UCF football: 3 takeaways from season-opening win over Georgia Tech

1. This could be the start of a real playoff run for UCF

UCF has been at the forefront of College Football Playoff controversies for the past few years. Despite two consecutive undefeated regular seasons in 2017 and 2018, the Knights were excluded from the Playoff. They feel they’ve been slighted and this year looked like it might be the opportunity they’ve been waiting for.

With the Big Ten and Pac-12 initially opting out of the 2020 season, the odds of a Group of Five team making the playoff were looking better than ever. Recently, the Big Ten announced they would be participating this season, but Playoff aspirations are still intact for some of the elite non-Power 5 teams.

With the Big Ten opting back in, and a potential Pac-12 return on the horizon, the road to the Playoff is becoming more and more difficult for the Knights, but it’s not impossible. One thing is for sure: they’re going to have to win out and win big.

Unfortunately for UCF, their meeting with ranked North Carolina was cancelled as a part of the COVID-19 scheduling carousel. This would have been a fantastic opportunity for the Knights to prove that they belong, but this opportunity is no more. Today, the Knights did what they needed to do. As their only non-conference game, the Knights had to make the most of this game.

The American will be no walk in the park, though. The conference boasts other quality teams like No. 16 Memphis and No. 13 Cincinnati. The Knights will have to use these matchups down the road to prove that they belong. Will this finally be the Knights’ year?