CFB exec says UCF will not be ignored; Hurricanes rout UNC
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Unbeaten and uninvited last year, UCF could still find its way into this year’s College Football Playoff.
That is, if the Knights keep winning.
CFP executive director Bill Hancock said that the Knights — who have the nation’s longest winning streak at 16 games — will once again get evaluated the same way as every other team does when the committee that will ultimately decide the four playoff-bound teams this season gathers to crunch numbers and pick a field.
“Yes, there is a path,” Hancock said Thursday before attending the North Carolina-Miami game at Hard Rock Stadium, the site of one of this year’s CFP semifinals. “UCF got full consideration from the committee last year. I believe the committee at the end of the season had ranked UCF higher than the sports writers and the coaches had. So they got every consideration and they had a wonderful season.”
UCF appeared in all six sets of CFP rankings last season — always as the lowest-ranked unbeaten. UCF was behind four twice-beaten teams in the first rankings a year ago, then eight in the second set of rankings. Eventually, the CFP selectors had UCF behind three-loss teams and ended up putting the Knights at No. 12 in the final ranking.
The Knights are 3-0 this season, coming off a win last week over Florida Atlantic.
The Knights claimed a national title last season, even throwing themselves a parade and handing out rings. The argument was further supported by UCF finishing last season ranked No. 1 in the Colley Matrix rankings, which was once a part of the formula used by the now-defunct Bowl Championship Series — the precursor to the CFP.
It’s still early, and the CFP race is quite muddled. There are 21 unbeatens left at the FBS level, and that number will fall by at least three this weekend — with Ohio State vs. Penn State, Syracuse vs. Clemson and Stanford vs. Notre Dame being on Saturday’s schedule. All six of those teams enter the weekend with 4-0 records.
UCF, ranked No. 13 in the AP Top 25, plays host to Pittsburgh on Saturday.
Thursday night
No. 16 MIAMI 47, NORTH CAROLINA 10: In Miami Gardens, Fla., Miami tied a school record with three defensive touchdowns and N’Kosi Perry threw for a score in his first start as the Hurricanes downed North Carolina.
Romeo Finley and Joe Jackson ran back interceptions for scores, and Jonathan Garvin scooped up a fumble and rumbled in for another TD as the Hurricanes (4-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) wound up forcing six turnovers in all. UNC is 1-3, 1-1.
“It was a sight to see,” Miami defensive coordinator Manny Diaz said. “We always say, turnovers, they seem to come in bunches. The fact that we turned defense into offense on those was quite a sight to see.”
UNC’s Chazz Surratt, making his season debut after serving a three-game suspension for selling team-issued shoes, relieved starting quarterback Nathan Elliott early and rushed for a touchdown. But Surratt was intercepted three times and the Tar Heels were a combined 3-for-16 on third and fourth downs.