Movin’ on up: Knights 11th in playoff rankings
UCF moved up a spot to No. 11 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday evening.
The Knights (9-0) managed to gain some ground in their quest for a spot in one of the two semifinals with a win over Navy Saturday, extending the nation’s longest win streak to 22 games.
This is the first time a team from the Group of 5 conferences has been ranked higher than No. 12.
The committee continues to be impressed with UCF’s offensive prowess.
“We saw their game against Navy in the win and obviously the offense continues to perform, McKenzie Milton is a special talent but strength of schedule continues to be part of the discussion for the committee and that’s why they moved up to No. 11,” Playoff chair Rob Mullens said of the Knights.
UCF is officially set to host a top 25 matchup in primetime Saturday, with Cincinnati moving up to No. 24 in the latest rankings. The Knights and Bearcats (9-1) will face off at 8 p.m. at Spectrum Stadium during a contest that will air nationally on ABC.
ESPN’s College Football GameDay will be broadcast from the Knights’ campus on Saturday, adding more energy to an already highly anticipated matchup that will determine which team will clinch the American Athletic Conference East Division crown.
Alabama remained No. 1 atop the rankings, followed by No. 2 Clemson, No. 3 Notre Dame and No. 4 Michigan.
This is the third of the six weekly rankings released by the 13-member selection committee, with the final standings to be revealed on Dec. 2. Those rankings will determine the four semifinalists along with the teams participating in the remainder of the New Year’s Six bowl games.
The two semifinals, which rotate yearly, will take place in Miami at the Orange Bowl and in Dallas at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 29.
The remaining New Year’s Six games will be hosted by the Fiesta, Peach, Rose and Sugar bowls.
The top-ranked conference champion from the Group of 5 leagues automatically earns a spot in one of the access bowl games.
UCF earned the spot last season, beating Auburn in the Peach Bowl.
If the Knights remain undefeated, they are on track to clinch the Access Bowl bid again, but they could face competition from Cincinnati and No. 25 Boise State.
The College Football Playoff National Championship Game is slated to be played on Monday, Jan. 7, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
The selection committee is composed of Rob Mullens, Frank Beamer, Paola Boivin, Jeff Bower, Joe Castiglione, Herb Deromedi, Ken Hatfield, Chris Howard, Bobby Johnson, Ronnie Lott, Gene Smith, Todd Stansbury and Scott Stricklin.