Houston, Oklahoma State, Kansas and West Virginia.

UCF has faced Maryland twice: a 30-24 loss in Orlando on Sept. 17, 2016, and a 38-10 win in College Park on Sept. 23 the next year.

Athletics Director Terry Mohajir

told the Orlando Sentinel in December that the department was working to secure several future opponents.

“We’ve got a couple [series] that we’re working on,” said Mohajir, who indicated one could be against another Big Ten team and the other against an ACC team. “There are so many schools that are in flux because of the schedule. That’s why it’s been challenging us.”

The nine-game Big 12 schedule leaves UCF with three non-conference games per season and the league requires teams to face at least one non-conference Power Four opponent each year. That leaves opportunities to schedule teams from the Group of Five conferences and Football Championship Subdivision.