PROVIDENCE, R.I. — UCF, ranked No. 9 in this week’s College Football Playoff rankings, will host Memphis in the 2018 American Athletic Conference Football Championship next Saturday, Dec. 1, at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
The Knights clinched the East Division title last week with a 38-13 win against Cincinnati Saturday night to improve to 10-0 overall and 7-0 in American Athletic Conference play.
The Tigers, who started the season with a 1-3 conference record, bring a four-game winning streak into the 2018 championship after a 52-31 victory against Houston Friday in what amounted to a winner-take-all matchup for the West Division title. Memphis finishes the regular season at 8-4 overall and 5-3 in The American.
The winner of The American Championship will be eligible to be chosen for a New Year’s Six bowl as part of the College Football Playoff selection process.
UCF and Memphis met earlier this season on Oct. 13, when the Knights overcame a 30-14 deficit to score 17 unanswered points in a 31-30 victory against the Tigers at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Last year’s American Championship saw the teams combine for American Athletic Conference records of 117 points and 1,479 yards in UCF’s 62-55 double-overtime victory. It was the highest-scoring conference championship game in NCAA FBS history.
This year’s championship will be the fourth straight to be televised live on ABC. The American Digital Network will have exclusive pregame and postgame coverage from Orlando Friday and Saturday.
