UCF Football: 3 reasons Knights deserved shot at College Football Playoff

1. The most prolific offense in the FBS deserved a shot to test itself fully

There was certainly pride on the line when Auburn dug in opposite UCF at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. But the Tigers defense lacked the extra layer of motivation that comes with title stakes up for grabs. This common refrain is often used as a means of writing off mid-majors that knock off bigger names in bowl games, from the days of BYU’s 1984 national championship onward.

This season, no team was better than the Knights at scoring points. They were held to 27 offensive points by the Tigers, but even that would have been good enough to top the score Alabama managed to put up later on Monday.

UCF was led by its otherworldly quarterback, McKenzie Milton. Skilled both passing and running the football, Milton kept UCF in the game all throughout. On the day, the big knock against Milton was that he failed to complete more of his passes. Finishing 16-of-35 through the air, the sophomore quarterback still threw for 242 yards and two touchdowns.

He added another 116 yards and a touchdown on 13 rushing attempts. Milton is no one-trick pony, nor are the Knights. Milton dishes the ball out to talented receivers like Tre’Quan Smith, Dredrick Snelson, and tailback Otis Anderson. He is also a strong runner who executes the option increasingly well. They all deserved a shot to play for the highest stakes after a blemish-free AAC title-winning season.