ORLANDO - UCF and Conference USA announced today the Golden Knights' 2005 football schedule. The schedule features four home games vs. Conference USA competition along with a national television appearance at South Carolina to open the season on Thursday night in primetime on ESPN.

The 2005 schedule for the Golden Knights features 10 games to be played on Saturday, with the only mid-week game set for Thursday, Sept. 1, on national television.

"We are very happy about the new schedule and are anxious to play in Conference USA," stated UCF head coach George O'Leary. "Obviously, you would always like to see more home games, but I think we have an outstanding schedule against strong competition in 2005."

"As we start out in a new conference, we appreciate how accommodating Conference USA was to our unique situation with four home games," commented UCF athletics director Steve Orsini. "We are pleased with the schedule and that the four games are not spread out over an extended period of time, which is an asset both to our players and our fans."

UCF is scheduled to face five teams that were bowl-eligible in 2004, including the season-opener at South Carolina Sept. 1 in Columbia. The game will air on ESPN, marking the fourth consecutive season UCF has opened the year on ESPN. The showdown vs. the Gamecocks is also the first televised college football game on ESPN in 2005.

The non-conference portion of the schedule continues on Sept. 17 at regional foe USF. The highly anticipated match-up between the two schools is the first of a home-and-home series scheduled with the Bulls.

UCF begins a new era of football on Sept 24 when Marshall visits the Florida Citrus Bowl in the Golden Knights' first Conference USA game. The Golden Knights and Thundering Herd have previously played the past three seasons as members of the Mid-American Conference.

UCF rounds out non-conference action Oct. 1 at Louisiana-Lafayette. The two schools have not met since the 2001 season when UCF blanked the Ragin Cajuns 31-0 in Orlando.

The Golden Knights return to the Florida Citrus Bowl Oct. 8 when they host Memphis. The Tigers tied for second in C-USA with a 5-3 conference record and an 8-4 overall record including an appearance in the GMAC Bowl.

UCF visits Southern Miss for the first time ever Oct. 15 in Hattiesburg. The Golden Eagles also finished in a tie for second in C-USA in 2004 with a 5-3 record and ended the season with a victory over North Texas in the Wyndham New Orleans Bowl.

Tulane visits the Florida Citrus Bowl Oct. 22 for the first time. UCF won the only meeting between the two schools 36-29 in 2001 at the Superdome.

The Golden Knights continue their road swing in C-USA Oct. 29 at East Carolina. UCF has played ECU four times in school history, but the two have not met since the 1996 season.

UCF closes the regular season with three games in November. Houston visits Orlando Nov. 5 while the Golden Knights head to UAB Nov. 12. The Golden Knights close out the 2005 regular season Nov. 19 at Rice.

The 2005 season also marks the first year for the Conference USA championship game. The winner of the Eastern Division (East Carolina, Marshall, Memphis, Southern Miss, UAB and UCF) will face the winner of the Western Division (Houston, Rice, SMU, Tulsa, Tulane and UTEP). The school with the best conference winning percentage for the season will host the championship game on either December 2 or December 3.

2005 UCF Football Schedule

Date Opponent

Sept. 1 at South Carolina (ESPN) .

Sept. 17 at USF

Sept. 24 Marshall *

Oct. 1 at Louisiana-Lafayette

Oct. 8 Memphis *

Oct. 15 at Southern Miss *

Oct. 22 Tulane *

Oct. 29 at East Carolina *

Nov. 5 Houston *

Nov. 12 at UAB *

Nov. 19 at Rice *

* Denotes Conference USA game