Fiesta Bowl likely if UCF wins league

As UCF chases another American Athletic Conference championship, the Knights have a variety of potential bowl destinations.

A College Football Playoff semifinal bid remains an extreme longshot, regardless of how many teams ahead of the No. 8 Knights lose during the weekend.

A win over Memphis in the AAC title game would instead send UCF to a New Year’s Six Access Bowl.

Last season, the Knights made the most of their New Year’s Six bid and defeated Auburn in the Peach Bowl.

This season, the Peach Bowl gets first pick among the Access Bowl lineup.

While bowl officials raved about the Knights’ fan support, they have quietly suggested they have hosted Group of 5 teams multiple times and would be interested in a matchup featuring Power 5 programs.

The trend means the Gators are more likely to land a ticket to the Peach Bowl than the Knights.

UCF instead is projected to go to Fiesta Bowl, where the Knights likely would face LSU.

Of course, there is a chance UCF could lose to Memphis Saturday.

It would be tough end to the nation’s longest win streak and crush the Knights’ chances of an elite bowl bid.

Even if UCF finishes as the highest ranked Group of 5 team, the Knights can’t go to an Access Bowl if they lose. The Group of 5 bid can only go to a team that has won its conference championship.

So where would UCF go after a loss to Memphis?

The most likely destination is the Gasparilla Bowl in St. Petersburg.

Of course, there always is a bit of horse trading during the final bowl weekend.

Some bowls manage to negotiate changes to their tie-ins with conferences and television networks.

The Hawaii Bowl, a sentimental option in honor of injured UCF star quarterback McKenzie Milton, has already locked in its teams. But there’s always the possibility other bowls could vie for a chance to host the Knights.