Brett McMurphy, a college football insider for On3.com, had a story this week that cast doubt on whether the War on I-4 between USF and UCF would ever resume.
UCF vice president/director of athletics Terry Mohajir told him that the scheduling requirements of the Big 12 Conference make it impossible for the rivals to meet in the regular season.
“This has nothing to do with us snubbing our nose at another team in the state,” Mohajir told McMurphy. “It all has to do with our financial model. It has to work financially.”
By that, Mohajir means UCF has nine conference games. That leaves three non-conference games. The Big 12 requires its teams to face one Power 4 opponent and schedule two home games against non-power conference opponents. That guarantees them seven home games.
As long as USF is in the American Conference, Mohajir says the Knights can't schedule a home-and-home with the Bulls.
He did offer USF a game at UCF in 2031 with no return. CEO of Athletics Rob Higgins said no thanks.
“Playing one game at UCF and not playing a home/home with USF has nothing to do with USF,” Mohajir said. “We wouldn’t play in Boca Raton (Florida Atlantic), Miami (FIU), Statesboro (Georgia Southern) either.”
But then he added a critical caveat.
“When USF gets into an autonomy conference it will be easier,” Mohajir said. “That’s my game and I’d never have to leave the state to fulfill (the Big 12’s) Power 4 non-conference requirement. We’ll play USF every year. That would be great.”
Notice he said "when" and not "if."
And many college football observers believe the next round of conference shuffling is going to happen, possibly by the end of this decade. It may be announced sooner than that, allowing some scheduling flexibility.
USF is believed to be at or near the top of programs destined to move uptown. That could put 2031 back in play.
Even if the Bulls don't join the Big 12, they'd likely be headed to the ACC. That would fit the Big 12's scheduling requirement and allow these programs to play without running afoul of economics.
It would be very popular in both camps.
A couple of days ago, McMurphy ran a Twitter poll asiking fans to weigh in on whether they wanted the rivalry to resume. Out of more than 4,000 responses, 83.2 percent were in favor of starting up the War again.
Should UCF & South Florida resume their annual rivalry?https://t.co/d2sL7yUzuw
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) September 9, 2026
This needs to happen. It has everything a great rivalry needs -- proximity (90 miles apart), mutual loathing, a proven ratings winner for TV, and a history of some pretty darned great football games.
Yeah, I'm pushing my chips to the middle of the table on realignment coming for USF in time to bring these two programs together. As a matter of logic, you'd think the Big 12 would want to add the Bulls to give the Knights a natural partner and make travel easier and more economical in basketball and spring sports.
But if that's not to be, there are examples of some heated rivalries by teams in different conferences. Clemson and South Carolina don't like each other. West Virginia and Pitt, Georgia and Georgia Tech. Florida and Florida State.
It can be done.
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