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I have an early Christmas wish, a wish I’m sure many UCF fans share.
Dear Santa,
Please, please, please renew the War on I-4 and extend an invitation to USF for the St. Petersburg Bowl.
I’ve wanted it since the rivalry between UCF and USF began and have wanted it even more since the rivalry has been discontinued
A matchup with USF would be like getting a dream date with Heidi Klum. Well except USF doesn’t want to date us, and Heidi Klum would obviously want to date me.
But that’s beside the point.
The Bulls didn’t want to renew the rivalry after the 2007 season, much to the chagrin of the seasons.
For two teams that hate each other with a passion, it would be the best fit and would be an instant classic. And there’s doubt it would be a guaranteed sell out, not to mention, St. Pete is just a short drive for both schools.
When the rivalry was alive, it was one of the most, if not the most, looked forward to game for UCF players and fans.
Nothing would make UCF fans happier than to play the Bulls in a bowl game, and nothing would make Knights fans happier than to have a chance at beating their hated in-state rivals to earn the programs first bowl-game win.
Before definite bowl destinations can be decided though, there are still some things up in the air. The Big East still has a lot on the line, with three conference games Saturday that will decide placement in the standings. Some even have Rugers as the team UCF would face Dec. 19 at Tropicana Field.
But no matter whom the Knights play, predicting the outcome is a daunting task.
Even though UCF has an 8-4 record, the Knights beat just one team with a winning record during the season, and albeit, it was UCF’s first win over a ranked opponent.
The eight teams UCF has beaten have a combined 38-57 record, and the teams UCF has lost to (Southern Miss, ECU, Miami and Texas) have a combined 37-12 record.
Or, it could be clear as day. Sorry to burst the bubble of hope UCF fans.
Any team UCF will play will have a winning record or at best will be 6-6, but don’t jump ship and don’t give up hope just yet. This team has continued to surprise.
UCF’s losses to Southern Miss and East Carolina came in the first four games of the season by a combined 12 points and put the Knights in a difficult spot, starting conference play 0-2. The Knights then rallied to win six consecutive conference games and won five of their past six.
The offense has also since come alive. After averaging 304.5 total yards of offense through the first six games, the Knights have averaged about 85 more yards a game since.
The defense has forced an average of one more turnover a game in that same span and has allowed only four teams to run for more than 100 yards in a game.
At the same time, Brynn Harvey has run for at least 100 yards in three consecutive games, and Brett Hodges has thrown for at least 230 yards in four consecutive games.
This team has been able to pull it together as the season has gone on, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if they muster up another surprise and earn the program’s first win in a bowl game.
3 comments
WHEN UCF gets on TV more, they will get better players and win more and get more TV... revolving door. So far, that door is not open much to UCF. IF ONLY UCF had the chance to jump into Big East - entire story would be different.