ORLANDO — Urban Meyer stood on the stage, turned his phone horizontally and panned the crowd from right to left.
Even the national championship-winning coach had to capture this scene.
FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff hit UCF ahead of Saturday’s showdown between the Knights and the Colorado Buffaloes. It was the program’s first time airing from a Florida university, and it did not disappoint.
The network announced the crowd as the largest in show history.
“It’s awesome to see how Knight nation delivers on things like this,” UCF athletics chief brand officer Jimmy Skiles said.
Big Noon Kickoff scouted UCF ahead of Week 5
UCF-Colorado was on FOX’s short list of potential destinations heading into the Knights’ game against TCU, a 35-34 win two weeks ago. Network officials visited campus for a site tour on Sept. 18 while UCF enjoyed its bye.
Meanwhile, Colorado snuck past Baylor last Saturday, only adding to the matchup’s intrigue with a game-tying Hail Mary in the final seconds before clinching a victory in overtime.
Skiles watched the Buffaloes from a tent at Fort Wilderness. He pulled the contest up on his phone with his son already sleeping next to him.
“I’m thinking, if Colorado loses, we’re probably out of the picture for this,” Skiles said. “Then, they get that (dramatic win), and I’m like, ‘Ahhhh.’”
FOX revealed Orlando as its landing spot hours later on Sunday.
What Big Noon Kickoff looked like at UCF
The show runs from 10 a.m. to noon, but fans packed Memory Mall on UCF’s campus well before that. They endured temperatures in the high 80s and 80% humidity that caused panelist Mark Ingram to sweat through his suit.
Those in attendance didn’t care.
“Seeing everybody, seeing all these Knights fans come out and have a good time, you know you have a bunch of support,” said Cameron Ezazi, a Bradenton native enrolled at UCF as a graduate student. “Everybody is ready to go bounce in the Bounce House.”
They held signs that read “Colorado’s worst Knightmare” and “Even Aflac won’t cover this loss,” poking fun at Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders and his insurance commercials.
DJ Khaled and Fat Joe performed during multiple commercial breaks. During the song “All I Do Is Win,” Meyer smiled and took out his phone, recording a quick video as fans threw their hands in the air.
Khaled later dove into the pit in an attempt to crowd surf. It lasted only a few seconds.
Later, former UCF and NFL wide receiver Brandon Marshall tried to do the same thing while making a guest appearance.
The Big Noon Kickoff crew of Meyer, Ingram, Charles Woodson, Brady Quinn, Matt Leinart and Rob Stone welcomed Knights coach Gus Malzahn for an interview. Malzahn talked about what being in a Power Four conference means.
“The sky’s the limit,” he said.
That earned cheers.
Afterward, Meyer described the excellence of Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter.
That received a chorus of boos, and chants of “R-J Har-vey” broke out.
As noon neared, the panelists made their predictions. Meyer, Leinart, Ingram and Quinn all chose UCF while Woodson picked Colorado.
Either way, the Knights won, though.
“You think of the Big Noon footprint,” Skiles said. “It is a Midwest, West Coast pregame show just because of who they’ve had in the past — Pac-12, Big Ten schools on FOX.
“So for them to be here and exposed to our brand and exposing our brand to people throughout the Midwest, throughout the West Coast, they’re waking up and seeing this crowd at UCF. It’s just awesome.”
UCF previously hosted ESPN College GameDay
ESPN’s College GameDay emanated from Orlando before a UCF-Cincinnati game in November of 2018. Ezazi attended that, too.
“It seems like there’s a little bit more people here (today),” he said. “But it’s the same atmosphere. It’s a bunch of people here watching a team on the rise, ready to come kick (butt). The atmosphere is just great every time.”
That was an American Athletic Conference matchup. The Knights were the plucky new underdog of the national landscape after a 12-0 season in 2017.
Now, they hold a different place in the college football landscape. And with attention like this, a 3-0 record with Coach Prime’s Buffaloes in town, it’s growing.
“Coming to a campus we’ve never been to, we always love to expand the Big Noon brand and bring excitement,” Ingram told reporters Friday. “Our show is about the energy. It’s about the fans. Being able to come to a place where they’re excited to have us, that’s always a plus.”
They certainly found that Saturday.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Big Noon Kickoff completes energetic trip to Florida, grows UCF brand
