The UCF Knights football team represents the University of Central Florida in the NCAA's Division I FBS and competes in the Big 12 Conference, playing home games at the 45,906-seat Acrisure Bounce House in Orlando. The program began in 1979 as a Division III team and historically climbed to the FBS by 1996, making it the first program in NCAA history to have competed in all four divisions of college football. Since joining the FBS, the Knights have made 15 postseason appearances, won six conference championships, and claimed major bowl victories, including the 2014 Fiesta Bowl (a BCS game) and the 2018 Peach Bowl (a New Year's Six game). The team was founded after a vision by university president Dr. Trevor Colbourn in 1979, with first head coach Don Jonas leading a 6–2 inaugural season that opened with a 21–0 shutout over St. Leo University. The program also produced a Consensus All-American in running back Kevin Smith (2007) and has amassed over 300 claimed victories, cementing its reputation as a rising force in college football.