It’s already the designated Space Game this fall. Now, UCF vs. Houston in an interstellar-themed football matchup could become a regular thing.
“We’re interested in it,” Knights athletic director Terry Mohajir told the Houston Chronicle during Big 12 media days in Frisco, Texas. “It’s something we’re open to looking at.”
Mohajir told the Chronicle he had conversations about a “Space Cup” rivalry game between the two schools with former Cougars AD Chris Pezman. Houston parted ways with Pezman last summer.
“I’m sure (new AD Eddie Nunez) and I will talk about it as well sometime,” Mohajir said. “It will be fun.”
UCF began hosting annual Space Games in 2017. In eight iterations, the Knights are 8-0, and the wins have come in dominant fashion. They have featured an average margin of 30.8 points. Last November, UCF throttled Arizona 56-12.
Houston and the Knights met in a Space Game once before — in 2019. UCF secured a 44-29 victory.
All time, the Knights hold an 8-3 record against the Cougars.
Toting the nickname “Space U,” UCF’s campus rests just 35 miles east of Kennedy Space Center. The school was founded in 1963 as Florida Technological University with the goal of providing personnel for the United States space program at Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
Houston enjoys similar proximity to Johnson Space Center, home of NASA’s Mission Control. The facility sits fewer than 30 miles from campus.
This year’s Space Game will take place Friday, Nov. 7, at Acrisure Bounce House in Orlando. It will air on FS1.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Interstellar bragging rights? UCF football open to Space Cup rivalry vs. Houston
Reporting by Chris Vinel, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
