On Thursday morning, UCF head coach, Gus Malzahn, took the stage at the Big 12 Media Days at AT&T Stadium, the site of the conference championship. The first words Malzahn spoke were, “First of all, we’re extremely excited to be here. This is a huge moment for our program, to be a part of the Big 12.” Malzahn continued this sentiment of excitement throughout his address to the media. 

UCF officially joined the Big 12 on July 1st, a moment fans and the school itself have been looking forward to for some time. 

As far as preparation for this moment, Malzahn is confident about his program, due to the decisions they’ve made over the last year leading up to the transition. Throughout the press conference, Malzahn alluded to the fact that the Knights have been making decisions to put them in a good spot heading into the Big 12. 

The head coach stated, “I think the best thing for us is like we’re not in a rush. We had time to prepare for this moment and building our roster and our staff and everything that goes with that. Terry Mohajir is as good an athletic director as there is in the country, and me and him have worked together strategically to get this moment, so we’re really excited about it.”

It’s just the excitement of playing some of the best teams in college football week in and week out and that grind that goes with it.

Before taking the UCF position, Malzahn had an eight-year stretch as the head coach of Auburn. Malzahn seemed happy to be back on the Power 5 stage, saying, “It’s just the excitement of playing some of the best teams in college football week in and week out and that grind that goes with it. That’s what excites me. Just the profile of our program taking that next step.”

The excitement and eagerness to compete against Power 5 competition seems to permeate throughout the program, and Gus Malzahn and the Knights will get exactly what they’re looking for, opening their conference play against the past two Big 12 champions. 

The Knights will be welcomed to the conference with a road matchup against Kansas State, the 2022 conference champion, on September 23rd. The following week, the Knights will host Baylor, the 2021 conference champion, on September 30th. Of course, nobody knows how these games will play out, but Gus Malzahn and his team seem to be ready for the challenge.

Photo credit: Cameron Robertson/FAAZ Sports