After watching the entire UCF vs Memphis Conference game a couple of things jumped out:

First: Their Tempo - They ran 90 plays, as many as LSU ran in the 7OT game. They wore Memphis out and then ran all over them.

UCF's back-up QB had a better performance versus Memphis than Milton did:
First game 10/13: UCF won 31-30: 14 pts down at the half, they held Memphis scoreless in the second half while scoring 14.

Second game 12/1: UCF won 56-41: In the first half they were down 38-14 and went on a 42-3 run, holding Memphis to only 3 pts in the 2nd half. They lost 3 TOs and ESPN graphic said only 1-10 overcome that TO margin but did not say what the odds were when combined with a 24 pt deficit.

Darriel Mack Jr. was 19/27 348 yds 2 TDs, 0 Ints, plus 4 rushing TDs

UCF vs the SEC: 3-0, Beat ALA in 2000, Beat GA in 2010, Beat Aub last year. Plus they beat Baylor. All in post-season Bowls. They are Very Motivated...Extremely motivated.

UCF and USF were rumored candidates for the Big 12 when that Power 5 conference explored expansion two years ago, but the Big 12 decided against expanding.

UCF is heading to its second consecutive New Year’s Six Bowl after becoming back-to-back AAC champions. However, the Knights are winners of 25 games in a row — the longest active winning streak among FBS teams — and desire inclusion in the College Football Playoff.

Like last season, UCF was not in the discussion as the final team in the CFP, which was awarded to Big 12 champion Oklahoma over two-loss Georgia.

That led to UCF athletic director Danny White to call the CFP an invitational rather than a playoff, and he has advocated — along with AAC commissioner Mike Aresco — for an expansion to the playoff system to include Conference Champions.

It's Not Just LSU vs UCF: It's the SEC vs UCF with reputations at stake

Sankey better hope LSU beats UCF – or this will blow up in the face of everyone in the SEC. If UCF does what it did the past two times the BCS/CFP allowed it into the big boy postseason (beat Baylor and then #7 Auburn), the SEC might as well get ready for nine months of UCF pointing to the last year’s Peach Bowl win over Auburn and a Fiesta Bowl win over LSU as the exact reason the SEC wants no part of scheduling UCF.

Because if a Group of 5 team gets in, that’s one fewer spot for the Power 5 conferences – and one less chance for the SEC to land two spots in the CFP.

A loss to UCF also damages Florida (or any other SEC team) in recruiting against UCF, which has tremendous facilities, a booming campus life (the largest public enrollment in the country) and a thriving city as a backdrop.

If UCF beats LSU, the narrative strictly becomes avoiding the Group of 5 team that can beat you.

SECN preview LSU vs UCF: "LSU better be laser-focused"

"There is no difference in UCF & OU. These guys go at warp speed and will wear a big defense down. Mack is 6'3" 230 lbs and he is a product of an Offensive System that runs through the QB."

"There are always questions about the LSU Offense, Coaching, & what direction these guys are going offensively."

It's like everyone already has their excuses ready says Saints Tre'Quan Smith, former UCF WR

"It's like everyone has their excuses ready," New Orleans Saints wide receiver Tre'Quan Smith said last week. "That's what happened when we played Auburn last year. It's crazy. And I'm starting to hear it now. 'They don't have the cornerback. They wanted to play Michigan.'"

"I mean players on that UCF squad that are like, 'All right, we're going to show them,'" he said. "That's what happened last year against Auburn. We didn't feel like they took us seriously."

"We know what type of players we are," Smith said, still referring to himself as a Knight. "And if we stick together and we fight, all of us are five stars. It's not the stars that categorize you. It's the heart."

"Even if we beat them, people are still not going to give the respect to UCF," he said. "It's going to be some kind of excuse. 'Oh, they weren't ready to play. Oh, our best guys didn't play.' It's going to be some kind of excuse why UCF won. I see it already."

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said last week that Central Florida needs to improve its non-conference schedule in order to get into the four-team College Football Playoff.

"OK, people see us as underdogs," Smith said. "But we want them to see us with respect. We know we're way better than three-star ratings or whatever ratings they give us."

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