Name Image Likeness

UCF Space Game Uniforms to Hit College Football 25

According to messaging on social media, the fan-favorite Space Game jerseys will be available for use by October

Noah Henderson

Nov 1, 2018; Orlando, FL, USA; UCF Knights place kicker Matthew Wright (11) wears a special Jersey to commemorate the \"Space Game\" before the game against the Temple Owls at Spectrum Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images
Nov 1, 2018; Orlando, FL, USA; UCF Knights place kicker Matthew Wright (11) wears a special Jersey to commemorate the \"Space Game\" before the game against the Temple Owls at Spectrum Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images / Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images
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Here’s a hot take: the Space Game is the most underrated tradition in college football. Since 2017, UCF has dedicated a home game to honoring the legacy of NASA, the Kennedy Space Center, and UCF’s own Florida Space Institute. It is surrounded by evolving traditions such as an annual custom uniform, including unique colorways and branding that pay homage to space exploration and the university’s rich history (chartered initially as Florida Technical University). 

Other milestones have been associated with the game in years past; in 2020, a Space X launch was visible from the stadium just hours before the opening kick, the coolest addition to any tailgate I can think of. While fans love the novelty of the space game, they love UCF’s performance in the Space Games even more. The Knights have never lost a Space Game, nor has it ever really been close: the closest margin of victory was 12 points when UCF topped the Temple Owls 52-40 in an absolute shootout. 

Space Games have not just been against cupcake opponents; last year, fifteenth-ranked Oklahoma State had the unfortunate scheduling nightmare of the Space Game; the Cowboys lost 45-15 to unranked UCF. With heavy mythos now attached to UCF's annual tradition, the eighth installment of the Space Game on November 2nd, aptly monikered as "Mission VIII," has already sold out. The Knights' Mission VIII opponent will be newly minted Big 12 program University of Arizona and the jerseys appear to be the most ambitious yet. 

The 2024 jerseys will feature a constellation cuff different on each shoulder: one for the Pegasus constellation and one for the Orion constellation, both with symbolic meaning to the university. In addition, the helmets will be painted to represent lunar dust and proudly display the university motto, “Reach for the Stars.” There is a lot more detail in what appears to be the most intricate Space Game uniforms yet, for those interested in all the detail and thought behind the outfits more information can be found here.

This news is undoubtedly exciting for UCF fans, but now all fans of college football can also join in on the excitement of the Space Game as the jerseys will be available in EA Sports College Football 25. Yesterday, UCF Football announced on social media that the jerseys would be available in-game sometime in October. The post showed members of the EA Sports team diligently inputting every unique detail of the jersey into the game. 

This is the first time the Space Game will be available to the College Football Franchise. The game’s predecessor, “EA Sports NCAA Football,” met an untimely demise due to legal complications, with its last edition coming for the 2014 football season. Thanks to NIL policy changes by the NCAA, the re-imagined game was launched for the first time in over a decade this year.

With the Space Game starting in 2017, three years after the end of the NCAA Football series, this is the first time college football fans can enjoy the unique tradition in video game form. Now, fans across the sport will have at least a week to suit up as UCF in-game to try on the jerseys, only furthering the legacy and anticipation of the annual tradition. 

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Noah Henderson
NOAH HENDERSON

Professor Noah Henderson teaches in the sport management department at Loyola University Chicago. Outside the classroom, he advises companies, schools, and collectives on Name, Image, and Likeness best practices. His academic research focuses on the intersection of law, economics, and social consequences regarding college athletics, NIL, and sports gambling. Before teaching, Prof. Henderson was part of a team that amended Illinois NIL legislation and managed NIL collectives at the nation’s most prominent athletic institutions while working for industry leader Student Athlete NIL. He holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois College of Law in Urbana-Champaign and a Bachelor of Economics from Saint Joseph’s University, where he was a four-year letter winner on the golf team. Prof. Henderson is a native of San Diego, California, and a former golf CIF state champion with Torrey Pines High School. Outside of athletics, he enjoys playing guitar, hanging out with dogs, and eating California burritos. You can follow him on Twitter: @NoahImgLikeness. 

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