LOOK: UCF fans react to moving to No. 9 in Playoff rankings, question why Knights aren't ahead of LSU
The UCF Knights took care of business against a ranked Cincinnati team over the weekend, and the College Football Playoff selection committee rewarded them.
This week, the Knights are No. 9 in the rankings, jumping a West Virginia team that lost and Ohio State.
UCF fans were understandably excited about making the top-10, but many were also baffled that the Knights were still behind a two-loss LSU squad.
Below, you can see some of the mixed reactions from Tuesday night’s Playoff rankings:
UCF fans after the Knights slide into the top 10 at No. 9: pic.twitter.com/wOFH01ruWd
— Sporting News (@sportingnews) November 21, 2018
Live look at UCF haters waiting to send the Knights back to the kids table. pic.twitter.com/fQFQCSOA1P
— Eric Adelson (@eric_adelson) November 21, 2018
The Committee got it right for jumping UCF over Ohio St. However, it's stupid to keep a two loss LSU at seventh and OU at sixth. I'm petitioning to join the committee.
— Alex Donovan (@AlexDonovan13) November 21, 2018
You can’t keep LSU at 7 over UCF and WSU
— trey shumate (@tshumate6) November 21, 2018
#UCF should be ranked higher than LSU too!
— MiamisElite (@EliteMiamis) November 21, 2018
It took 23 consecutive wins for @UCF_Football to get into the Top 10 of the #CFP rankings.
— Dan Mortimer (@_mastiempo) November 21, 2018
There's really no reason why LSU should be ranked ahead of Washington State and UCF.
— Donnie French Fry (@BakeNasty_) November 21, 2018
#UCF should be at worst 6th in the @CFBPlayoff rankings. No real reason to justify #Wazzu, two-loss #LSU and #Oklahoma ahead of the undefeated Knights. #CFBPlayoff #AAC
— Ron Clements (@Ron_Clements) November 21, 2018
A big game against rival USF this weekend looms large for the Knights, and if they win, perhaps they’ll finally jump the Tigers, who are currently at No. 7.
It wouldn’t bother me in the least if WSU and UCF passed LSU. If it was going to happen, it should have happened this week though. LSU is playing the best opponent of the three this upcoming week, and they are doing it in the road. If LSU wins, I don’t see how either can pass them this week.
As long as LSU wins I don’t think UCF jumps them. The win over UGA has kept LSU firmly planted in the top 10.
You’re welcome.
UCF will jump LSU after winning the Conference Championship. No doubt about it. Possibly a few others too.
I wouldn’t count on it…
They should be ranked ahead of LSU. LSU ain’t much.
That was deep.
Lol
Exhibit A: inability to comprehend strength of schedule.
So let’s use the S&P+ SoS (losses), instead of the FPI.*
2 LSU (2)
…
48 Bama (-)
56 Notre Dame (-)
72 Oklahoma (1)
74 Ohio State (1)
81 Washington State (1)
82 West Virginia (2)
85 Clemson (0)
102 UCF (-)
130 Utah State (-)
At what point does UCF’s undefeated rank matter more than 1 loss Oklahoma? How about Utah State with a worse SoS (so are all MWC teams, who have 2+ losses) than UCF?
Why? The AAC is better than its old self, the Big East, the records show — top 10 and 25 finishes, major bowls (3-0 against #5-7 ranked teams in first 5 seasons) — with 2x as many P5 wins than the MWC (the 2nd best), and close to the Big XII (with a better versus G5 record than the Big XII, ironically enough).
UCF’s Strength of Record (SoR) is #7 in S&P+ (#10 in FPI). Why SoR? Even the ESPN crew stated the obvious …
Historically, SoR has been the best metric on how teams will fare in the CFP, historically, *NOT* SoS.
*NOTE: FPI includes high school recruit rankings, not just on-the-field performance. Because if that mattered, and college development didn’t, UCF wouldn’t have sent more players in the first 3 rounds of the NFL draft (despite UCF retaining over 2/3rds of their starters) than any other Florida university. Heck, the AAC sent more than the Big XII a couple years ago.
Correction, that should be …
130 Utah State (1)
If the point here is that SoR should is the best metric, then the committee has overrated ucf, whose SoR ranks 10th.
RESPECT THIS: UCF 31 VS. MEMPHIS 30, then the next week Missouri scored 65 points again Memphis by the end of the 3rd quarter, finished the game with their 3 string in the game, since a lot of the 2nd string played in the 3rd quarter already. Granted Missouri isn’t ranked high enough, but Missouri even after making significant progress in the second half of the season, is not a National Champion this year. And UCF clearly has a common opponent that this year that shows where they should be ranked and that ranking is way way below Missouri’s.
Memphis lost their Heisman, NCAA LEADING RUSHER, early in the 1st quarter at Missouri. That was 85% of their “ball control” offense.
That’s why Memphis sucked #1, and on-the-road, #2.
Memphis was 3-0 against ranked teams (16-1 overall) at home. They kept their “ball control” going on UCF. Memphis always plays UCF tough. Just how it’s always been.
But that’s also why UCF is ranked near Ohio State. Oklahoma should be there too.
Just the opposite, I was at the game, Memphis 2nd running back had about the same success as their first one. I noticed when their #1 went out. I watched closely to see how well and why number two carried on. Little difference. That’s praise for Memphis by the way, not a slight in any way.
Good Point.
LSU should be #6. A 2 loss SEC team with LSU’s schedule should be ahead of *ANY* 1 loss non-SEC team.
Oklahoma is a joke at #6, and here’s proof.
Oklahoma: A single (1) win against 7+ win teams, *ZERO* P5 w/7+ wins
UCF: Four (4) wins against 7+ win teams, one (1) P5 w/7+ wins
It’s that simple. Oklahoma is massively over-ranked. The Big XII is over-ranked.
Also don’t forget UCF’s TV ratings. Yes, that factors in.
In 2013, UCF’s TV ratings would be Big XII median, slightly above.
In 2018, the only Big XII teams with better TV ratings than UCF are Oklahoma and Texas.
UCF has the largest, future alumni base in the country. It’s a very young school, didn’t have graduates until the mid ’70s, which means it’s median alumni is in late 30s to early 40s, not late 50s to early 60s.
But UCF is cranking them out at an insane rate, as the largest undergraduate in the US, with plans to move to 100K as the campus and research parks continues to sprawl miles towards the airport.
You think UCF is annoying now? This decade is just the beginning. ESPN has known this since 2009, but even the hosts realize it now for 2019.
That’s when the AAC contract is up. ESPN gets the exclusive bid in 2019 February. If the AAC passes, it’s open to bids from everyone 2019 March. ESPN has made over 10x the money in royalty costs on the AAC than the Big XII.
W/UCF, the AAC is worth $12-15M/yr/team, interpolating from the Big XII.
W/o UCF, it drops to $5-7M/yr/team.
It’s going to get interesting in just the next few months, even post-season. Especially if ESPN thinks it’s cheaper to force UCF on a P5, than pay the AAC what it’s worth with UCF.
Don’t shoot the messenger.
Interesting points. Where did you get that data?
UCF wouldn’t beat anybody from the Big 12 this year, not even Kansas.
That’s one of your dumbest posts ever, and that’s saying a lot. UCF is a quality team.
Agreed.
Not many people on an SEC site are going to argue that OU is playoff-worthy right now or that the big12 is great. But OU is rated higher by S&P+ than ucf & nd, and ou has a better SoR than ucf.
If current TV ratings were a significant factor, ucf would have even less of a chance of making the Playoff than they currently do.
UCF has a lot of potential. But that is completely irrelevant to the discussion of who should be in the playoff this year. If ucf realizes their potential and becomes a more talented team, their schedule will still matter and they will just have other factors to better counterbalance the weak schedule. I would also point out that the best football teams don’t always have the largest enrollments/alumni bases or closest proximities to recruiting hotbeds. Bama isn’t nearly as big as ASU and it isn’t in a top state for recruiting. Perhaps ucf can pull it off, but it is by no means certain, and it will take a lot of people making the right decisions and some luck.
C’mon y’all. Show them more respect. Not every team out there can limit Temple to just 670 yards. If that doesn’t scream playoff contender, what does?
Yep.
I’d like to see LSU’s defense against UCF’s offense in the Peach Bowl.
I stopped reading UCF-bs for one easy reason. That poster has no reason. Was UCF good last year, yes. I don’t care who you play it is hard to win every game. Are they good this year, maybe. They have games left to play. The posts are long, redundant and the very definition of cherry picking. Hey, look at our great SOR but forget the SOS since it is in the 70’s. Look at all the great teams we have beaten (5 years ago). Look at how our conference has done against P-5 schools (ancient history with 2 schools as examples). I do hope they get their wish and make the playoff. Of course, that just means that people will say that Bama still hasn’t played anyone.