(Photo by Adrian J. Hernandez / New Day Review)
ORLANDO, Fla. – The No. 15 UCF Knights are on the brink of achieving something only four teams, this season, have a chance of doing. With 10 wins in hand, an 11th victory and a win over the USF Bulls would complete the Knights’ first-ever undefeated regular season. USF will be the Knights’ most difficult test, as the “War on I-4” rivalry game will be UCF’s first chance at a ranked opponent this year. USF is ranked 22nd in the Associated Press Top 25 and 19th in the Coaches Poll.
This Friday, the rivalry is renewed, as the Knights (10-0, 7-0 in American Athletic Conference) play the Bulls (9-1, 6-1 in AAC) at Spectrum Stadium. Playing in a rivalry game with this much animosity is exciting for UCF quarterback McKenzie Milton.
“It’s obviously a lot of bad blood,” Milton said after practice on Nov. 21. “A lot of Florida kids playing against each other. So it’s just a lot of fun. A lot of guys that might [have] played each other in high school and stuff like that. You definitely feel it. And it’s definitely a high-energy game.”
Not only does USF present a rivalry matchup, but, this season, it is a high-stakes rivalry game. The winner of the game on Friday wins the AAC East and faces the University of Memphis in the conference championship game. The winner of the 2017 AAC Championship Game will likely play in a New Year’s Six bowl.
Those kind of stakes were not expected for UCF at the beginning of the season. In the preseason, the Knights were selected to finish second in the AAC East behind the Bulls, according to an AAC media poll. USF was unanimously selected to win the East.
But UCF has defied those expectations, and its 10-0 start is the best in school history. The Knights also have an average margin of victory 27.7 points this year. Yet, seven two-loss teams and one three-loss team are ahead of the Knights in the College Football Playoff rankings.
Offensive tackle Aaron Evans is using what he and the team feel is disrespect from the CFP committee and the conference preseason rankings as fuel for the USF game.
“There’s a chip on your shoulder, I guess,” Evans said after practice on Nov. 20. “What’s great about everyone is, like, we wanna show ‘em what’s up. Again, people have underestimated us all year, and we’ve proven that we’ve been the dominant team all season, 10-0.
“And not just—we didn’t barley win some of those games. We won those games. So it’s been really clear. And I’m excited about going into this game and making another statement this week.”
As for UCF defensive lineman Jamiyus Pittman, there’s more at stake than just a perfect regular season.
“We still got business to handle,” Pittman said after practice on Nov. 20. “All this means nothing if we don’t win this next one.”
The Knights have come a long way since a winless 2015 season. Now, UCF prepares for one of its biggest games in school history to do what no other Knights team has done. The only obstacle in the Knights’ way are the Bulls.
The “War On I-4” kicks off on Black Friday at 3:30 p.m. at Spectrum Stadium, and the game will be broadcast on ABC.
For more on the Knights, as they prepare for ranked USF and a chance at the AAC championship game, follow Ryan Weiss on Twitter at @NDR_RyanWeiss.
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