UCF Football: Knights shouldn’t be celebrating 2017 national title

UCF football certainly deserves to celebrate, but claiming a national title is a bit too far.

This post is not to demean what Scott Frost accomplished at UCF, which is a great deal. In two years, Frost transformed the Knights from a dejected, winless group into an efficient, undefeated team. I am not denigrating the Knights’ perfect season. An undefeated season is amazing by any standards. The last team to go undefeated in the regular season was Florida State in 2013.  

Here is the difference, though. In 2013, the Seminoles beat three ranked Power Five teams in the regular season, two of which (Miami and Clemson) were ranked in the top 10. So here is where UCF’s argument that they deserve national title consideration falls apart — strength of schedule.

Declaring yourself national champions and squawking about an eight-team playoff system is tantamount to the ridiculous, particularly when you haven’t played anybody.  The best two teams they played were Memphis and USF, and USF was a close shave.

The AAC is getting better. Houston, Memphis, UCF, and USF have all proven that they can play against big-name teams and give them a challenge. And yes, UCF beat Auburn in the Peach Bowl. But honestly, was it just me, or did Auburn appear half-asleep throughout the entire game?

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I’m sorry, UCF fans, but strength of schedule matters, particularly to the CFP committee, and your schedule was lackluster at best. The Knights only beat one Top 25 team — Auburn. Georgia beat four Top 25 opponents, as did Alabama. If UCF had played, say, Louisville and Vanderbilt in the regular season — like their fellow AAC compatriot Houston did in 2015 — they might have an argument.

I agree that the system is flawed. I agree that there might be some SEC bias. There is also a great deal of irony in the fact that the Knights defeated the only team to take down Alabama this season.

The question is, could UCF beat Georgia or Alabama given the chance? Well, sure, it’s possible, given the whimsical nature of college football. It’s just not probable. I just don’t think that UCF has any player with the brilliance of Georgia’s Nick Chubb or the poise of the underrated Jalen Hurts.

Look, UCF going undefeated is awesome, and the team should be honored for that. Nonetheless, to assume that your team could take up the CFP mantle and defeat the dangerous Alabama defense needs a reality check. We cannot know how UCF would do against a Power Five opponent, and conjecture doesn’t win national titles.  

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So sorry, UCF, fantastic season, but no dice on the national title argument. Beef up your schedule and try another time.