Miami, Florida and Florida State fans come in and have a seat, y'all need to hear this. The UCF Knights have the best football team in the state of Florida.
Whew, there, I said it.
Another thing, they also have one of the best teams in the nation.
No. 11 UCF thrashed No. 24 Cincinnati 38-13 in front of a national TV audience on ABC Saturday in Orlando. The Knights dominated the game from start to finish to extend their winning streak to 23 straight games -- the longest such streak in the country. To put that in perspective, they haven't lost a game in exactly 700 days. Saturday, they played the type of game -- an explosive offense and swarming defense -- that made programs like Miami famous during their rise to prominence during 80s and early 2000s.
For many fans outside Orlando, it was their first time watching UCF play since last season's Peach Bowl win against Auburn to complete an undefeated season.
The Knights crowned themselves national champions after that season, although Alabama won the College Football Playoff. Countless debates have ensued and I'll save that discussion for another blog post.
But I will say this: UCF belongs in the college football playoff, no ifs, ands or buts about it.
The Canes, Gators and Noles have a combined 11 national championships between them, but none of them could hold water with UCF this season.
The Knights are ranked No. 11 in the country, but there aren't 10 teams clearly better than UCF.
Somehow, there's six one-loss teams and one two-loss team ranked ahead of them in the polls.
Here's the top 10 as of late Saturday:
1. Alabama (11-0)
2. Clemson (11-0)
3. Notre Dame (11-0)
4. Michigan (10-1)
5. Georgia (10-1)
6. Oklahoma (10-1)
7. LSU (9-2)
8. Washington State (10-1)
9. West Virginia (9-2)
10. Ohio State (9-2)
11. UCF (10-0)
UCF should be no lower than sixth in this poll. No. 10 Ohio State escaped by the skin its teeth in a 52-51 OT win against a mediocre 5-5 Maryland team. Plus the Buckeyes were upset earlier this season by unranked Purdue. No. 9 West Virginia lost Saturday to unranked Oklahoma State so they will undoubtedly drop in the rankings. No. 8 Washington State's best win was against a 6-4 Stanford team and they also lost to a terrible 5-6 USC team this season. No. 7 LSU had an impressive win against No. 5 Georgia but loss to Florida and got embarrassed in a 29-0 loss to juggernaut Alabama. No. 6 Oklahoma has one of the best players in the country in Kyler Murray, but the Sooners haven't defeated a ranked team this season and lost their annual rivalry game to a 7-3 Texas team. No. 5 Georgia's only loss is to LSU as mentioned above, but they also have to meet Alabama in the SEC title game in a few weeks. Michigan has dominated in the Big Ten, but fell short against No. 3 Notre Dame to open the season.
Critics of the Knights will say their strength of schedule prevents them from making the playoff but you can't undervalue winning, yet all UCF has done is win. Four teams ahead of the Knights have losses to inferior teams, yet they still remain ahead of the Knights.
The playoff was designed for teams like UCF to get a seat at the table when they have exceptional seasons.
So far, the powers that be are doing all they can to keep the Knights on the outside looking.
If the Knights finish this season undefeated, the CFP committee needs to do the right thing and put them in the top 4.
Whew, there, I said it.
Another thing, they also have one of the best teams in the nation.
No. 11 UCF thrashed No. 24 Cincinnati 38-13 in front of a national TV audience on ABC Saturday in Orlando. The Knights dominated the game from start to finish to extend their winning streak to 23 straight games -- the longest such streak in the country. To put that in perspective, they haven't lost a game in exactly 700 days. Saturday, they played the type of game -- an explosive offense and swarming defense -- that made programs like Miami famous during their rise to prominence during 80s and early 2000s.
For many fans outside Orlando, it was their first time watching UCF play since last season's Peach Bowl win against Auburn to complete an undefeated season.
The Knights crowned themselves national champions after that season, although Alabama won the College Football Playoff. Countless debates have ensued and I'll save that discussion for another blog post.
But I will say this: UCF belongs in the college football playoff, no ifs, ands or buts about it.
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| (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) |
The Knights are ranked No. 11 in the country, but there aren't 10 teams clearly better than UCF.
Somehow, there's six one-loss teams and one two-loss team ranked ahead of them in the polls.
Here's the top 10 as of late Saturday:
1. Alabama (11-0)
2. Clemson (11-0)
3. Notre Dame (11-0)
4. Michigan (10-1)
5. Georgia (10-1)
6. Oklahoma (10-1)
7. LSU (9-2)
8. Washington State (10-1)
9. West Virginia (9-2)
10. Ohio State (9-2)
11. UCF (10-0)
UCF should be no lower than sixth in this poll. No. 10 Ohio State escaped by the skin its teeth in a 52-51 OT win against a mediocre 5-5 Maryland team. Plus the Buckeyes were upset earlier this season by unranked Purdue. No. 9 West Virginia lost Saturday to unranked Oklahoma State so they will undoubtedly drop in the rankings. No. 8 Washington State's best win was against a 6-4 Stanford team and they also lost to a terrible 5-6 USC team this season. No. 7 LSU had an impressive win against No. 5 Georgia but loss to Florida and got embarrassed in a 29-0 loss to juggernaut Alabama. No. 6 Oklahoma has one of the best players in the country in Kyler Murray, but the Sooners haven't defeated a ranked team this season and lost their annual rivalry game to a 7-3 Texas team. No. 5 Georgia's only loss is to LSU as mentioned above, but they also have to meet Alabama in the SEC title game in a few weeks. Michigan has dominated in the Big Ten, but fell short against No. 3 Notre Dame to open the season.
Critics of the Knights will say their strength of schedule prevents them from making the playoff but you can't undervalue winning, yet all UCF has done is win. Four teams ahead of the Knights have losses to inferior teams, yet they still remain ahead of the Knights.
The playoff was designed for teams like UCF to get a seat at the table when they have exceptional seasons.
So far, the powers that be are doing all they can to keep the Knights on the outside looking.
If the Knights finish this season undefeated, the CFP committee needs to do the right thing and put them in the top 4.
Couldn't said it better myself! The Knights are deserving of a chance to play for the title, at the very least.
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