UCF Needs to Follow FSU Football Development Scheduling Plan

Here's some advice for UCF athletic director Danny White:

Drop the argument that UCF is a Power 6 school.

It is not and will not be for some time to come, so take what you have, build on it, celebrate it and enjoy it.

And follow the path taken by legendary coach Bobby Bowden more than 40 years ago when Florida State was the UCF of its day: Play any one, any time anywhere on their terms.

UCF is making some more noise because word has gone public that the University of Florida said it would consider scheduling the Knights in a two (home game) for one (home game) arrangement.

UCF and White, feeling pretty cocky after two seasons which have produced 0 losses, two New Year's Six bowl bids and a pair of Top 10 rankings, say they are beyond making 2 for one deals in their opponents favor.

They will play the big boys in a home and home setting--and that's it.

Well, no, that's not it.

Don't get me wrong.

I have been a UCF fan for more than 20 years, arguing for years that the Knights should have been in the old Big East football conference and that they should have been a slam dunk choice as a Big 12 expansion team.

The Big East football imploded and the Big 12 stood pat with 10 teams and UCF is part of the hybrid American Athletic Conference which was created after the Big East football disappeared.

And it is still sitting at the kid's table in the banquet room.

An eight team playoff would settle one argument, but that is still a concept, rather than a system and UCF is starting to piss people off with claims of winning the national championship last season as the only unbeaten FBS team.

Now the Knights are muscle flexing, arguing that as a Top 10 ranked team they don't need to make 2 for 1 deals with Power 5 conference--or as White tried to slip into the conversation-- Power 6 conference schools.

In the Florida--UCF debate, Florida has all the leverage.

White should know that.

He does know that, but he is still talking like he has a hand full of aces. He does not simply because, no Power 5 conference team HAS to schedule UCF to gain attention or respect.

In fact, many are choosing to not do so because the risk-reward of playing the Knights is tilted too much in the risk direction.

This wouldn't be an issue if the Big 12 had decided to expand from 10 to 12 teams and added UCF and USF or Cincinnati.

Think of the Big 12 this season if it had unbeaten UCF and 10-2 Cincinnati, although you could argue those records might be altered if both teams had faced Big 12, rather than AAC competition.

That didn't happen and probably won't for the immediate future.

|"We keep a pretty close eye on that (expansion),'' said AAC commissioner Mike Aresco on Tuesday. ""And we don't hear any talk of doing that.

Since most of the expansion talk surrounding the Big 12 focused on AAC teams, Aresco said that with a sigh of relief.

Quite correctly, Aresco is proud of what UCF has accomplished, as well as other AAC bowl schools like Temple, Houston, Memphis, Tulane and Cincinnati. But he also acknowledges that UCF trying to flex its new muscles against schools like Florida is a waste of energy.

|"They (UCF) have done a great job and they need to keep doing it, along with the rest of the teams in our league,'' said Aresco, who will have his conference be the Group of Five conference rep in a New Year's Six bowl game for the second consecutive season.

UCF is trying.

Pittsburgh and Stanford are on the Knights' schedule next season and then North Carolina and Georgia Tech the following two years. And they have a New Year's morning meeting with LSU in the Fiesta Bowl.

When Bowden began his quest to get FSU into the mainstream of CFB, he had to gain recognition and then respect.

Everyone know UCF's story and the respect is coming in small steps.

UCF just needs to shut up and accept what is offered, much like Kevin Bacon did in the iconic movie, Animal House, when as a frat pledge initiation he calmly accepted a paddling from his would be frat brother the infamous Neidermeyer with a simple "Thank you, Sir, may I have another.''''