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Why UCF Football Is Struggling in the Big 12 — And How the Knights Can Fix It

UCF Football is a long way from where it wants to be. The Knights were completely outmanned in a 48-9 loss to Texas Tech and look miles from being competitive in the Big 12. UCF fans wanted a move up to the big time, and now they have it, and the results have been less than ideal.

“They just look like they are playing at a different speed than us” UCF Head Coach Scott Frost says about Texas Tech, one of the highest paid teams in all of college football. As far as his team goes: “They play hard. They won’t quit, but we’ve just got to play better.”

No one expected UCF to be world beaters in year one under the return of Frost, but even this college football writer, and most UCF fans expected them to compete for a bowl game (https://pulpcitymag.com/ucf-knights-2025-football-preview-scott-frosts-return-and-rebuild/). How did UCF get so far away from being competitive? Some will say it is the move up to the Big 12 and the limited revenue share UCF has received from the conference in its first 3 years, but that excuse won’t fly. BYU is in the same boat, they are in the Top 10 with wins over teams like Utah and Iowa State, improving to 6-1 in the conference by winning Saturday over TCU in a rout. Cincinnati came in at the same time as UCF. The Bearcats are 7-3 overall, 5-2 in conference and handled UCF easily in their October matchup. The final team that got into the Big 12 when UCF did was Houston, and they just beat the Knights two weeks ago in the Space Game. Houston now sits at 8-2 overall and 5-2 in the Big 12 conference.

What is the difference between UCF and its Big 12 conference brethren? Money, pure and simple. UCF needs more of it. When the team was in the American, they could recruit speed from the state of Florida and outclass its opponents. Now they need speed and brawn, the kind that takes paying players more than UCF currently can. Being a younger school, UCF simply does not have the rich donor base many of the schools in the conference do. They have a large student population, and a fairly large number of graduates, but the alumni base is young. The school needs something catered towards that youth movement. My suggestion is a massive NIL fundraising campaign designed for those under 30. Over the last 4 years, UCF has handed out more than 60 thousand degrees. There are also almost 70 thousand students at the school currently. $30 from a majority of the young graduates and students would mean more than $2 million extra dollars a year for the Athletic Department to pour into getting better football players on the team. UCF has to find a way to use what it has to its advantage instead of worrying about its current woes.

While I’m writing this week about the struggles of UCF football, it’s just as bad everywhere else in the state. Florida tried hard again but got beat by the man they hope coaches them in the future. Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss over the Gators 34-24. Miami clings to playoff hopes after whipping NC State but looks like a longshot to make it to the ACC title game. FSU won, so they’re almost back to .500, but the worst stinger was USF ending any hopes of a Florida team being in the College Football Playoffs. The Bulls lose at Navy 41-38 after a spirited comeback. I expect Power 4 schools to come after Bulls Head Coach Alex Golesh even though the Bulls have faltered down the stretch.

TOP 25 FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING NOVEMBER 17

OHIO STATE (10-0) Rolled every opponent save Texas
INDIANA (11-0) First ever 11-0 season in Bloomington
TEXAS A&M (10-0) Survived South Carolina by the skin of their teeth
GEORGIA (9-1) Now impressive wins over Bama, Texas, Tennessee
TEXAS TECH (10-1) Wins just not as good as Georgia’s
OLE MISS (10-1) Oklahoma is the only currently ranked team they’ve beaten
BYU (9-1) Routed TCU impressively
OREGON (9-1) Get Southern Cal this week and would be their best win to date
OKLAHOMA (8-2) Have now beaten Bama, Michigan, and Tennessee
ALABAMA (8-2) Not out of the playoff chase yet
VANDERBILT (8-2) Finish with Kentucky and Tennessee
GEORGIA TECH (9-1) Finish with Pitt and Georgia. We’ll know by then
UTAH (8-2) Routed Baylor
MIAMI (8-2) When they play to their talent, Miami is as good as anyone
NOTRE DAME (8-2) That’s 8 wins in a row
SOUTHERN CAL (8-2) Win over Michigan gives them slight edge
MICHIGAN (8-2) Still can beat Ohio State and still can make playoffs
VIRGINIA (8-2) Showed up big at Duke
TEXAS (7-3) Loss to Florida should keep them out of the playoffs
TENNESSEE (7-3) Should have beaten UGA and would be in playoff hunt if they had
JAMES MADISON (9-1) On track for Group of 5 bid
HOUSTON (8-2) Wins not good. Arizona and Arizona State are best
ILLINOIS (7-3) Southern Cal and Duke are best wins
MISSOURI (7-3) If they can ever get their true freshman QB up to speed, look out
NORTH TEXAS (9-1) Only loss was shootout to USF

Mike Synan

News | Sports | Politics

After two decades in news and politics, Mike Synan is returning to his roots to write Sports as “The Sportsaholic”. Mike hosted a talk show for 6 years on WDBO after Magic home games called “Magic Til Midnight”, and spent years working as an in-game correspondent for both ESPN and Fox Sports Radio. His column “Synan Says” has appeared on both www.wdbo.com and www.floridadaily.com. He has a BS in Political Science from Clemson University. You can reach him at msynan@sportsmail.com

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Mike Synan

After two decades in news and politics, Mike Synan is returning to his roots to write Sports as “The Sportsaholic”. Mike hosted a talk show for 6 years on WDBO after Magic home games called “Magic Til Midnight”, and spent years working as an in-game correspondent for both ESPN and Fox Sports Radio. His column “Synan Says” has appeared on both www.wdbo.com and www.floridadaily.com. He has a BS in Political Science from Clemson University. You can reach him at msynan@sportsmail.com

College Football Power Flex Rankings: Updated Top 25 (Week 1, 2025)

College football in the state of Florida is back! Since Florida State won the title in 2014, college football in the state of Florida has been a pretty sad state of affairs. After week one of the 2025 season, Sunshine State teams are flexing their muscles, led by a resurgence in Tallahassee and Miami.

Florida State put an absolute whuppin (OK, I admit that’s not a real word) on pre-season top 10 Alabama. That FSU won was not the headline, it was the way they won. The Seminoles completely dominated an Alabama team of 5 star recruits on both the offensive and defensive lines, punishing them repeatedly with bone crushing blocks and tackles. Clearly, bringing in Gus Malzahn to be the Offensive Coordinator has worked. The Seminoles rushed for 230 yards and held the Crimson Tide to just 87 yards on the ground. That’s a manhandling on both sides of the ball. If you are an FSU fan, you have to feel like the team is back, and that the 4 new starters on the offensive line are a complete success, as is new quarterback Thomas Castellano. The Seminoles were one of the most impressive teams I saw over the weekend, and the rankings will reflect that.

Miami also wants to be back. Perennially they are proclaimed as back and end up falling on their face. What makes me feel like this year could be different is what I saw in the trenches with the Hurricanes. The team has NFL level talent on their offensive and defensive lines and it showed in a 28-24 win over Notre Dame. Carson Beck was efficient at quarterback after transferring in from the University of Georgia, and new receiver CJ Daniels made what may end up being the touchdown catch of the year with a one-handed grab.

I would be remiss in talking about the state of affairs with football in Florida without mentioning the resounding victory USF had over ranked Boise State to kick off the season in front of a national TV audience. The 34-7 rout was a sure sign that Coach Alex Golesh is moving the team in the right direction.

SYNAN SAYS TOP 25 FOR THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 2ND

LSU (1-0) – I saw nothing more impressive than winning at Clemson by shutting them out in the 2nd half
FLORIDA STATE (1-0) – Physically whipped Alabama
OHIO STATE (1-0) – Offense has a long way to go, defense is top notch
MIAMI (1-0) – So far, so good Carson Beck
TCU (1-0) – man did they shellack Bill Belicheck’s UNC team
AUBURN (1-0) – impressive road win at Baylor
SOUTH CAROLINA (1-0) – team needs a lot of work, but handling VT on a neutral field is impressive
USC (1-0) – they scored a whopping 73 points vs. new FBS school Missouri State
OLE MISS (1-0) – Ga. State is not great, but the Rebs did hang 63 on them
USF (1-0) – Bludgeoning Boise gives them this spot
IOWA STATE (2-0) – win over Kansas St. less impressive this week
TENNESSEE (1-0) – new QB Joey Aguilar stepped right in against Syracuse
GEORGIA (1-0) – Look like they want to run the ball like Georgia normally does
UTAH (1-0) – hard to tell how good win at UCLA is
CALIFORNIA (1-0) – went to Corvallis and waxed Oregon State
VIRGINIA (1-0) – beat perennial bowl team Coastal Carolina 48-7
PENN STATE (1-0) – let Nevada score late, but they’re still a top team
GEORGIA TECH (1-0) – QB Haynes King is for real. Questions about the rest of the team
NEBRASKA (1-0) – winning at Cincinnati gets them ranked for now
TEXAS (0-1) – lost at #3 by one score, they’re still good
ARIZONA (1-0) – whipped Hawaii that has already beaten Stanford
CLEMSON (0-1) – made it inside the 20 to tie the game in the 4th, but not enough running against LSU
NOTRE DAME (0-1) – gave Miami everything they had
KANSAS (2-0) – convincing wins over mediocre teams
WASHINGTON (1-0) – will be gone as soon as teams like Florida and Oregon play someone, anyone!

Mike Synan

After two decades in news and politics, Mike Synan is returning to his roots to write Sports as “The Sportsaholic”. Mike hosted a talk show for 6 years on WDBO after Magic home games called “Magic Til Midnight”, and spent years working as an in-game correspondent for both ESPN and Fox Sports Radio. His column “Synan Says” has appeared on both www.wdbo.com and www.floridadaily.com. He has a BS in Political Science from Clemson University. You can reach him at msynan@sportsmail.com

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Welcome to Pulp City Magazine. Worldwide + Local AF.

Fresh stories, bold voices, and creative energy. Here’s your sneak peek before we launch the full site.

Why UCF Football Is Struggling in the Big 12 — And How the Knights Can Fix It

Mike Synan

More News

Don’t Just Read It. Live It.

Get the latest stories, rankings, and culture from Pulp City delivered straight to your inbox.

Author

College Football Power Flex Rankings: Updated Top 25 (Week 1, 2025)

SYNAN SAYS TOP 25 FOR THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 2ND

Mike Synan

Don’t Just Read It. Live It.

Get the latest stories, rankings, and culture from Pulp City delivered straight to your inbox.

Death of a Dive.

What is the La-Z.

Beyond the Turnstiles: There’s.

Welcome to Pulp City Magazine. Worldwide + Local AF.

Fresh stories, bold voices, and creative energy. Here’s your sneak peek before we launch the full site.

Why UCF Football Is Struggling in the Big 12 — And How the Knights Can Fix It

Mike Synan

More News

Don’t Just Read It. Live It.

Get the latest stories, rankings, and culture from Pulp City delivered straight to your inbox.

Author

College Football Power Flex Rankings: Updated Top 25 (Week 1, 2025)

SYNAN SAYS TOP 25 FOR THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 2ND

Mike Synan

Don’t Just Read It. Live It.

Get the latest stories, rankings, and culture from Pulp City delivered straight to your inbox.

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