UCF athletics director Terry Mohajir makes no bones about working hard to put the Knights in a position for success.
So, when the possibility of a bowl matchup featuring UCF (8-4) and either Florida or Florida State arose, Mohajir began working the phones to make something happen.
“We started lobbying pretty heavily with folks about the winner of the Florida-Florida State game,” Mohajir told The Orlando Sentinel. “We knew that the ACC and the SEC were possibly going to go long and have more bowl-eligible teams than what they had bowl contracts.”
Florida’s 24-21 win over FSU in the Swamp on Nov. 27 cleared a path for the Gators (6-6) to be bowl eligible and opened the door to a possible meeting with UCF, a first since 2006. The in-state programs agreed to a 2-for-1 series earlier this year with the first matchup set for 2024.
Mohajir’s predecessor, Danny White, was an outspoken critic of 2-for-1 scheduling deals and it was that stance that led to an inability to schedule a series with Florida and Gators AD Scott Stricklin in 2019.
After sharing his idea with school president Alexander Cartwright and coach Gus Malzahn, Mohajir reached out to the American Athletic Conference and ESPN to persuade them to make a matchup would be beneficial to everyone involved. He also wanted to ensure everyone was in the loop and going through the proper channels.
(Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/ Orlando Sentinel)
“There were some other talks about finding other SEC or ACC teams, so I just called as many people as possible that would listen,” said Mohajir. “ESPN saw it as an opportunity as did the SEC and some others, so everything just happened to align this year and they were able to make it happen.”
When the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl announced it would host UCF and Florida, all the hard work paid off as the game sold out a week later, with 65,000 fans expected for Thursday’s showdown at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
“Whether we played them in the regular season or not, being able to have some relevance in a postseason game [mattered],” Mohajir said. “It was in a regional matchup where a bunch of people is excited to watch the game. That’s exciting for everybody.”
It also rewards a UCF team coming off one of the more challenging seasons in recent memory with a coaching change in February, numerous injuries and the tragic death of one of the program’s former players in Otis Anderson Jr.
“I’ve seen teams like this, where you’ve had a bunch of injuries at key positions and it’s gone the opposite way but it never did,” Mohajir said. “We found a way to win and that’s a great tribute to these guys on this team — they’re winners and so are these coaches.
“I couldn’t have been more proud.”
This season’s highlight came in September when UCF accepted an invitation to join the Big 12.
While the Knights would prefer a move by 2023, the AAC’s bylaws require departing schools to give 27 months’ notice or pay a hefty exit fee. Mohajir said the school has been working with the conference to negotiate an amicable exit.
“We’re still talking with [AAC commissioner] Mike Aresco and the conference office about that,” said Mohajir. “We’re working through it and hopefully, we can get this thing figured out and no later than 2024. Hopefully, the conference office will work [with us]. After all, they need to know because they have a lot of plans.”
With the departures of UCF, Cincinnati and Houston, the AAC is adding UAB, FAU, Charlotte, North Texas, Rice and UTSA.
Mohajir said uncertainty surrounding when UCF enters the Big 12 has slowed down efforts to schedule future football opponents.
“We still have some holes and it’s just a real challenge,” he said.
The Big 12 currently plays a nine-game conference schedule, but that could always change which would mean either adding or, even in some cases, subtracting nonconference matchups.
“That’s the big challenge right now for all the conferences that are having to deal with conference realignment is the football schedule,” said Mohajir.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Matt Murschel at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @osmattmurschel.
