In a Friday night Week 4 game, UCF football proved once again why it should be a strong candidate for a spot in this year’s College Football Playoff.
Lane Kiffin and the Florida Atlantic Owls traveled down the road to Orlando to take on the disputed reigning 2017 National Champions. Many people had this game on their list of potential upsets for Week 4. While FAU has all the talent one could ask for, they failed to put together a complete game.
UCF quarterback, McKenzie Milton, led the Knights to a 56-36 victory. No. 16 UCF extended their win streak to 16, which leads the FBS. The next two teams who follow them in win streaks are Ohio State and Penn State, both of whom are ranked higher than UCF.
The Knights have dominated their opponents over those 16 games, so you can imagine why UCF fans are constantly complaining about the unfair recognition, or lack thereof, that their team is receiving.
Let’s take a look at some of the dramatic claims that, may or may not be true deriving from this Week 4 matchup.
5. The Group of Five is no joke
The blue-blood programs of college football get all the press and the accolades. They earn the trips to the marquee bowl games and they get the nation’s top recruits. But that doesn’t mean the Group of Five schools shouldn’t be given equal consideration. What schools like FAU and UCF have accomplished is a testament to the potency of some of the lesser known programs in college football.
UCF was awful three years ago. Now they’re riding an undefeated season into 2018. Group of Five programs can crop up overnight and develop staying power that turns their name into a national brand. That’s what UCF is doing, and it’s fun to watch.
4. Josh Heupel is a top-10 coach in the country
Since taking over the UCF Knights, head coach Josh Heupel has only improved upon a program that was already very good. Heupel played quarterback at the University of Oklahoma and enjoyed a successful college career. He was then drafted in the sixth round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. He spent time with both the Dolphins and the Green Bay Packers. Eventually, he decided to conclude his career as a player due to injuries.
Upon completing his playing career, Heupel began coaching at the college level. He coached under Bob Stoops for the majority of his coaching career and eventually was promoted to offensive coordinator at Oklahoma and also served as offensive coordinator at Utah State and Missouri before finally getting an opportunity to be the head coach at UCF.
Under Heupel, the Knights are averaging 50 points a game while only allowing an average of 26.5. UCF will have a few more tests throughout the season. However. so long as the Knights remain undefeated, Heupel should be considered one of the best coaches in the country.
3. Lane Kiffin is nowhere near a top coach
Lane Kiffin has been benefiting from the success of other coaches for too long. Most recently, Kiffin was the offensive coordinator at Alabama under Nick Saban. At Alabama, he was the offensive coordinator for three years. In 2014, he was a finalist for the Broyles Award, which goes to college football’s top assistant coach for the year.
However, even after Kiffin left, Alabama’s offense continues to produce. Throughout his career, he has been accredited success while working with or for another coach. However, the most recent times Kiffin has been on his own, success came only in the short-term.
In 2011, when Kiffin was with the USC Trojans, the team went 10-2. However, the years following, the Trojans struggled much more significantly. The same is true for his current tenure at FAU. Last year, the Owls got off to a slow start but finished 11-3. This year, the Owls have already earned two losses in four games. Sure, the losses came from good teams, but the games were not competitive.
If you want to be considered a good team and coach, you need to win tough games, like say UCF against Auburn in the 2018 Peach Bowl.
2. McKenzie Milton, Heisman front-runner
Often when a team struggles, blame is placed on the head coach and the starting quarterback. On the contrary, when a team does well, praise is given to the same individuals. However, in the case of McKenzie Milton, enough recognition is not being given to this talented young man.
Let’s review some numbers to get us thinking in the right mindset when considering Milton as a Heisman candidate. He is averaging 300 passing yards per game after the three games played thus far into the season. Furthermore, Milton already has nine passing touchdowns. At this rate, he will finished the season with almost 40 touchdowns after the bowl game.
Additionally, Milton is able to use his feet when necessary. Even after including sacks, the dual-threat is still averaging 6.2 yards per carry on the season. Additionally, he showed off his mobility in Week 4’s game against FAU when he rushed for three touchdowns. Lastly, his team is undefeated.
Milton for Heisman.
1. UCF needs to be included in the College Football Playoff
Never again will an undefeated team (UCF) beat a team (Auburn) who beat the national champ (Alabama) and not be crowned true champion. UCF should be ranked within the top-five teams in the country at this very moment. Auburn has a loss already this season since losing to UCF in the Peach Bowl. Sure, teams change, coaches change, but the point still remains, UCF hasn’t lost.
In other sports like, boxing or swimming (etc.), if you don’t lose, and you work your way up against tougher opponents, you earn your shot at the title belt. The same should be true in this case regarding UCF. They demonstrated their ability to beat one of the toughest opponents they possibly could have faces, on the biggest stage, and won.
If UCF continues to be undefeated this season, which they have a very good chance to do, and they win the AAC Championship Game, UCF will be in the College Football Playoff.
Should the playoff committee not include an undefeated conference champion, from any FBS conference, the fans need to protest. Never again should we have an undefeated, but disputed champion in college football.