UCF AD Writes Letter to GameDay After Criticism of Knights' College Football Playoff Chances
UCF is in the midst of the longest active winning streak in the nation, but even a win on Saturday could not help the Knights rise in the latest AP Poll.
At 7–0 and riding a 20-game winning streak, UCF was ranked No. 10 in the latest AP Poll. However, going into competition Saturday, the folks at ESPN's College GameDay questioned whether or not the Knights are really in contention for a spot in the College Football Playoff and discussed just how their résumé compares to other teams outside the Power 5.
ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit said UCF’s playoff chances look worse on paper than teams like Fresno State and Appalachian State, even though the Knights hold the nation's longest active winning streak and defeated Auburn in last year's Peach Bowl.
In response, UCF athletic director Danny White wrote a letter to the GameDay crew asking they put more stake in wins and losses instead of team histories and other sorts of subjective judging criteria.
"College football has become a subjective popularity contest," White wrote. "The Knights represent all the teams who—for reasons of history, geography or politics—are left out of the club. These factors will not define our bright future. Our student-athletes don't want anything given to them ... they just want a chance."
UCF is currently tied for first in the AAC East division with Temple at 4–0. Additionally, No. 21 South Florida sits just behind those two at 3–0. The Knights' next game is against Temple on Nov. 1 on ESPN. They close out their season on the road against South Florida.
