Bobcats among teams to watch in Group of Five

Central Florida is trying to follow up on its undefeated season with a new coach, a new defensive cornerstone and the same old high expectations.

The Knights head the list of Group of Five teams with reason for optimism this season.

UCF lost its coach when the lure of his alma mater prompted Scott Frost to return to Nebraska , though he stuck around long enough to coach the Knights in a Peach Bowl victory over Auburn . The Knights also must replace American Athletic Conference defensive player of the year Shaquem Griffin, who was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fifth round.

They still have plenty of firepower. New coach and former Missouri offensive coordinator Josh Heupel inherits a group that includes star quarterback McKenzie Milton, who is making sure the Knights enter this season with the right attitude.

“Say you come off a winning year, teams might tend to get lackadaisical in the way they approach things,” Milton said. “They might get complacent. That can’t be us. We caught some teams off guard in the way we played, the way we won last year. We’re not going to catch anybody off guard now. We’re going to get everybody’s best shot.”

The Group of Five refers to conferences that aren’t part of the Power Five (the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and Southeastern Conference). It includes Conference USA, the MAC, the Mountain West and the Sun Belt, as well as the American Athletic Conference.

Here’s a breakdown of top teams in each Group of Five conference heading into the season: ran for 1,086 yards and 12 touchdowns last season as Boise State went 11-3 with an MWC title and a Las Vegas Bowl victory over Oregon . Boise State beat Fresno State in last season’s MWC championship game, and those two teams figure to face off for the title again this year.