SMQ: What would it take for UCF to reach the College Football Playoff?

Final thoughts on the possibility of a UCF Playoff berth

Ultimately, the ceiling for even an undefeated UCF team is probably a New Year’s Six game at the Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, or Peach Bowl. Making the College Football Playoff would require a confluence of events that would bring even greater chaos to an already chaotic season.

But such a surprise would not be unprecedented. We have seen favorites fall by the wayside before, and in the 10th anniversary of the shocking 2007 season it would be only fitting for another round of flux to take place.

Even if they make the College Football Playoff, there is no guarantee that UCF can become the first mid-major to win a national championship since BYU took the crown in 1984. In the modern era, after all, a potential champion must win two postseason contests rather than just one. The stakes are higher and the odds are longer than they were when LaVell Edwards and his Cougars shocked the country.

Next: Looking back at the chaos of the 2007 college football season

But the door is not completely closed on a possible shot at reaching the semifinals. A lot must fall perfectly into place, but the 2017 season has hardly fallen into perfect form for many of the favorites so far. For fans of Cinderella stories in sports, UCF still has a (long) shot of becoming the next historic mid-major in a sport that is increasingly designed to shut out those opportunities.