And while UCF might not send as many as the SEC to the NFL ... you should look at UCF versus non-SEC 'Power' conferences. That's the funniest thing. Everyone wants to say SEC when they are a 'Power' conference as an argument 'against' UCF and the AAC. But they are *NOT* the SEC! And Florida keeps wanting to make this about 1999 UCF or 2006 UCF and the pre-conference or early C-USA UCF. Those UCF teams *SUCKED* in comparison to this past decade. UCF's 'beef' is *NOT* with the SEC or Florida. It's with the 'P5' that is really 'P1.5+Clemson.' But because Florida fans keep hating on UCF, and their coach barking off 'We own this state' at the Orlando media ... Yeah, we're going to 'fire back.' Especially when it comes to the Gators sending more kids to the prison yard than the NFL!

Two players ... - Daunte Culpepper - Blake Bortles Seriously, while Bortles ended up being a bust, he still set rushing records in 3 years for a QB, more than your 'guy' that Elway couldn't stand. ;) Also don't forget we had 3-4 star QBs that are 6'4"+ and 230lbs+ as backups too. They just end up not being as good sometimes as the 6' guy that is only 200lbs. And as far as big wide receivers, you should check the Pro Bowl list sometime, as well as recent drafts. Yeah, you're right, before 2010, you didn't see UCF getting a lot of NFL draft picks, much less the first 3 or even 1st round. But that's changing.

Why is it that Gators have the biggest butthurt over UCF? Not Georgia, not even Auburn ... always Gators! Geez, even a lot of Miami fans admit it, and realized UCF passed them as the #3 fanbase in the state. Some Seminoles have as of late -- and at least they won twice as many BCS/NY6 bowls the past decade as either UCF or Florida (while Miami won none). FSU has more trophies that UCF and Florida, combined, this past decade, with a Consensus National Championship in the final, 2013 BCS. But *NEVER* Gator fans. In fact, they cannot stop complaining about UCF. And that's the problem. You lost the Orlando media market to UCF. And you're still pissed about your players being unable to do anything without it being exposed. That's literally it.

Nashville Gator: 15 years ago is not UCF today. The *ENTIRE* 'Athletic Village' didn't exist back then. Seriously ... right there is the problem. Recruits come to UCF and UCF does *NOT* lose them based on the campus. It's the opposite! If they don't pick UCF, it's *NOT* because of the campus. Far from it!

Nashville Gator: But Florida *ONLY* allows 5,000 visitors to the Swamp! How much different is 3,000 from 5,000?!?!?! That's why Florida doesn't play many teams either. It's not just UCF. In fact, the last team you scheduled from another P5 conference was Colorado, the worst team the past 10 years in the worst 'Power' conference, the PAC-12. At least UCF scheduled Stanford Home-Home, the team with the best record over the past 10 years in the PAC-12. UCF just caught them the year they were down, unfortunately.

And UCFAA, Inc. is in the same boat, financially. A lost home game is over $3M lost on average. It's that simple. $75M budget, only $20M from athletic fees, 7 home games are required to get the $20-25M of the >$50M not covered by athletic fees. No funds are taken from taxpayers and or generic/academic donors. USF, on the other hand, already has a shortfall of over $20M/year all decade. They have to subsidize with taxpayer dollars and general/academic donor funds. Of course, USF is not private, so they can do that. UCFAA, Inc. cannot. It has to be self-sustaining with out taxpayer dollars or dedicated, athletic donations.

And Gabriel was a non-star recruit, because he committed to Army early. When he opened it up again, and both Georgia and USC showed interest, they hastily gave him a 3-star tag because ... he only had 2x P5 offers. When Georgia went transfer portal, especially since he was high on USC, USC thought they had him. But the whole reason he even de-committed from Hawaii was because of Milton's injury. It was funny to watch too. Had Gabriel not committed to Army early, he would have easily been a 4-star recruit from the offers. But he didn't open it up, so he was a no-star, then hastily 3-star with his Thanksgiving timeframe change. The star rating system, especially the composites, are all about P5 offers. They don't mean anything. UCF is proof of that, just like Boise before them, or Utah 2008 for that matter.

And that's 100% the point. UCF's problem is *NOT* UF or the SEC. UCF fans *RESPECT* the SEC. UCF fans admit Alabama was the *CONSENSUS* National Champions of 2017. *1* UCF's problem is with the Big XII, ACC and, most of all, PAC-12. Especially since the PAC-12's official Football National Championship page claims NCs for *NON* Consensus BCS-era National Champions, like 2008 Utah and years USC did *NOT* win the BCS title game. Even Alabama fans claim 17 National Championships, while only 11 were *CONSENSUS*. And Alabama's 2017 AP #1 was not unanimous, which has *rarely* happened in the history of the BCS and, now for the first time, CFP. That's what this is about. All UCF wants, and really what UCF wants for the AAC, is an opportunity. It's called controversy. No ... the problem here is that Florida fans, since 2010, and definitely after 2013, have had to deal with the fact that they not only 'lost' the Orlando media as UCF became Orlando and greater central Florida's #1 college team, but the Orlando media h as been unrelenting about Florida's student-athlete criminal charges and convictions since. I'll never forget the Gainesville Sun trying to start non-sense in 2013 about an UCF student-athlete getting charged with a DUI. The Orlando media laughed at them because UCF had already kicked the kid off the team 1 hour after he returned from his arrest, days before the game. That's what this is about. It's about the Orlando media now holding up UCF as a banner of a program in both academics and keeping kids out of trouble ... unlike the 'Big 3.' And while Miami and Tallahassee can 'get away with it,' Gainesville's #1 market is Orlando, and it's exposed. So Florida fans have hated UCF ever since the Fiesta Bowl of the 2013 season. The rest is history.

Sports Finance 101 ... UCF can*NOT* play anywhere, any time. Not only is everyone ducking UCF, even away, but UCF can*NOT* afford it. UCF does *NOT* have an 'academic building' paid by Florida taxpayers, like FSU did. It's not the '80s or '90s any more. UCF has costs and it needs revenue. Home football games are $20-25M/year of its budget. Take away 2-3 of those, and UCF loses $6-7M. Have UCF play Florida 2-0-1 (away-home-neutral) when the neutral field is the Citrus Bowl, and UCF loses more like $8M. The Citrus Bowl hands 100% of the money to Florida. Now if teams want to subsidize UCF for the loss of that revenue, and play a 0-0-1 in Jacksonville, who will *share* the proceeds, then UCF is interested. But the 2-0-1, as even Florida's AD admitted, is not something UCF can afford to do. Unlike USF that *loses* money on football. Even Louisville's AD pointed that out when they scheduled USF 2-0-1 (USF has no home field), and then scheduled UCF 1-1-0. This is Sports Finance 101. UCFAA, Inc. is a $75M/year private sports entity with $0 taxpayer, $0 general/academic funded, and only $20M/year some from athletic fees. That's >$50M that needs to be provided with revenue, and $20-25M comes from football.

Of course UCF fans consider Georgia Tech overrated. UCF fans even admit that UCF did *NOT* look like a 'Playoff Team' in the game. The game was closer than the score showed. But you know who else is overrated? Louisville. All will be exposed with Miami ... yet again. After all, where did Miami get their QB from? UCF's conference, the AAC. Where to a lot of outstanding transfers come? The AAC, before any other G5. Again, is the AAC as good as the SEC? No! Far from it. But are other, alleged 'Power' conferences as good as the SEC? No! Far from it! Maybe half of the Big 10 at most ... maybe. That's the AAC's argument. Give it some credit. It's not just UCF. No one cared about the 2013 UCF Team. Why is that? So ... after the 2017 UCF Team, UCF made some noise. It was good timing considering all the controversies in the CFP too. Many other G5s admit that it was great marketing, all but some sour MAC teams that keep getting their butts handed to them in major bowls too (NIU comes to mind). Even Kirby Smart admitted he might had done it too, had he been at UCF after the 2017 Peach. And since then ... all 'Power' conferences talk about UCF. ESPN talks about UCF far more than it did after 2013 Fiesta Bowl, or even during and just shortly after the 2017 Peach Bowl, until the declaration was made. It was outstanding marketing, and it still holds true now too. Especially since Florida only one its 2nd NY bowl in the same decade UCF did. That alone is why people are why people are going to continue to talk about UCF like Boise. Because UCF has 'just enough' in AP Top 10 finishes and wins against AP Top 10 teams that either won their 'Power' conference or a division, that people care.

No one schedules UCF, not neutral field, and only discuss cases where UCF would *lose* $7-8M in 2-0-1 (away-home-neutral) where the ‘P5’ would get all the money from a neutral field, with $0 for UCF, and knows UCF will reject it. Jacksonville has offered a neutral field with sharing the proceeds with Florida *and* UCF, but Florida will *only* consider the Citrus Bowl which will give 100% to Florida so UCF loses nearly 100% on deal over *all* 3 games. Remember, it was the Orlando media, which Florida finally lost to UCF after 2013, that put the screws to Florida to schedule UCF on a neutral field. That's when this whole 'non-offer' started 'like USF' where USF doesn't even make $1M over 3 games. UCF makes that I'm a single game against a G5. Which is why UCF doesn't have the deficit that USF does ($20-25M/year) and Florida taxpayers and academic (general, non-athletic) donors pick up.

And recuriting is what wins games, right? Have you not seen all the articles that showcase all the wins that UCF has against ranked and Power teams and their analysis of how recruiting rankings don't mean jack?! I mean, if recruiting is all that matters, then UCF shouldn't bother playing games. And that's why no one schedules UCF, not neutral field, and only discuss cases where UCF would *lose* $7-8M in 2-0-1 (away-home-neutral) where the 'P5' would get all the money from a neutral field, with $0 for UCF. Jacksonville has offered a neutral field with sharing the proceeds with Florida *and* UCF, but Florida will *only* consider the Citrus Bowl which will give 100% to Florida so UCF loses nearly 100% on deal over *all* 3 games. That's reality.

Let it go. Alabama only has 11, not 17, Consensus National Championships. Most of the 6 non-Consensus are worse than UCF's claims. The PAC-12 officially lists NCAA Major Selectors as their National Championships too, even in the BCS and CFP era. So do dozens of Power programs, including Alabama. This is what P5 hypocrisy looks like, especially with ACC and Big XII teams losing to other G5s that the AAC dominates. The AAC is not the SEC, but the AAC has a SoS that is better than 1-2 other P5 conferences a year, and a winning record against 1-2 as well.

UCF '99 and '06 are *NOTHING* like UCF '10+, might and say. Stop taking about 15+ years ago when UCF was barely in a FBS conference. Seriously. UCF has been more relevant that Miami this decade, and could challenge anyone else in Florida. Florida fans are just upset that ever since 'clean UCF' started finising Top 25, let alone Top 10, the Orlando media had been listening to the Gainesville police scanners, and chastising Florida for having over 10x the arrests as UCF. All while Tallahassee and Miami police let those programs get away with things. That's what this is about, and what has been driving every Florida coach nuts since Meyer. The Orlando media now toasts Florida after every arrest and compares it to how clean UCF's program is, affecting your recruiting focus.

Yeah, UCF cannot beat Top 10 teams, so they cannot be the best team or 2nd best team in Florida. Just like UCF didn't beat 2x AP Top 10 teams in 2013 (one being the Big XII Champion, the other which obliterated Miami in their bowl game), and lost to a 3rd, the final #4 team, by only 3 points. That's the thing, UCF can play 3x AP Top 10 'Power' teams in a season, and people will still put asterisks on their wins. And no one will let any AAC team in the Playoffs, no matter much much better the AAC is than the post 2003 Big East was, which was the last time Miami was relevant too. I mean, UCF can and has beat several Top 10 teams, and finish in the Top 10 twice ('13 and' 17). Miami hasn't in 17 years. This is why it's not 'P5' but 'P1.5+Clemson.' No one is saying the AAC is the SEC. But is the ACC outside of Clemson better? What about Big XII? And the PAC-12 definitely is not as they are 1-6 against the AAC the past 3 years.

And people wonder why UCF's Boosters are rabid in their support of UCFAA, Inc. and its program? When UCF finally got serious about football, instead of running it as an independent with only $1-2M/year, and only 3-4 home games, the Boosters had their say. Grades come first, and no one questionable characters with criminal issues, or even attendance issues. Over 20 scholarships were yanked, and even Brandon Marshall was playing 'iron man' at DB to cover the lack of players. UCF went 0-11 that year, but the GPA went up a full point, and the arrests down 90% after 3 years. UCF football doesn't have the problems of Florida, FSU abd Miami. And that's why Florida hates UCF this decade. Unlike FSU, who is secluded, and Miami who had FAU and FIU like discipline problems, Florida's major market is Orlando. The Orlando Sentinel went from loving the Gators and insulting UCF, to constantly asking why Florida can't finish in the AP Top 25 (2010+) and even AP Top 10 (2013+), when UCF can with 1/10th the arrests and better GPA. That's why UCF Boosters are so rabid, because they support a clean program of role models. And they aren't afraid to kick kids off the team, even dozens, like after 2003, and again after 2014.

It is funny how too many people in the SEC think that was the biggest or most watched UCF game, or the highest ranked team UCF team. The Big XII got that lesson in 2013 as well, when UCF dominated their champion (never trailed, was literally pushing them around in the trenches). It's funny how the Big XII gained far more respect for UCF after that, than the SEC. Of course the Big XII record against the AAC isn't the greatest, or the ACC for that matter ... Let alone the PAC-12 who has lost all but 1 game to the AAC, in the last 7 since 2017.

And yet SDS is covering it.

Every year the AAC conference schedule and OoC games are considered the #5 or even #4 toughest schedule, higher than 1-2 'Power' conferences. You really think the ACC schedule is more difficult? Even ESPN's FPI -- which is biased towards P5 recruiting -- had UCF's 2017 SoS higher than Clemson's 2019.

That's not the indoor facility, which was the first of its kind in Florida. After FSU practiced in it last decade, they built their own. Lightning and inclement weather is a real issue in Florida, especially central Florida. That's why UCF built one, followed by FSU, and eventually Florida too.

Still obsessed with mentioning UCF at every turn.

Sorry, 'Dillon Gabriel.' I sometimes call him 'Doug Gabriel,' in reference to the 5th round NFL draft pick out of UCF in 2003, by accident.

It was over UCF's deep QB depth. UCF already had a walk-on, Jones (Fr -- SO next year) enter the transfer portal late this season for the same reason. UCF has three (3) QBs: - Doug Gabriel (Fr -- SO next year) - McKenzie Milton (RS Jr -- RS Sr next year, to be eval in Jan) - Darriel Mack Jr (RS So -- RS Jr next year) UCF used 2019 to change its entire office around Gabriel, with Milton and then Mack getting hurt. UCF last changed its offense in 2016, when Jason Holman (Sr, at the time) was hurt, and Milton (Fr, at the time) came in. Gabriel in his Freshman year looked far better than Milton did his Freshman year.

Why would anyone go to the ACC from the SEC?

Huh? USF was in shambles with Taggart came in a half-dozen year after "The Jim [Leavitt]." That said ... Taggart improved USF using the same approach as Leavitt ... high arrest rates and low graduation rates. Less than 10% of seniors at USF recruited by Taggart graduated from USF. That's right there with Leavitt's sub-10% too. That's why Charlie Strong kicked off 10 players later in 2018, and kicked more off during the off-season. Although USF is paying Strong as much as FSU did Taggart ... $5M/year.

UCF's Josh Heupel will cost FSU $10M Let me repeat that ... FSU paid Oregon $3M for Willie Taggart before his 1st season was concluded. FSU would have to pay UCFAA, Inc. 333% more if they want Huepel anytime before the conclusion of his 3rd season (2020), including the bowl game, so basically anytime before 2021. Yes, Heupel doesn't just have the highest buy-out of the "G5"** coaches by a wide margin, but one of the highest in all of college football. It's also one-way, UCFAA, Inc. doesn't owe Heupel the same if they fired him before 2021. They only owe Huepel 50% (Heupel has the same, after his 3rd season concludes). **"G5" includes the AAC, which has the 3rd most teams in the Top 25 (4) right now (and UCF is at #26 too, which would be a 5th team).

Nike designed the UCF ‘Space Game’ uniforms for the first time in 2017, after Aviation Week, in 2015 and again in 2016, named UCF the #1 provider of graduates to Aerospace & Defense. UCF is only getting bigger, so it’s likely 2019 will be the 5th year in a row (2015-2019) that UCF is #1. [1] Understand UCF was founded as Florida Technological University (FTU) in 1963 as an original ‘Space Grant’ university, and its campus was the prototype for Epcot, partitioned enough land to educate 50,000 and house a significant number of engineers. But with the economic change in the space program after the moon shot, FTU added more programs beyond engineering, hence the name change by the ’80s. Purdue, who is #5, and #1 in number of astronauts in NASA, is also a Nike school. Nike helped design them uniforms for their inaugural ‘Space Game’ this year, based on the UCF design.

It has been a night game in both 2017 and 2018. But ESPN sets the game times for the AAC. Top 15 SMU (undefeated) and Memphis (1 loss) are getting the Prime Time ABC treatment this week, as the game will likely decide the very strong West AAC division. Virtually all computer polls, even the historical Sagarin, have the AAC West higher than the entire ACC. Others computers based on just this season have the division ranked higher than one division of the PAC-12 and Big 10 as well. NCAA RPI has the AAC conference's strength-of-schedule (SoS) higher than one power conference as well (the Big 10).

It's freak'n hard to go undefeated, in any conference. And in the SEC, it's the most difficult, by a wide margin. Even against an unranked SEC team (okay, maybe not Arkansas)

UCF fan here... hold my beer (our whinny, newer fans are pulling the same on Heupel now, ignoring Frost's first year and his decisions to start the 'inexperienced QB')