Sorry, UCF: Perfect Knights have no rightful claim to national title in 2017

UCF players, coaches and fans are going crazy about the idea they will not be crowned national champs – and there is no reason that they should be.

As the final seconds ticked off the clock inside Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta on New Years Day, the UCF Knights were celebrating the fact that they were going to knock off SEC West champ Auburn to bring home a Peach Bowl victory – their second New Years Six / BCS bowl win in the last five seasons.

Without a doubt, at 13-0 on the season, the only undefeated team left in the FBS has plenty to be proud of from the 2017 season as they went out each game they played and did what no other team did – win each and every single game, which is the job of every team each week.

At the same time, the Knights are sitting on the outside look in as Alabama and Georgia – two teams that were beat by the same Tigers team that UCF defeated earlier this week – will play in that same Atlanta stadium this coming Monday for the national title. Those in Orlando and those in gold and black are screaming for the mountain tops that they are the true champ.

No, Knights…you’re not.

Let me repeat my earlier statement: nothing should be done to take away from what UCF accomplished this season. They did something that FSU football and the other 128 FBS teams couldn’t do all year and that is go undefeated.

That being said, the Knights had no business being considered one of the four playoff teams like their fans, players, administration and others have been yelling about. You can talk about the zero in your loss column – but when you have the 77th toughest schedule out of the 130 teams in the FBS, your argument losses some weight.

That’s the thing that fans of the Knights and those who aren’t major college football fans aren’t quite understanding: like it or not, the level of competition in the American Athletic Conference (home of UCF) and Power Five leagues are no where in the same level.

Would UCF have gone undefeated playing in the SEC or ACC for an entire season? Not a chance at all. Let me say that another way: the Knights would have gotten DESTROYED if they played in either the ACC Atlantic Division or the SEC East, for example. By destroyed, they would have been fighting for a 7-5 record this season.

Alas, you can’t tell many of the people in Orlando that they aren’t the national champs. In fact, school officials (according to a story in USA Today) are planning a national title-esuqe celebration and parade. That is where we are now – keep telling yourself an untruth enough times and you will believe it, in this case being that UCF is the national champs because they were undefeated.

I give the zero in the loss column plenty of respect – I was the one saying Wisconsin deserved to be in the top four because they should be unbeaten – and I think UCF should have been a lot higher than No. 12 entering the Peach Bowl. But, at the risk of sounding like an elitist, I would tell the Knights to join a real conference and see what they can do on a 12 game basis.

When you have a schedule that includes FIU, Cincinnati, East Carolina, Austin Peay and UConn, it’s easy to stay healthy enough to put one great game together against Auburn. It’s also easy to become delusional and think you are one of the big boys.

Next: FSU winning season streak dominates FBS programs in Fla.

Celebrate having the best team in program history, UCF (and being the best team in the state of Florida this season) – but you have no argument toward being the national champs.