How UCF’s National Title Claim is Still Impacting the Program Four Years Later

The 2017 season was one UCF fans will not soon forget, and the program is still reaping the benefits.

Author:
Jack Edwards
Publish date:
Jan 14, 2022 8:50 AM EST

ORLANDO - There are moments in a college football program’s history that are special, sacred even. For UCF, the 2017 undefeated season represents the ultimate achievement in the program’s history.

“National Champs! Undefeated!” -Danny White

It is a quote that will forever be a part of UCF history, and will live in infamy around the college football world for years to come. After UCF’s 2017 season, the Knights claimed a national title (which actually ended up being recognized by the NCAA’s official record book). Then they subsequently hung a banner, held a parade, sold national championship merchandise, made championship rings, and did many other things that a national championship team would do.

All of this made UCF a supervillain of sorts, as numerous analysts and fan bases were quick to bash the claim, and downplaying the Knights’ success at every opportunity they possessed. As the years go by, it is looking like one of the better marketing strategies in the school athletic department’s history, regardless of the legitimacy of the claim.

Let’s jump all the way back to 2013 for a bit. That year was, at the time, the best season in the program’s very young history. A Fiesta Bowl upset win over the 6th-ranked Baylor Bears capped off a 12-1 season and landed UCF with a #10 ranking in the AP poll. Quarterback Blake Bortles became the highest-drafted player in UCF history in the following draft, going third overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Obviously, UCF did not go undefeated that season like it did in 2017, as the Knights lost at home to #12 South Carolina. However, a BCS Bowl win is a big accomplishment for any school. And yet, in the years following, UCF drifted back to mostly just an afterthought in the minds of the college football world. That 2013 season was forgotten in the blink of an eye by most college football fans outside of Orlando.

Fast-forward back to the 2017 season. The Knights managed to go 13-0, finishing the season with a Peach Bowl win over the SEC runner-up Auburn Tigers, which became the second New Years’ Day Bowl win in program history. Moments after the win, Danny White boldly called UCF national champions, and quarterback McKenzie Milton even said to “Cancel the playoff.”

UCF was almost certainly doing this solely to push the playoff committee’s (and, really, all of the Power 5’s) buttons. It seemed to work. As a result, it set the college football world on fire, and has kept UCF’s name in the national media ever since. This was a season that UCF was not going to let the world forget about like they did with the 2013 team.

The Knights have not been performing at the same level as that 2017 team in the last few seasons, however, their brand remains strong. They progressed in many other facets while simultaneously rebuilding the team. The program has joined the Big XII, hired a former SEC Champion head coach in Gus Malzahn, and has recruited better than ever since then.

Attendance is also essentially at an all time high. In the last three seasons excluding the COVID year, UCF has averaged over 40,000 attendees per game on average—even with the team not quite living up to expectations. For perspective, the 2017 season (before the national championship claim) only saw an average of about 36,800 fans. UCF also helped sell out the Gasparilla Bowl in 2021, the first sellout in the bowl’s history.

In addition, more people are watching UCF on TV than ever before. 15 of the school’s top 25 games in terms of viewership have occurred in the last four seasons.

There has been no shortage of media coverage about the Knights, either, as outlets have seemingly followed UCF’s every move since the claim. There have been plenty of jokes on social media and other websites about UCF’s claim, as people have found humor in crowning the Knights as Super Bowl Champions, NBA Finals Champions, among other things. Still, as the saying goes, “there is no such thing as bad publicity.” UCF has come a long way in terms of national relevance, as a few short years ago, the average college football fan had likely never even heard of them.

Danny White, although gone to Tennessee now, has left a lasting impression on UCF thanks to his bold statement. It is now time to see how the program continues to build off the momentum it has gained, and whether or not Orlando really is the home of the “Future of College Football.”

You can find me on Twitter @jackedwards126