College Football Top 25 projections after 2018 spring practices

As more time passes since UCF’s perfect 2017 campaign, the achievement begins to fade from memory. The same thing happens for every Group of Five contender that emerges as a New Year’s Six participant. In college football, a team is only as good as its current form. That holds especially true for mid-majors trying to maintain respect.

Though Scott Frost is gone as head coach, there is still plenty going well for the Knights in 2017. McKenzie Milton is back at quarterback, and the passer could emerge as a Heisman contender. Adrian Killins Jr. and Otis Anderson are back to fuel the ground game. The defense will need some retooling, but the offense should once again be among the best in college football.

Games against North Carolina and Pitt offer a pair of winnable Power Five statement opportunities. And the defending AAC champions will be right in the conference hunt again. Pollsters will probably make UCF the token Group of Five team in this year’s preseason AP Top 25. But they are trending downward and are likely to end up somewhere in the mid-20s rather than the teens.