The UCF Knights holders of the nations longest active winning streak at 20 have a week off. Which is good news for their soon to be opponents because that seems to be the only time UCF doesn’t win. Well, that all changes this week as UCF is going to try to get a different kind of win this week. With the help and organization of one of the most avid UCF fans and supporters, Chad Barr, the Knights fans are planning on making a trip to College Gameday set, to get themselves front and center. He is organizing a bus to take fellow UCF fans and students out to Jacksonville to be at the center of College Gameday. By the way, in case you don’t know who he is he was the man responsible for this little treasure. He is one of the best lawyers in the Orlando area on top of being a full-time Knights fan and supporter. He has done a lot of vocalization about UCF and the amount of respect given to “non-power 5” schools.
The object of this trip is not to harass, bully, or threaten anyone it is to let it be known that UCF has a passionate fan base and that the Non-Power 5 discrimination should not continue. I have heard the arguments of people who are not a supporter of UCF’s strength of schedule. I have also heard the play in a real conference and you wouldn’t go undefeated. While these are easy points to just throw at UCF fans to make them go away they can all be disproved. For instance, the strength of schedule on numerous occasions Danny White has made it abundantly clear we will not turn down any team. UCF had Texas on the schedule, Texas dropped the game and decided to instead play Alabama. Part of the reason schools won’t play UCF is because they know there is a good possibility UCF will beat them.
I have heard someone say to me do you really think UCF has any chance at beating Alabama? That they would get run off the field and we would go home happy to have been in the game. And to that, I respond with last years NCAA Basketball Tournament. UMBC (University of Maryland Baltimore County) a 16 seed team who finished their season 25-11 (12-4 in the conference which was good for 2nd place, not 1st). Their Strength of Schedule was 244 out of 351 and they were facing 2 loss Virginia who was 31-2 (20-1 in their conference which was good for first place) and Strength of Schedule was 6th out of 351. Las Vegas had the Point Spread at Virginia by 22 points, similar to what “experts” say Alabama will beat UCF by in a Neutral site game. Well, how did that UMBC-Virginia game work out? UMBC won 74-54 over the nations best team in College Basketball. Imagine them being told they couldn’t play with the big boys because their “Strength of Schedule” was not good enough. I am sure UMBC heard all the talk about them having no chance to win that game, this is why you need UCF in the playoffs if they go undefeated for a second straight season. Even if they get rolled by Alabama or whoever at least they would have had the opportunity to be the Cinderella, life is about opportunities and whether or not you take them when you get them. Well here’s an opportunity to get UCF noticed even more than it currently is, a big stage on a week where the team is not playing to make sure they stay relevant in the CFP’s voter’s eyes.