UCF moved up to No. 9 in the College Football Playoff but the Knights still need some help to ultimately crack the top 4.
UCF has the nation’s longest winning streak but they’re facing an uphill battle to get respect and crash the College Football Playoff.
Despite not losing a game since the 2016 season, UCF sits outside the playoff and are running out of opportunities to impress the committee and play their way in. UCF needs a lot of luck in the next two weeks, but it’s not impossible for them to crack the top 4.
Any scenario about UCF in the playoff begins with the Knights beating USC and later Memphis in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game. Not only will Josh Heupel’s team need to win, but they’ll need to win big and rack up style points in the process. That may not be a problem with McKenzie Milton and the offense playing so well and the defense backing them up. They can control what’s in their power, but what will be a challenge is the following scenarios that will need to play out for UCF to make the College Football Playoff.
How UCF can make the College Football Playoff
1. Alabama wins the SEC – Alabama has to win out to prevent a scenario where the SEC gets two teams in again. If Auburn or Georgia beats Alabama, there’s zero chance for UCF to move up enough to get in the top 4.
2. Clemson loses – Clemson hosts South Carolina in their season finale before playing Pitt in the ACC Championship Game. If Dabo Swinney’s team gets upset, the Tigers will drop out of the top 4 and UCF will have the possibility to pass them.
3. Notre Dame loses to USC – The Fighting Irish are in with a win over USC. However, if the Trojans pull off the stunner and upset Notre Dame, the Irish will be eliminated and the door is open to UCF to be the big beneficiary.
4. Northwestern wins Big Ten – All eyes are on Ohio State-Michigan to see who wins the Big Ten East, but if Northwestern can beat the winner of The Game in the Big Ten Championship Game, UCF could steal the fourth spot.
5. 2-loss Big 12 champion – Knights fans should be rooting for West Virginia vs. Oklahoma on Friday night. A West Virginia-Texas Big 12 title game would eliminate the conference from playoff contention and UCF will continue to rise.
6. Washington State loses – The Cougars are the only Pac-12 team with a shot at the playoff. Standing in their way is Washington who historically has had their number in the Apple Cup rivalry and should they win that, they’ll meet Utah in the Pac-12 Championship Game. UCF would prefer Washington State lose in the Apple Cup, but they’ll take a loss in the Pac-12 title game too because either would move UCF ahead of them.
The underdogs face long odds but it’s not out of the realm of possibility for some of these scenarios to play out and give the Knights a chance. That’s all they’re really asking for too. They want a seat at the table to see how they can compete against the best in the nation. If they keep winning and get a little luck along the way, they just might get that chance.