College Football Rankings 2018: Alabama, Clemson top way-too-early Top 25

Regardless of whether or not you believe UCF should have had an opportunity to prove itself in the College Football Playoff, the Knights earned the distinction of being the only undefeated team in major college football in 2017. The unblemished season was even sweeter coming just two years after a miserable, winless 2015. The man who deserves the majority of the credit, Scott Frost, won’t be back to lead the program in 2018, but new head coach Josh Heupel has everything at his disposal to make another run at an undefeated season and New Year’s Six bowl game.

Strengths:

Quarterback McKenzie Milton is a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate. Milton finished eighth in the Heisman vote as a sophomore, which means he’s the third leading returning vote-getter nationally. The Hawaii native completed 67.1 percent of his passes for 4,037 yards and 37 touchdowns with only nine interceptions last season and ranked second nationally with an average of 10.2 yards per attempt.

McKenzie will miss leading receiver Tre’Quan Smith, but the next four wideouts on the depth chart, as well as every running back that touched the ball a year ago and four starters on the offensive line, are all set to return. He’ll miss Frost, too, but Heupel’s success with Drew Lock at Missouri should bode well for the Knights’ offense.

Weaknesses:

In addition to an overall lack of respect that comes with playing in the AAC, the biggest weakness for UCF in 2018 will likely be the defensive front seven. The Knights must replace two of three starters on the defensive line and half the linebacker corps. Top pass rusher Shaquem Griffin will be the toughest to replace, but cornerback Mike Hughes (an early entrant in the NFL Draft) leaves a big hole in an otherwise experienced secondary as well.