The cold, hard truth about why UCF won't make the Playoff ... and doesn't really deserve to be in the discussion
It’s not the schedule, necessarily, though UCF’s Group of 5 slate certainly is the primary reason for the 23-game winning streak, which is the primary reason UCF considers itself Playoff worthy.
It’s not the lack of skill players either, though it remains to be seen whether talented QB McKenzie Milton will even be drafted. At 5-11, 185, it’s hardly a lock, gaudy stats be damned.
The reason UCF doesn’t belong in the Playoff begins and ends where all championship hopes live and die: Up front. On both sides of the ball.
Simply put: UCF’s offensive and defensive lines don’t measure up. They didn’t last year and they don’t this year. There is zero chance either unit would survive an 8-game SEC schedule unscathed.
How can I so definitively and defiantly make those statements? Because other SEC teams, with far more talent on both lines, haven’t either.
Sportswriters who comprise the AP Poll aren’t going to dive into the recruiting backgrounds and NFL Draft histories of these programs. They’re going to attend the games of teams they cover, scan box scores and highlights for everybody else and submit their ballot. UCF looks spectacular through that under-educated prism.
It’s highly unlikely most know, for example, UCF recruited just 2 4-star players on its roster. Or that the Knights’ starting offensive and defensive lines are composed entirely of 2-star and 3-star prospects.
The Playoff committee knows, however, that lines like UCF’s don’t hold up in Power 5 conferences. Lines like that lead to .500 seasons and fired coaches, not bogus, artificial claims of national championships.
This isn’t meant to rip UCF, which hit an all-time high No. 9 in the Playoff rankings Tuesday. It’s meant entirely to provide a sorely missing perspective on what the Knights are, and what the Knights are not. The Knights are a great story.
But everything is relative. UCF isn’t facing 9 or 10 offensive and defensive fronts full of 4-star talent. In its conference, it never has to deal with 2 5-star OL or DL from the same team, a matter of survival in the SEC. UCF’s athletes — and the Knights definitely have game-breakers who could play and perhaps excel in the SEC — mask those issues with quick bursts and long runs. Crooked numbers appear quickly, from anywhere on the field.
Knights fans already are heading to the comments section. Let me save you the time: Congratulations on beating Auburn, with a month’s rest and a month to prepare for a team that didn’t want to be there. And still nearly won.
Carl Lewis couldn’t make the jump from beating Auburn once to going undefeated in the SEC, so I’d highly recommend that you don’t try, either.
The numbers don’t lie. They’re real. These are the recruiting hauls from the past four seasons. I’ll let you figure out which program is Team G and Team H (hint: Vanderbilt is one of them … and I don’t think the Commodores are Playoff material).
Combined 4-stars, 5-stars by recruiting class
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Those numbers speak to the uphill battle that UCF would face if it played in a Power 5 conference.
These numbers speak to the downhill slope UCF faces in the American:
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There’s no comparison. I could make a more compelling case — I think I already have — that UCF is closer to Vanderbilt than it is to a Playoff team.
But just in case there was any doubt, let’s circle back to the primary reason the Knights don’t seriously belong in the Playoff discussion: the lack of elite talent in the trenches. This next batch of numbers isn’t based on subjective recruiting rankings, which some say don’t matter.
This is a look at NFL Draft picks from 2012-2018. I compared every SEC team with UCF. I’ll spare you the full breakdown, but here are the bullet points:
In the past 7 drafts, UCF has had 12 players selected. Only 3 went in the first round, and only QB Blake Bortles went in the top 25 of the first round.
None of the 12 UCF players taken played on the offensive or defensive line. None.
Vanderbilt had 11 players drafted in that span, including 4 who played on the OL or DL.
Every single SEC team had multiple players from its OL or DL drafted in the past 7 years. Eleven of the 14 SEC teams have had 7 or more from the trenches taken.
Alabama, of course, is the outlier, which is why I didn’t start this debate with them. The Crimson Tide have had 61 players taken in that span, 19 in the first round. Twenty-one of those draft picks played on the OL or DL.
Twenty-one. You want to know why Alabama has dominated the past decade? That’s why.
You want to know why this UCF team would have 4 losses if it played in the SEC? That’s why.
You want to know why UCF would not hold up to an 8-game schedule in the SEC? That’s why.
Even the worst SEC teams have skill talent galore. Vanderbilt has an NFL-caliber QB, too. That’s not nearly enough.
I know that’s not what UCF fans want to hear, and turning the clock ahead to midnight isn’t exactly my idea of fun, either. I love a good story. But it’s bed time, and I like facts more.
Somebody has to stop the madness. It’s gone on long enough.
Danny Kanell loves to prop up the Knights and thinks they could go toe-to-toe with Georgia or Alabama.
I’d love to see Kanell say that while standing behind the Knights’ offensive line.
Prepare for a flood of idiotic comments by UCF fans claiming their supposed high-powered offense and faux “elite” QB offsets this obvious deficiency, not realizing that there’s no point to your offense if your QB has 0.2 seconds to throw the ball before someone like Josh Allen, Quinnen Williams, or Devin White slams him to the turf. Again, and again, and again.
Another metric that needs to be seriously considered is the DB talent in whatever high-school league UCF plays in. Is it the AAC? I forget. Anyway, I’d love to see Milton throw against secondaries containing the likes of Deandre Baker, Greedy Williams, Mike Edwards, Patrick Surtain Jr, Richard Lecounte, etc. Would be entertaining.
“I’d love to see Milton throw against secondaries containing the likes of Deandre Baker, Greedy Williams, Mike Edwards, Patrick Surtain Jr, Richard Lecounte, etc. Would be entertaining.” Of course, high scoring games are always entertaining.
UCF’s more delusional than Texas bringing one real quarterback to a National Championship game. It ain’t flag football.
I think all the hype around UCF just gives SDS material to write about. Ever since the rankings came out, there has been like 3-4 articals just about UCF.
“Sportswriters who comprise the AP Poll aren’t going to dive into the recruiting backgrounds and NFL Draft histories of these programs. They’re going to attend the games of teams they cover, scan box scores and highlights for everybody else and submit their ballot. UCF looks spectacular through that under-educated prism.”
In a nutshell.
So FPI FTW, eh? High school recruiting ranks matter, right?
You guys seriously need to look at UCF’s attrition and UCF’s NFL drafts this decade. It’s not what you’d see out of another G5. It’s there. It’s all there.
P5 arrogance and ignorance is sickening. Get your facts straight.
But it’s also not what you see out of the top P5 teams, either. UCF might send more players to the NFL than other G5 teams but they aren’t sending them at the rate of P5 teams. This article is about the OLs and DLs. UCF does not produce elite talent in the trenches. Nor do they face teams week in and week out that do produce elite talent in the trenches. That’s where games are won or lost. The point is, if UCF faced those teams with elite OLs and DLs, they’d lose the majority of them because they don’t have the talent in the trenches to match. The teams that compete for the NC are sending, to the NFL, multiple first and second rounders. UCF isn’t. Those are facts. Not arrogance. Nor ignorance. Just facts.
I don’t know how many times UCF has played AP Top 10 P5 teams and pushed THEM around in-the-trenches. The list?
Ohio State, Penn State, South Carolina, Baylor, and many others. UCF has size. UCF has speed. UCF has depth. How?
It takes 3-star Florida talent and develops it. It’s been working out far more than not this decade.
And as UCF’s fanbase is exploding, and its TV ratings making some P5 medians look bad, it’s only going to get bigger and better.
As a life long Auburn fan who lives in Orlando, UCF is legit. Dont care about draft numbers, these guys just know how to play ball and don’t back down or get pressured in the few big moments they have had. They most definitely could hang in the SEC or ACC. You just need to watch how they play not to mention having a new coach this year…..
Saban or Smart could take a high school team and win UCF’S conference. They would get DRILLED by SEC teams.
So … we’re back to saying it’s only SEC and AAC, forgetting all of the crap in the Big XII, PAC 12 and — even this year — ACC, eh? That’s the problem.
It’s really either P1-2 … or P6. The P5 moniker is a joke.
Yeah, it probably is, kind of like UCF’s SOS. The main point of this article is that UCF’s lack of talent in the trenches would prevent them from handling a brutal SEC conference schedule week in and week out. You don’t have the depth to handle injuries, and you don’t have the defensive talent to handle top-tier run games, or pass games, for that matter. If you let Temple put up nearly 700 yards of offense, what in the world makes you think you can survive a bruising, time controlling offense like Alabama, Georgia, or Clemson?
Teams that survive and rank middle of the pack or better in the SEC do so because they’re able to use their SEC position in prime time TV spots to produce strong recruiting classes year-in and year-out. The machine churning out high level OL and DL talent produces a grinding environment that crushes its players week after week. No coach can teach the innate power, speed, and endurance of the highest level recruits because some of that cannot be taught. It’s possible that UCF’s coaching could make the jump to the SEC and eventually be successful, but I don’t believe they could do it immediately. Recruiting takes awhile to catch up to potential, and that that lag is a brutal one.
^ I don’t disagree with this. Everyone, even UCF fans, know the SEC is tops. It knows UCF would lose at least 2, if not more, in the SEC.
But the Big XII? PAC 12? Even ACC this year? That’s why it’s NOT P5 any more. It hasn’t been.
And even TV ratings wise, UCF passed the Big XII median back in 2013, and is now only behind Oklahoma and Texas in TV ratings of the Big XII.
UCF’s draft numbers are just fine. They aren’t SEC … but they are certainly on-par or better than Florida, FSU and Miami as of late, especially considering the latter 3 have far better high school rankings.
College-level development matters. UCF gets a lot of beef and a lot of speed, that are 3-stars because of height, high school weight (massively beefed up), or some odd characteristic that turns others off.
And at other times, UCF gets that rare 4 star, or under-rated 2-3 star, too.
Comparing them to Florida, Miami and FSU of late only further proves the point.
My point is that Florida, Miami and FSU have 5-7x more Rivals Top 250 recruits than UCF does out of high school. Yet …
UCF develops more NFL players from 1/5th to 1/7th the alleged talent that the FPI says UCF doesn’t have.
How is that?! How can UCF have won 3 of its last 5 teams against AP Top 10 schools?
How can the AAC have the v. P5 and v. G5 records it has, that challenge even the Big XII, and blow all other G5s away?
No one wants to answer that. But the reality is right there.
On Par with UF/FSU/Miami?… As of Late? UCF 2018–4 drafted, 2017 1 draft pick, 2016 0 draft picks… UF 2018–5 draft picks, 2017– 8 draft picks, 2016–7 draft picks.. So in last 3 years UCF has 5 draft picks vs UF 20 draft picks…Wow…. Over same time period just top 3 rounds. (UF 10 picks vs UCF 3..). If you go back to 2010. UF/FSU/Miami are in the Top 10 of all schools with draft picks.. Not sure why UCF is complaining so much.. Just win out each year and “Claim” another National championship..
That’s utter BS, and here’s the proof …
Again, Florida, FSU and even Miami had much, much higher draft classes — YET — in the ’18 NFL Draft, UCF had more first 3 round draft picks than any of them. How could that be?
Florida and FSU have recruiting classes that blow away UCF … from high school.
It’s college development silly! 4-5 more years! Not where the kids were ranked in high school.
Keep in mind UCF still kept over 2/3rds of its starters after ’17 for ’18. It’s amazing that virtually *all* of UCF’s starters that left after ’17 are playing on Sundays (including 2 undrafted).
And now add in the ‘depth’ argument.
UCF has major depth. It rotates in 2 defense strings as *standard* because the offense is on the field so little, the defense is 3x as long. UCF’s offense can lose 2 running backs, a wide out, half the offensive line, and survive. How?
UCF drafts a lot of 3-star talent, a lot. More than the bottom half of the P5 too. That’s why UCF has a half-dozen (or more) Rivals 250 recruits, more than even several top 25 P5s.
And UCF develops them. The kids that didn’t bulk up in high school already. The kids that were a little too short, or a little too small. But then also other kids that were big, but not as fast.
So … stop with the “G5” assumptions. The AAC can play with the Big XII, PAC 12 — and at least this year — the ACC. The AAC is better than the Big East was in its final decade.
It is so nice that this football expert has shared this information with us. Now we don’t even need to play games. We can just have this guy tell us who is the best team.
I really enjoy the argument that UCF unworthiness is the only way they beat Auburn (the team that beat both the teams in the NC game). You see Aurburn would definitely have won if not for UCF being so bad that they weren’t worth trying against. My guess is this writer would articulate this kind of loser talk.
UCF is 3 out of its last 5 games against AP top 25 ranked teams. UCF should get another shot to make that 4 of 6, and its 3rd NY Bowl win in 6 seasons.
I’m tired of teams like Oklahoma having a worse resume than UCF. I mean, they have only a single win over a 7+ win team, and that’s not even a P5 team. UCF has 4, with 1 being a P5 (divisional champ).
It’s really getting old.
Is the AAC and UCF like the SEC and Bama? No.
Does UCF deserve to be in the top 4? No.
But UCF deserves to be as high as #6, and no lower than #8.
The resume is there more than Oklahoma or Ohio State.
UCF’s Strength of Record (SoR) is #7 S&P+ and #10 FPI, despite the FPI using high school recruiting rankings as a huge metric of teams (which kills G5s).
Stop pissing on UCF and recognize the AAC for what it is … a conference that can play with the PAC-12, Big XII and ACC any day, even if not the SEC.
^^^ Please delete (I said Top 25 when I meant Top 10)
UCF is 3 out of its last 5 games against AP top 10 ranked teams (and nearly all top 25 outside the 10 have been wins). UCF should get another shot to make that 4 of 6, and its 3rd NY Bowl win in 6 seasons.
I’m tired of teams like Oklahoma having a worse resume than UCF. I mean, they have only a single win over a 7+ win team, and that’s not even a P5 team. UCF has 4, with 1 being a P5 (divisional champ).
It’s really getting old.
Is the AAC and UCF like the SEC and Bama? No.
Does UCF deserve to be in the top 4? No.
But UCF deserves to be as high as #6, and no lower than #8.
The resume is there more than Oklahoma or Ohio State.
UCF’s Strength of Record (SoR) is #7 S&P+ and #10 FPI, despite the FPI using high school recruiting rankings as a huge metric of teams (which kills G5s).
Stop pissing on UCF and recognize the AAC for what it is … a conference that can play with the PAC-12, Big XII and ACC any day, even if not the SEC.
Sigh. I truly, truly hope UCF somehow miracles its way into the CFP playoffs. I think the results would speak for themselves, and unfortunately not in the way the UCF fans here think.
How do UCF fans “think”?
UCF keeps getting labeled, and the AAC keeps getting thrown in with … the MAC or C-USA. The MAC and C-USA have gotten their butts kicked in NY Bowls, even just bowls.
The AAC? 3-0 in NY bowls against Ranked #5-7 teams.
Then we have the v. P5 and v. G5 versus. Did you know the AAC has 2x the win rate against the P5 than the 2nd best G5, the MWC? It’s so dominate, that’s nearly as good as the Big XII in its first 6 years!
And the AAC has a *better* v. G5 win rate than the Big XII.
So please … UCF fans do *not* consider UCF ‘as good’ as Alabama, or the AAC to be ‘as good’ as the SEC.
But UCF the AAC against the teams of the Big XII, PAC 12 and — at least this year — the ACC? You betcha! The proof is ON THE FIELD, in ACTUAL GAMES.
I swear to God, if one more UCF fan uses the “we beat Auburn who beat 2 playoff teams” argument…
Georgia demolished Auburn in the SECCG and Alabama (unfortunately) beat Georgia. Your argument does not stand. Use a different one. Good luck finding it.
In addition, Auburn’s star RB was a cripple that entire game, having been abused and shoved with far too many carries in the games before.
It does stand. It is factually correct. You may not like the fact that Auburn did beat Georgia and Alabama but it doesn’t change that it happened. And then of course UCF beat Auburn, another fact. I will acknowledge that Georgia did in fact also beat Auburn (in their 2nd meeting) and then lost to Alabama. I don’t need luck, I have truth. UCF beat an Auburn team that beat both teams that played in the NC game. Alabama the winner of the NC game did not even win their own conference. SEC fans always go to loser talk when things don’t go their way. We lost because you were to bad to try against. Our running back was injured? What about the much ballyhooed depth of the SEC? Auburn lost because on that day UCF was better. UCF was better on game day then every team they played. Only UCF can say that in 2017.
Wow, I’m so shocked that an Auburn fan is trying to legitimize their humiliating loss to a G5 joke of a team.
Yes, it stands, because our blasting of you in the SECCG, due to its closer proximity to the bowl season, means we were a better team than you. Therefore, since we beat you by a much larger margin than UCF, we were statistically better than UCF last year. Since Alabama beat us, and we were better than UCF, then it logically follows that Alabama was better than UCF. Good day.
I thought this was an SEC website? Why so many articles about UCF? I mean, they’re “south” but so is Georgia Southern, USF, UAB and so many others. Guess you should write about them too.
Again … UCF … living rent free in the minds of the SEC for 2 years now.
Just like the Big XII 2013-2014 too. ;)
no one literally thinks about UCF in the past 2 years quit your delusional rants. Its UCF and their fans that are yelling at the top of the lungs crying for relevance. They are like a fly, its there and its annoying but cant cause any harm. I mean jesus dude you are a UCF fan and you are on a SEC website. kinda talks about your personality right there alone. Everyone has their own opinions if you want to believe UCF is great good, but dont jump on a SEC website and reply to literally everyone on here to say how great they are…
You must have missed 2013, when UCF played 3x AP Top 10 teams.
And if you don’t want us here … stop throwing mud at us in articles!
We didn’t miss them going 0-12 in 2015…
UCF’s line was smaller and perceived as talented last year against Aurburn, and look how that turned out. UCF adjusted their play style accordingly. McKenzie Milton will tear up any Defense on any given Saturday. I forgot what a loss feels like, so throw us in the playoff and “teach us a lesson.” I’ll say what I said to people who doubted us and said “Auburn will blow you guys out.” or “Baylor will Destroy you”… Well, we’ll see…
Killins (UCF’s #3 RB on the depth chart in 2016-2017) warned SEC fans that speed — on defense — would shock them. The SEC media acted like Killins was talking about just himself. No …
And UCF isn’t small on the lines, not at all. That is a huge mistake. What UCF has is beefy, 3-star talent that is developed in college, including several NFL Pro Bowlers and Super Bowl winners on their lines.
There is so much freak’n talent in Florida, and UCF is able to fight for a lot of it.
Oh, you mean that one offensive lineman (Josh Sitton) that has made a pro bowl. That is not several.
Again, arrogance combined with assumption and ignorance is bliss.
Can you give us the names of the “several NFL Pro Bowlers and Super Bowl winners” on the LOS that hail from UCF?
You guys got pushed around in the first half against Auburn. Their D-line made Milton look like a middle school QB.
Huh? They were wide open, and Milton just missed them. Did you watch the same game?!
SDS: “UCF might be able to upset elite teams for a single bowl game, but let’s see how they would do every week in a P5 conference like the SEC.”
UCF: “If we were in the SEC we’d be getting $40M/year in TV revenue compared to $2M in the AAC. So yeah, let’s see how we’d do every week with P5 money.”
UCF’s budget is already close to the PAC-12 median, and UCF’s TV ratings would be PAC-12 leading, and only bested in the Big XII by Oklahoma and Texas.
UCF is a massive, very young school, and continuing to grow beyond even what ASU is, with a median alumni a full generation behind others. In another generation, UCF will have the largest alumni base, and its first generation of major donors.
The fact that UCF has its budget today — 0% public funds (UCFAA, Inc. is private) — and funds everything with those funds (including a stadium and basketball arena, because the Florida BoR built them a high school sized gym in ’91) is impressive on its own. With a P5 invite, it would blow away most P5s.
Heck, even several ACC teams cannot offer a coach staff budget that UCF can.
SEC fan likes to say if that tram played in our mighty conference then they would see….
Texas A&M is 51-27 in the last 6 full seasons in the SEC. A&M went 42-35 in the last 6 seasons they played in the Big 12.
Please, please, please don’t throw UCF into the briar patch.
Enough with the irrelevant content. Your readers do not care about UCF. This is an SEC blog. Give us what we came here for, SEC coverage.
UCF … living rent free in the minds of the SEC for 2 years now.
Just like the Big XII 2013-2014 too. ;)
Well, looked what happened to the Big XII.
It’s going to fall apart, that is for sure. But still doesn’t remove how Houston and UCF has done against the Big XII during the reign of the AAC.
This whole discussion just indicates to me that the P5 should have promotion and relegation rules similar the Premier League. If a team like UCF goes undefeated a couple of years and wins a few big bowl game call them up. If a team tanks for a couple of years, kick them down to a lower conference and let them play their way back in. You’d get more diversity of matchups in a given year and teams like UCF could put up or shut up.
Eh, too much logistical trouble and paperwork. Also tears tradition to shreds.
The P5 conferences are doing that on its own, all by themselves. In fact, that’s the best argument for an expanded playoff …
Instead of jumping around, jockeying for the top 4 … having 8 would focus more on champions, so all P5 champions, and a top G5 champion, plus 2 wildcards. It’s really a mess that’s killing tradition in the current state.
So, once again, SDS proves it knows jack about UCF.
#1 … UCF has depth. UCF lost RB #1 and #2 during last season, lost half of its offense line at one point, several on defense, and “survived.” It played 11 straight weeks, and found ways to win against AP ranked Top 25 teams through the end (3 games, before Auburn).
And … if you knew anything about its offense, you’d know there is no “#1 RB” and no “#1 WR” for that matter. And when it comes to defense, UCF has a rotating, 2 string defense. Why? In the first half, UCF’s offense ToP is <10 minutes. The D has to rotate. It gets tired because UCF's offense averages a play every 8.3 seconds. ;)
#2 … once again, 'high school recruiting' — just like in the FPI — dominates. So, answer me this …
*HOW* does UCF lose less starters than Florida, FSU and Miami, but has more kids drafted in the first 3 rounds of the NFL draft? And how are those kids doing BTW?
Thus … you're ignore college-development. There are a lot of 2 and 3 star UCF graduates playing in the NFL. UCF has had a 1st round draft pick in every other year this decade.
This argument is getting old.
Yes, the AAC is not the SEC, and UCF is not Alabama. But why is everyone always comparing the AAC to SEC, but not the PAC-12, Big XII or ACC? Why is UCF always compared to 'how they'd do against Bama,' but not the other teams in the top 10?
That's why UCF is 3 out of its last 5 against AP top 10 teams … assumption, ignorance, 'oh, it's the high school recruits!'
Whatever … on-the-field is what should only matter, including a path to a CHANCE.
You keep asking why we bring UCF into discussions about Bama? Because UCF brought Bama into discussions about UCF.
Everyone is talking Bama, not just UCF. Seriously. UCF has fully recognized Alabama’s national championship.
All UCF did was claim what the PAC 12 also does as well. Don’t be a P5 hypocrite.
Oh, so you admit that Alabama was the sole, only, single national champion last year?
Keep comparing them to Florida, Miami and FSU as it only proves the articles point. Those 3 teams have been awful in recent years therefore their draft numbers are also awful. So yeah, UCF is as good as FSU. Would probably do as well as they did in ACC this year.
But FPI cpmoputres and others use high school recruiting rankings, and Florida, FSU and Miami not only kill UCF there … but people assume — you’all included — think UCF couldn’t beat those teams, because of recruiting.
The FPI computers are a key factor in this too. S&P+ ignores recruiting, and focuses on solely on-the-field performance, hence why G5s rank much better under it too (and some P5s much worse than others).
UCF only had 3 people drafted in the first 3 rounds, Florida had 2, miami 1,FSU had 2. Now your statment is not wrong that they had more draft picks than the latter, but you also gotta think those 3 are just aful so you campaing 4 win teams draft picks is sad when a worse team is keeping up with yall.
But my point is that people assume Florida, FSU and Miami — along with all other P5s — would kill not just UCF, but most other P5s, on-the-filed, *SOLELY* because of high school raking, and getting 5-7x as many Rival 250 recruits.
That’s the problem. UCF sent nearly all of its starting seniors (and starting juniors who declared early) to the NFL. They are playing on Sundays. It’s not about recruiting.
And even there, UCF has more Rivals 250 recruits than a number of ranked top 25 P5s too. But still, it’s about development.
In the end … it really *SHOULD* be settled ON THE FIELD. That’s what UCF wants. That’s what G5s want. And a lot of P5s think so too these days.
Then FOR GOD’S SAKE SCHEDULE A TOP 25 P5 OPPONENT.
And don’t try to get a home-and-home. No big school wants to sacrifice the revenue brought in from home games to have to visit UCF. Just go visit Death Valley, or Sanford, or the Big House.
There you go trying to use facts and logic with people who care for neither. May as well go try to Kentucky and try to explain why Jesus didn’t rise around on dinosaurs.
Or teach a person in Florida to proof read.
This is 2018, UCF 31 vs Memphis 30. UCF only beat Temple by 12 points. UCF only beat Navy by 11 points and Navy is 2 wins and 5 losses in the AAC.
It was worse in 2017, when UCF only squeaked by Navy, South Florida, and SMU by only a touchdown, so beating Auburn last year is credit given, but those 3 squeakers clearly show this is a case study not a large sample conclusion, therefore Auburn having nothing to gain and UCF having a lot more to gain by showing up and putting out full effort that year.
So there are no cherry picking examples that change whole UCF picture. They are clearly not a top 4 or even a top 16 program AGAIN this year. Call us back when UCF is beating EVERYBODY on your schedule by 50 points because even that would require more convincing since that league is not as good as the Big 12, the Pac 12, the Big 10, the ACC, or the SEC. There are 41 active bowl games, so if UCF is only beating 3 of their league members by recent-2-year-average 10 points then where should those 4 teams go bowling (if anywhere at all)? The answer would be a lot closer to 41 than the top 10. The Power 5 can fill up a high percent of those games with better wins.
Gee, I wonder why UCF fans never reply to those comments.
UCF shot out to 21-3 over Navy. UCF didn’t want to run up the score on Navy on Veteran’s weekend, so it handed the ball off virtually the entire, 2nd half.
As far as Temple, they changed their entire offense after starting like crap with their initial QB+RB.
As far as Memphis, they lost their RB — 85% of their ball control offense, in the 1st quarter against Mizzou, on the road. They were 3-0 against ranked teams at home (16-1 overall), and usually play UCF tough in Memphis.
UCF blew all other teams out. Get over it. So many P5s are worse than UCF.
Even Oklahoma has *0* wins against P5 teams with 7+ wins, and only 1 against a G5.
UCF has 1 win against a P5 with 7+ wins, and 3 more against G5s w/7+ wins, nearly all have P5 wins (some have 2).
Alright, you have played 4 ranked teams in 3 years. When you play a schedule like Tennessee where you face 4 ranked teams in a row plus starting the season with a highly ranked team you might get more credit. You have played a wounded Auburn and won, that is the best win you’ve had in 2 years before that you’ve lost 53 games against the p5 schools with only 11 wins against them.
Once again I say, the only solution is to give the delusional UCF fans exactly what they want. Put them in the playoffs. They can’t complain about “disprespect”, and we get to watch them lose by 50.
When all is said and done, there is only one thing that puts a checkmark in the win column… scoring more points than your opponent. UCF has been doing that and until someone knocks them down (Auburn had that chance), they most definitely belong be in the discussion. That’s not to say they deserve a top 4 spot at this point or any, but to say they don’t belong in the discussion is just plain stupid. This is why these kids play the game… to compete!
When talking about the best teams in the country, UCF should be laughed off the stage. Their conference is pathetic and their schedule is pathetic. They’re getting a lot of mileage out of that Auburn win. Stranger things have happened, like Troy beating LSU last year. Imagine if LSU played in the AAC, LSU would probably have 20 straight undefeated seasons.
UCF has one 3 of its last 5 games against AP Top 10 teams.
UCF won against 2 of them in 2013 alone.
How many P5s can say that? REALLY?!
CFP #6 Oklahoma has *0* wins over a P5 w/7+ wins, and only *1* G5 w/7+ wins. That’s pathetic comapared to UCF.
You’re SEC … recognize that it’s really “Power 1 or 2” right now. The Big XII, PAC 12 and even the ACC this year (other than Clemson) aren’t pulling their weight, and the AAC can beat them.
2013 was 5 years ago. That’s a completely different set of players.
UCF went 0-12 in 2015..
^ This
SEC fans who are tired of UCF should bark at their ADs to schedule UCF, play UCF and beat UCF. Until P5 programs do that … they need to be quiet.
UCF has been scheduling 10+ win, divisional or conference champion, P5 schools all it can. Examples?
– Stanford when they were Top 10
– UNC when they were 11-1 and won their ACC division
– Same with Lousiville
– Pitt has more divisional championships than Miami in the ACC now
– Et al.
It’s not UCF’s fault most suck when they come up to play UCF. UCF can only get 2-3 P5s/year, having to play at least 1 at home, plus 1 more (usually a FCS), and then its 4 in-conference home games, to meet its contractual obligations (bond on athletic facilites — privately owned by UCFAA, Inc.)
Seriously … you’all look like hypocrites to tell UCF, “know your lane, stay at the kiddie table, start your own playoff in the G5,” and refuse to schedule UCF … but schedule FCS teams and SunBelt FBS teams.
I wonder what the chances are of us playing you guys in the Sugar Bowl. That’d be mildly interesting.
None. The Sugar is contracted with the Big 12.
There is no need… UCF will fade away like BSU…
This is absolute garbage and just bad journalism. Here are a few points of note:
1. Where are all the other teams on 23-game win streaks of teams with similar schedules?
2. Any team with the skill level and coaching savvy can win 1-2 games in the playoffs and compete. No amount of over-rated, whatever Star rated draft picks who don’t make it in the NFL has jack to do with that.
3. If UCF was in the SEC they obviously would have more of your precious 4-5 star recruits. They would definitely pull in more than Vanderbilt, ole Miss, Miss St., Kentucky and other SEC “elite” that you fawn over here. So the bottom line is, as every UCF will tell you, is give us a chance to compete. That’s all we ask.
UCFBS is a broken record. You keep bringing up these AP top 10 wins. Ok, when did these wins occur and in what time frame. 1 win a decade over 5 decades? I assume you didn’t have all the talent you are bragging about when you lost every game. When was that? You beat Auburn last year. I wouldn’t give any excuses. I watched the game and the team that won deserved it. Y’all played the better game. 1 game can be a fluke, 2 games is a streak. Enjoy your team. Someone in the SEC will give you a game in November in the next couple of years. That will be when y’all are back in the cupcake category.
Last point. Your attrition statement was plain stupid. Do you not know that Bama is replacing 7 starters from the defense. All are playing in the NFL. Cherry pick your stats to make a point. It doesn’t make it a fact.
I should have read all the stupid comments before posting. Responding to ucfbs makes me twice as stupid. Hey our sor is great and FPS skews the number. Again, cherry pick your stats. What is your SOS. Here, let me help, 71. Oooh, that doesn’t look so good does it.