Alabama Crimson Tide: Stop It UCF, There Is Only One True National Champion
I get it, an undefeated season would normally make a strong case for a team to be crowned National Champion in CFB. However, in the case for the UCF Knights, Alabama Crimson Tide was just that much better. What UCF was able to do was nothing short of remarkable. For a team to go from a 6-7 record in 2016 to 13-0 in 2017, is a true testament of a champion. Just so happens, it wasn’t good enough.
After UCF beat Auburn in the Peach Bowl, Knights’ fans come out in droves proclaiming them as National Champs. Sounds good from the campus supporters but that’s not enough. It doesn’t matter who voted for them in the final AP Poll, what matters is who was left holding what trophy at the end of their game.
[MarkAds]How can anyone just dismiss what the Alabama Crimson Tide did last season? Let’s just start with the real facts and work our way down from there. Everyone knows the college season starts and ends with the AP Rankings. So, with that said, Alabama entered the season ranked No.1 while UCF was nowhere near the top 25 or top 50 for that matter. Now, we move ahead to what many will use as ammo.
By October 4th, the Knights would finally crack the top 25 before taking on the 2-4 Cincinnati Bearcats. The Knights would go on a run that would get them as high as No. 13 in the polls. The issue that UCF faced was that while they were winning games, so were the other teams ahead of them. It’s hard to start the season ranked No. 64 and climb 60+ spots while you’re fighting against top 5 success ahead of you.
While the Knights were destroying the American Conference, the Crimson Tide was making short work of their SEC schedule as well. Not only that, but so was Clemson, Oklahoma, Georgia, Wisconsin, and Ohio State. How was UCF suppose to make up ground on teams that were beating each other? There was no way. It’s one thing to beat a tough Penn State team and another to beat Connecticut. To be fair, the UCF Knights have no one to blame but themselves.
Yes, they went undefeated and managed to beat the same Auburn team who knocked off the Crimson Tide when they were ranked No. 1 in the country. But it’s really what happened the prior two seasons that put the team in such a hole. Think about it. If the Knights did not go 6-19 over their last two seasons they would not have found themselves at the bottom of the abyss. If they would have started the season in the top 30, then they would have had a shot. But this is the way CFB works and fans of the Knights already understand this. So why all the bragging and boasting about being National Champs when they couldn’t even make it to a playoff game?
Will UCF Reach The Level Of Success As The Alabama Crimson Tide?
On the flip side of the coin was the one loss Alabama Crimson Tide. Yes, that loss to Auburn hurt but the Tigers were also ranked No. 6 at the time. But still, the UCF Knights were undefeated and many felt as if they deserved a shot. And they got their shot in the Peach Bowl against a top 10 team and proved they belonged with the big boys.
When the Playoff Committee had to make their selections, it was never a question if the Knights were going to get in. No way they were getting in even with an undefeated season. Their level of competition was below those in the Power Conferences. The American Division is nothing like the SEC, Pac-12 or Big Ten. Those are just the facts. Now, if three of those teams in the AAC were to have 9+ wins, then this would be a different discussion. But the Knights just didn’t have the resume to complete a great Cinderella season.
As they head into the 2018 season, the Knights will be in a position to change the outlook of their program as they will enter the year ranked in the top 5. Now they will get to see the pressure that Alabama Crimson Tide has to deal with every year.
[BXReporter]
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
