ORLANDO, Fla. – The second week of college football rankings are in, and UCF still lives among the lower echelon of the playoff committee’s rankings. UCF didn’t budge from No. 18 following a tight game against SMU, even though five programs ranked in front of them lost their games last week and only five unbeaten teams remain.
College Football Playoff’s Committee immediately made an enemy in UCF fans everywhere. Many felt that No. 18 was too low to begin with, considering much more positive rankings in the season-long polls, but to not move in the second week – it seemed personal.
It is no secret to anyone that the group of five faces an uphill battle, as no team outside of the Power Five conferences has ever made it to the playoff. Shoot, is it even possible?
“Yeah, I think it’s possible,” said Head Coach Scott Frost. “I don’t know if it will happen this year, next year, or the year after, but I think it’s possible. I look back to when Boise was playing really well, they threatened it a bunch of times.”
“Hopefully someday teams like ours get a chance to play in some of those games. We still have a long way to go before any of that talk matters. We’ve got to win this weekend and the rest will take care of itself, but I’m sure the debate will get started.”
Ignoring UCF made it clear: The Power Five rules. Even if the team finishes undefeated with an AAC Conference Championship under their belt, the playoff is beyond reach.
The Group of Five’s glass ceiling will require repetitive blows before it breaks, requiring a G5 school to continuously threaten the major contenders among the college football elite. To think that UCF is even relative in the conversation is mind blowing.
Most people would have flat out laughed at you had the suggestion of a top-fifteen ranking arisen in April, but this team has proven to be better than what anybody on the outside predicted.
“We take it as a challenge to step up and show them that we’re a lot better than they think we are,” said UCF offensive lineman Jordan Johnson. “We know that they lowballed us, but we try not to think about the rankings.”
“We just go out and play football against the team that they line us up against.”
It isn’t just Johnson who understands the predicament his team his in. Heisman-Fringe Hopeful McKenzie Milton said this week there just isn’t anything to be done about it. Nothing changes in the short run.
“Honestly, I have no idea (if it’s possible for a G5 school to make the playoff),” Milton said on Tuesday before the rankings dropped. “Like I said, that’s really out of our control. All we can focus on is winning games, and if we were to get that respect that would be awesome.”
“That’s definitely a goal for this program, I think. I think we could reach that goal, but you never know. You never know what’s going to happen.”
One thing is for certain. We know it won’t happen this year.
