UCF fans descend on Kansas State to celebrate Big 12 opener

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Craig Anderson, decked head-to-toe in UCF apparel with golden Mardi Gras beads as a flourish, sat drinking his beer at The Hi Lo Friday afternoon. The pub is among several restaurants and bars in a six-block section called Aggieville, just off the Kansas State campus.

Traffic is slowly moving as people wander in and out of shops, many wearing the traditional purple colors of the Wildcats. Still, occasionally, you can see someone decked out in the familiar black and gold of the Knights.

Some of those have made their way to The Hi Lo, the gathering spot for UCF alums and fans in town for the Big 12 opener between the Knights (3-0, 0-0) and Kansas State (2-1, 0-0). It’s a historic moment for the program, which has spent more than a decade trying to earn a spot in a Power Five conference.

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Ironically, the television in the pub features a soccer match between two American Athletic Conference teams. UCF spent a decade in the same conference before leaving in July, along with Houston and Cincinnati.

“We wish this game were at home,” said Sean Picardi, who graduated in 1996. “We try to make it to at least one away game and it just so happens the timing was right for this one.”

Picardi, who is a season ticket holder, has followed the Knights dating to when they called the Citrus Bowl home.

“I’m devoted,” he said. “We [UCF] were a Group of Five school and now we’re a Power Five. We had to go to the first game.”

Lance Smith stopped by the event with his wife and son, Joan and Connor, and friend Jill Hurt. The group had arrived Thursday afternoon and were enjoying their time in Manhattan. To him, the move to the Big 12 signifies a substantial financial boost to UCF.

“When we first started going there, we were Division II and then I-AA and then I, ten years of money from the Big 12 is $400 [million]-500 million dollars and the same stretch in the American was $70 million. So, it’s really about the haves and the have-nots and it’s good to be in the haves.”

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Added Connor Smith: “We’ve been the future [of college football] for a long time and we’re still the future and this is just another big step in that journey. It’s the Big 12 and we’re here.”

UCF athletics director Terry Mohajir stressed the importance of opening the Big 12 schedule during a recent interview with the Sentinel.

“This is the first step in the gauntlet of playing in the Big 12. Anytime you play in your conference, it’s a gauntlet. I don’t care what conference you’re in,” said Mohajir. “This is the first game of the year and we’re going to be playing in one of the best atmospheres in the Big 12. They have great student sections, facilities, a great fan base and good people in Kansas.”

Anderson, an ’05 graduate, eventually returned home to Kansas City. He made the trip this weekend in his camper, which he plans to use as a gathering spot for UCF alums and fans before Saturday’s game.

He spearheaded Friday’s event as part of his alum group, compiled through a grassroots effort on Facebook which has drawn as many as 150 members from various locations.

“We knew we had a good alumni base that would gather and watch games [in Kansas City]. Then when we got dialed into the network, I could see that we had so much more,” said Anderson. “I’ve got people showing up Saturday from Denver, Dallas, Omaha and St. Louis.”

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Anderson plans a similar event when UCF travels to Lawrence to take on Kansas on Oct. 7.

“Our fans have traveled to the SEC, they’ve traveled to the Big 10 and the ACC, but Big 12 stadiums are probably some of the nicest stadiums in America,” said Mohajir. “They may not be the biggest like in the SEC, but almost every Big 12 school has done almost complete renovations of their stadiums.

“Our fans are gonna see how awesome these college towns are and how nice the facilities are in the stadium.”

Email Matt Murschel at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on X at @osmattmurschel.