UCF Football Excitement at an All Time High
With UCF entering the Big 12, there is palpable excitement as the Knights embark on a new journey.
I can’t believe the 2023 season is just a week away!
I get super excited about every single UCF Football season regardless of expectations. It’s my favorite time of the year. I feel alive during the fall when UCF is playing and college football is at the center of sports.
But, this year truly has special meaning. Sure the First Frost was exciting, having a brand new coach for the first time in a decade, or the 2018 season coming off an undefeated season, or even 2021, the start of the Malzahn era.
But 2023 is UCF’s first season in the Big 12. It’s the start of a new era for UCF Athletics as a whole. All the hard work, all the investment, all the growth and winning over the last decade has led to this moment.
We finally have a really intriguing schedule and are playing for the top prize in college football. All that matters is getting a real, honest shot at everything big, and UCF has that now.
It’s such an exciting time for UCF and to be a fan of the Knights. All the years of sitting in the shadow of Florida’s “Big 3” programs, all the years of not being respected and having to fight just for a seat at the table are over with.
UCF has arrived.
We replace the likes of Tulsa and Temple with Oklahoma and Kansas State. We get to play in real college football towns and environments. We get the chance to be fairly ranked, play in big time games and an opportunity to compete for a national championship every single season.
The excitement has been palpable since the moment the B12 became official. Can you feel it? Because I can.
The effects have permeated into recruiting, ticket sales, donors and hype surrounding the program.
Speaking of recruiting, how about what UCF has been able to do since slapping a Power 5 label on us?
For 2024, we already have 10 four star recruits, the #26 overall class and the #1 class in the Big12! All record numbers for UCF and we haven’t even played a single Big 12 game yet.
This is what UCF always needed. The access.
UCF has long been a program that does more with less. They’ve always found under recruited two and three-star star gems and been amazing at developing them. They have found ways to knock off heavy favorites in major bowls. They found ways to be in the Top 25 despite not having equal resources or money.
But UCF continued to invest in its football program from getting the on campus stadium, to improving its facilities while doing everything it could to become a household name who’s known nationally.
They made the right hires, found the right players and continued to do everything in their power to get to the top of the list as a prime conference expansion option.
And that’s exactly what happened.
UCF exploded in 2017-18 right on the eve of a major college football realignment. It was the perfect timing and UCF capitalized on the opportunity.
This has been a culmination of so much hard work and taking the right steps year after year.
And now the excitement is at an all time high.
Can you feel it?
UCF playing in front of an empty home stadium? No longer
UCF being overlooked by top recruits in the state? No longer
UCF being a stepping stone? No longer
UCF having to make a media frenzy just to get recognized? No longer
UCF’s campus being filled with students walking around in UF, FSU and Miami gear? No longer
UCF being a “sleeping giant?” No longer.
The giant has woken up.
It’s crazy to think just 11 years ago UCF was playing annual games against UTEP and Rice in a subpar Conference USA. Now, they will be playing annual games against TCU and Oklahoma State in one of the premier conferences in college football.
It’s crazy to think that just 11 years ago UCF had never played in a major bowl game, only been nationally ranked once and had no shot at playing for anything of consequence.
Now, UCF will have an opportunity to be nationally ranked and to play for a playoff spot every season.
UCF will be in huge games with massive stakes and talked about by the national media as a program that matters.
Remember how good that felt during the undefeated run?
Well prepare to be filled with that enthusiasm, anticipation, exhilaration and intensity every season.
I’ve said many times on this account that as soon I stepped inside the stadium for my first ever UCF football experience in 2007, I instantly was hooked and become a lifelong fan. Back then, I saw the potential. I’ve also always said that I felt one day UCF would win a national championship, and I’d be able to proudly say I’ve been there since the beginning.
To watch the growth of the program in real time has truly been incredible.
If you’re an alumni that was in school during the MAC or CUSA days and you were indifferent about the team, then get on board now. If you’re a current student whose parents went to UF and FSU and grew up a fan of those schools, it’s time to change your allegiances. If you’re not as passionate about UCF Football as I am, you need to be. Now is the time.
UCF is no longer little brother.
Can you feel the excitement?
Because I sure can.
Go Knights, Charge On!