UCF Football: Knights finally move up in the College Football Playoff Rankings

UCF football is finally starting to get the recognition they deserve. The Knights came in at number nine in the Week 13 College Football Playoff rankings.

Heading into Week 13 of college football, the UCF Knights come in at No. 9 in the College Football Playoff rankings. While No. 9 does not necessarily get the Knights into the playoff, breaking into the Top 10 is quite significant.

ESPN’s College GameDay came to the UCF campus in Week 12 before the Knights took on Cincinnati in Saturday night’s Primetime game. Ultimately, Josh Heupel and the UCF defeated the Bearcats with ease, 38-13. This win brings their winning streak to 23.

McKenzie Milton led the offense with 268 yards in the air, for three touchdowns, and rushed for a touchdown as well. This brings his season total to 24 passing touchdowns and nine rushing touchdowns.

The two biggest concerns, by UCF critics, was their defense (or lack thereof) and their strength of schedule. The Knights’ strength of schedule improved by playing Cincinnati, but the biased against the American Athletic Conference remains(more on that later). The UCF defense, however, answered any doubts that the critics may have raised. UCF forced three fumbles and held the Bearcats to only 13 points.

Looking ahead

The UCF Knights play rival South Florida, in Week 13 at a relatively neutral site. The game will be played at Raymond James Stadium, which is the home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While this game is referred to as the War on I-4, USF has a campus just south of Tampa, where the game will be played. So even though USF may have a slight home-field advantage, the UCF fans are among the best in the country.

UCF has already clinched a spot in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game. Should the Knights win against both USF and their AAC Championship Game opponent, UCF will be 12-0, and be a strong contender for a College Football Playoff spot.

Perspective on UCF in relation to the rest of College Football

There are two types of college football fans: those who feel UCF deserves an opportunity in the playoff and those who believe they would be mediocre in a Power 5 conference. As previously mentioned, many critics comment on UCF’s poor strength of schedule. However, those same critics also believe Ohio State, Oklahoma, Washington State, and more deserve a spot over UCF, despite having a single loss.

We all agree that anything can happen any given Saturday, right?

However, that same reason highlights how impressive a 23 game win-streak truly is. The UCF Knight’s ability to win so many games, with two different rosters, with two different head coaches, across 15 different months, is historic. We are all witnessing history.

UCF is, by no means, the most talented team in the FBS. UCF has neither the history nor the prestige of some of the great college football programs. But the UCF Knights are the epitome of all that is true to college sports. They are fueled by a great, loyal fan base who will defend their team to the death. The roster is filled with nearly 100 players, who all have chips on their shoulders because they all have been overlooked by dozens of other Power 5 schools. The love stories of college sports are always synonymous with the underdog teams who everyone has discredited.

The UCF Knights are college football’s love story.