The UCF Knights and USF Bulls haven’t met on the field for the War on I-4 since 2022, having gone their separate ways when UCF left for the Big 12. It’s a game some fans miss and some fans feel their teams have moved on from, but when it was played, it was a passionate rivalry.
Now, UCF athletic director Terry Mohajir has told Athlon Sports that he has offered USF future games. The catch is that the game can only return if it’s played in Orlando as a home game for UCF.
“I’ve had discussions with both Rob Higgins and former AD Michael Kelly about different options for playing each other,” Mohajir said. “The biggest challenge for us is trying to maintain as many home games in our stadium as possible. Our home schedule is extremely important to our fans, campus atmosphere and overall financial model. Big 12 scheduling requirements also require us to play a Power 4 non-conference opponent, so we must schedule within those parameters. Therefore, based on our nine-game conference schedule, we need to play Power 4 home-and-home games.”
Those home games in non-conference play are vital for UCF. With nine conference games, they can only schedule so many games outside of conference play. As is the case with many teams, money is tight in the NIL and revenue-sharing era, so giving up gate money isn’t realistic. Of course, USF has similar concerns with its own schedule.
“That said, I’ve offered a future game at our stadium to Rob and am awaiting a response,” Mohajir concluded.
Certainly, more fans would be coming through the turnstiles for a game against USF than any other Group of Six opponent. It would re-spark the rivalry, even if it’s just for a one-off game. At the same time, finding the flexibility in the schedule is difficult.
On top of that, playing only in Orlando would imply UCF has more power and value in the rivalry. Whether that’s true or not as a Power Four team is beside the point. It’s doubtful USF wants to show that by signing an uneven scheduling agreement.
The War on I-4 Between the UCF Knights and USF Bulls is a Passionate Rivalry
GettyFormer UCF QB McKenzie Milton scores against USF in 2017.
As institutions, UCF and USF have their share of similarities, both in age and the simple fact that they’re large public schools in relative proximity to one another. It’s about a 90-minute drive, largely on I-4, between the two campuses.
The two sides also have an intense history with one another. USF has been playing football since 1997, starting in Division I-AA, now known as FCS, before making the jump to Division I-A, or FBS, in 2001. By 2005, the Bulls were in the Big East, a BCS conference.
Meanwhile, UCF started football in 1979, but at the Division III level. They’d work their way up from there, spending 1990 to 1995 at the Division I-AA level before making their own jump to the highest level in 1996. However, where USF was able to get into a BCS conference relatively quickly, it was a much longer journey for UCF, who had six years of Independence, three years in the MAC, and eight years in Conference-USA. Along the way, there were reports that USF blocked UCF from joining the Big East, which led to plenty of animosity.
Still, by 2013, UCF and USF both found themselves in the AAC, which amounted to the Big East’s corpse. The two played every year at that point, which included the on-field peak of the rivalry. All the while, UCF built facilities and a stadium, while USF didn’t, and UCF became among the most successful Group of Five programs. That helped UCF get the bid into the Big 12 when the time came, while USF got left behind.
In the end, the War on I-4 has only been played 14 times. UCF holds an 8-6 record, having won six in a row after USF won the first four meetings. The best of those games came in 2017, when an unbeaten Knights team beat a one-loss Bulls team in Orlando 49-42 on the back of a kickoff return for a touchdown by Mike Hughes to send UCF to the AAC Championship Game.
UCF and USF Since Going Their Separate Ways
GettyUCF vs. USF in the 2013 War on I-4
After 2022, UCF and USF haven’t shared a conference or met on the field. During that time, UCF has tried to get its footing in the Big 12, but struggled to do so. In three seasons at that level, they’ve only managed one trip to a bowl game.
Meanwhile, USF has begun rapidly building up its facilities. That includes a new indoor practice facility and finally breaking ground on an on-campus stadium. The Bulls also found some success under head coach Alex Golesh, going to three-straight bowls with an AP Top 25 finish in 2025, though he left for Auburn after the season.
Recently, USF athletics CEO Rob Higgins has made his own push for the return of the War on I-4. In particular, as a way to generate revenue.
“Is there any chance we can codify prominent state rivalries for increased revenue to our schools? College conferences right now, on the football side of things, have increased the number of games, which can put those rivalries in jeopardy,” Higgins said.
“Those rivalries are huge not only for our university, but also for potential revenue. We’re all in on making sure that we save as much money as we possibly can and be the ultimate stewards of our universities’ resources. But we need to continue to keep our eye on revenue generation and protecting those rivalries — and/or reinstating them.”
What happens next is anyone’s guess. However, it’s clear that the administrators for UCF and USF want to bring this game back if they can figure out the details.
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