#8 UCF [10-0] @ Tampa

[Knightro]

It seems like you’re fully aware of the issues but just want to shrug your shoulders and say there is nothing we can do so oh well. With SOOOOOOOO much money on the line to completely change the future of UCF for the better, I don’t understand how that can be the feeling for any true fan. Maybe it works out and maybe it doesn’t but you have to try ...

Try what though? I don't work for the school anymore. A bunch of loud and obnoxious fans being mad online isn't going to do anything for anybody. I could write letters to the conference commissioners and the NCAA. I could picket their offices. I could bring signs and flags to their games. It's not going to do anything except eventually get me arrested

For whatever reason, you seem to believe there's something the fans can do (beyond show up to games, both home and away) to "troll" their way into conference expansion and frankly there's just nothing fans can do about it.

[MagicFan101]

It seems like you’re fully aware of the issues but just want to shrug your shoulders and say there is nothing we can do so oh well. With SOOOOOOOO much money on the line to completely change the future of UCF for the better, I don’t understand how that can be the feeling for any true fan. Maybe it works out and maybe it doesn’t but you have to try ...

Try what though? I don't work for the school anymore. A bunch of loud and obnoxious fans being mad online isn't going to do anything for anybody. I could write letters to the conference commissioners and the NCAA. I could picket their offices. I could bring signs and flags to their games. It's not going to do anything except eventually get me arrested

For whatever reason, you seem to believe there's something the fans can do (beyond show up to games, both home and away) to "troll" their way into conference expansion and frankly there's just nothing fans can do about it.

... my rants started with the school openly rejecting quality games against elite programs.

That comes from the top, not the fans.

It will always come down to what the program officials decide. However, fans bring in the money and as a community will have the loudest voice. If one such game was on the table then so to will others. If fans raise hell about this dumb, short sighted decision (as they should) then hopefully leadership makes a better call on the next opportunity.

[Knightro]

... my rants started with the school openly rejecting quality games against elite programs.

That comes from the top, not the fans.

It will always come down to what the program officials decide. However, fans bring in the money and as a community will have the loudest voice. If one such game was on the table then so to will others. If fans raise hell about this dumb, short sighted decision (as they should) then hopefully leadership makes a better call on the next opportunity.

That really hasn't happened to the level you think it has happened.

I'll leave it at that.

[MagicFan101]

Regardless, I’ll end with this ...

No rational person can deny that a monumental change to college football (at least from a $$ sharing standpoint) is coming in the next 5-7 years. That change will come with via contracts locking in terms which will prevent anything comparable happening for another 25+ years I would guess.

Agree or disagree on what can be done about it. Surely we can all agree it would be good for UCF to fall on the right side of this next big realignment, no?

... futile or not, I hope they are doing whatever they can.

[Knightro]

Regardless, I’ll end with this ...

No rational person can deny that a monumental change to college football (at least from a $$ sharing standpoint) is coming in the next 5-7 years. That change will come with via contracts locking in terms which will prevent anything comparable happening for another 25+ years I would guess.

Agree or disagree on what can be done about it. Surely we can all agree it would be good for UCF to fall on the right side of this next big realignment, no?

... futile or not, I hope they are doing whatever they can.

At the end of the day, I don't disagree with anything you're saying about how important it will be for UCF to get into a bigger conference with more meaningful television/digital revenue at some point. The gap between the P5 and G5 is only going to keep getting wider and wider as years pass.

You're 100% right about that.

I just don't think there's much beyond what they're already doing that can truly sway a conference into wanting them more.

If a conference thinks adding UCF will make them more money than adding someone else, that's the only thing that's going to matter.

In the here and now UCF just needs to keep winning as much as they can so they can continue to reap all the benefits that come from that.

[PennytoShaq]

Ok, but my point is that you can’t complain about this stuff to FSU fans. We made our legacy by seeking out the best competition and plying them year after year until we built a sustainable dynasty. Even in a bad year we are still top 10 in recruiting as a result. We have nothing to gain besides some $$$ from playing USF, but we did it anyway.

I understand UCF’s issue, but I also do not believe that no one in America will play them. They absolutely can get a better schedule and simply must if they want to be taken seriously.

As a CFB fan, I would like to see them play better schools just to see the matchups. I watched the entire Memphis game and enjoyed it a lot, but I question how that defense would do against better offenses and would like to see it in a game that had playoff implications. As a result, I look forward to watching the Cincinnati and USF games.

Also, FSU plays in Orlando a lot. UCf simply needs to have those games in Camping World. They need to make stuff like that happen.

It's not the same though.

FSU has been in the ACC for over 25 years. They have reaped major rewards, from an exposure perspective, a conference bowl game payout perspective and a TV revenue perspective. UCF has none of that financial windfall to fall back on. If they give up home games, that's SIGNIFICANT money lost for a school that isn't getting a TV windfall.

Power 5 teams make so much money on their television contracts and neutral site game payouts that they could literally not play a single home game and not lose money. When you're getting 30-40 MILLION bucks before take one snap, you can afford to do whatever you want with your schedule.

FSU will NEVER schedule a neutral site game in Orlando against UCF if they have the option of playing a P5 school instead.

Believe me, UCF is desperately trying here. The Knights will book a home and home with literally any Power 5 school in the country and about 85% of them won't even consider it.

My point was that it was the same in the past. We were the school that was not in a conference and had to go seek out competition for years. FSU did not play home and homes. Many times there just went and played the away game and then won the game.

And that is why when UCF fans try and climb to the top overnight and act like they are national champs, it is insulting to most fans of legacy schools. Because now you are seeing how long it takes to build up to where you can actually play these schedules year after year and get into a conference to where you can run a P5 gauntlet and win a NT.

Your frustrations are real. But FSU alumni are no stranger to those same challenges. That is what I am saying here.

[Knightro]

My point was that it was the same in the past. We were the school that was not in a conference and had to go seek out competition for years. FSU did not play home and homes. Many times there just went and played the away game and then won the game.

And that is why when UCF fans try and climb to the top overnight and act like they are national champs, it is insulting to most fans of legacy schools. Because now you are seeing how long it takes to build up to where you can actually play these schedules year after year and get into a conference to where you can run a P5 gauntlet and win a NT.

Your frustrations are real. But FSU alumni are no stranger to those same challenges. That is what I am saying here.

I get what you're saying. I just think the landscape of college football has completely changed, specifically financially.

Comparing FSU from the late 1980s to UCF of the late 2010's is almost like apples and oranges.

Yes, FSU was independent back then, but so was Miami, so was South Carolina, so was Syracuse, so was Penn State, so was West Virginia.

Like 10 independents a year were making bowl games in from in the mid to late 80 and early 90s.

[PennytoShaq]

My point was that it was the same in the past. We were the school that was not in a conference and had to go seek out competition for years. FSU did not play home and homes. Many times there just went and played the away game and then won the game.

And that is why when UCF fans try and climb to the top overnight and act like they are national champs, it is insulting to most fans of legacy schools. Because now you are seeing how long it takes to build up to where you can actually play these schedules year after year and get into a conference to where you can run a P5 gauntlet and win a NT.

Your frustrations are real. But FSU alumni are no stranger to those same challenges. That is what I am saying here.

I get what you're saying. I just think the landscape of college football has completely changed, specifically financially.

Comparing FSU from the late 1980s to UCF of the late 2010's is almost like apples and oranges.

Yes, FSU was independent back then, but so was Miami, so was South Carolina, so was Syracuse, so was Penn State, so was West Virginia.

Like 10 independents a year were making bowl games in from in the mid to late 80 and early 90s.

It’s definitely changed, but the core fundamentals of what needs to be done have not. UCF is a top 20 school right now. Will they be that way in the future? I have no idea. But when you are a top 20 school, you can make things happen from a matchup perspective.

Honestly, the AD’s insistence that UCF was National Champs may have hurt his relationship with other schools. That is just my speculation, but I remember Herbstreit said something to that effect and it made sense. It probably rubbed some AD’s the wrong way and they are snubbing the Knights.

If the playoffs were a top 8 like everyone wants, this would be a non-issue. But since they focused on 5 conferences and only 4 teams, the NCAA created this mess and the fans get punished.

UCF simply needs creative leadership to find ways to schedule games. If that means no home game - do it. Go on the road in a one off and beat some teams. That’s how you build a legacy program.

[UCF]

What Danny White did hasn’t hurt UCF in the slightest. Teams will not want to play us as long as Milton is our QB.

[MagicFan101]

What Danny White did hasn’t hurt UCF in the slightest. Teams will not want to play us as long as Milton is our QB.

lol, if only the world consisted of nothing but FCS teams and ended in 2019!

[PennytoShaq]

What Danny White did hasn’t hurt UCF in the slightest. Teams will not want to play us as long as Milton is our QB.

Cmon man, there was actually serious discourse in this thread for half a second.

[BadMofoPimp]

Honestly, the AD’s insistence that UCF was National Champs may have hurt his relationship with other schools. That is just my speculation, but I remember Herbstreit said something to that effect and it made sense. It probably rubbed some AD’s the wrong way and they are afraid of the Knights.

FIXED!!!

[Knightro]

For the record, I do NOT think UCF won the National Championship.

It was a goofy marketing ploy by Danny White, but it absolutely kept UCF's name in people's mouth.

[UCF]

What Danny White did hasn’t hurt UCF in the slightest. Teams will not want to play us as long as Milton is our QB.

Cmon man, there was actually serious discourse in this thread for half a second.

Some things don’t have to be an essay to be true.

Danny White has made it abundantly clear he won’t sacrifice a home schedule to go play one and done pay days. They are awful for selling season tickets and attracting new donors. Those games also wouldn’t prove anything to the committee because they’ll have another excuse to keep the money away from any G5 team. We might have to go perfect three straight years and I still expect people wouldn’t support a playoff bid. It’s all about cash and they won’t want to share. It’s a committee full of representatives who have day jobs in the P5.

Right now it should be all about promoting the AAC. Our commissioner isn’t good at promoting our conference. Danny White has been the biggest cheerleader for all teams to get the recognition our league has earned. The next TV contract will make our break our long term outlook. I don’t see any P5 league expanding because tv money isn’t there to support it. So Danny claiming a championship that resulted in months of free exposure is not a negative but probably the best move we could have ever imagined.

[UCF]

Read on Twitter

What he said lol

[PennytoShaq]

What Danny White did hasn’t hurt UCF in the slightest. Teams will not want to play us as long as Milton is our QB.

Cmon man, there was actually serious discourse in this thread for half a second.

Some things don’t have to be an essay to be true.

Danny White has made it abundantly clear he won’t sacrifice a home schedule to go play one and done pay days. They are awful for selling season tickets and attracting new donors. Those games also wouldn’t prove anything to the committee because they’ll have another excuse to keep the money away from any G5 team. We might have to go perfect three straight years and I still expect people wouldn’t support a playoff bid. It’s all about cash and they won’t want to share. It’s a committee full of representatives who have day jobs in the P5.

Right now it should be all about promoting the AAC. Our commissioner isn’t good at promoting our conference. Danny White has been the biggest cheerleader for all teams to get the recognition our league has earned. The next TV contract will make our break our long term outlook. I don’t see any P5 league expanding because tv money isn’t there to support it. So Danny claiming a championship that resulted in months of free exposure is not a negative but probably the best move we could have ever imagined.

Ok. Well that doesnt sound like long term sustainable success to me, but good luck.

[Knightro]

Getting this back on track for this week.

ECU has announced they will be starting their true freshman backup QB Holton Ahlers for the first time in his career.

Ahlers came in and led a couple of late scoring drives against Houston to make that game look like less of a blowout than it really was. He's a running QB all the way, 38 carries for 248 yards and 5 touchdowns.

I could see some early issues defensively, but I'm confident UCF will win and likely cover.

[drsd]

.... but it absolutely kept UCF's name in people's mouth.

And sold a boat-load of season tickets AND got media attention for AAC games. (that three AAC teams are undefeated at the season's mid-point doesn't hurt, of course).

Personally I see that White did a fantastic PR job in getting enthusiasm and support for the Coming season. Which one could argue is, "His Job."



..

[drsd]

Getting this back on track for this week.

ECU has announced they will be starting their true freshman backup QB Holton Ahlers for the first time in his career.

Ahlers came in and led a couple of late scoring drives against Houston to make that game look like less of a blowout than it really was. He's a running QB all the way, 38 carries for 248 yards and 5 touchdowns.

I could see some early issues defensively, but I'm confident UCF will win and likely cover.

The Knights runs defense must be better.



..

[drsd]

If the Knights is healthy, the Taylor - Fall connection should pile on wins. The media is reflective and this morning ESPN.UK / NCAA men's ball had UCF as its main story.

An example quote:

UCF picked to win AAC, guard B.J. Taylor tabbed as preseason player of the year