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UCF Football: Can Scott Frost Build on the BYU Upset?
Photo courtesy of UCF Athletics
What a scene at the Bounce House on Saturday after UCF knocked off #2 BYU 39-31 in double overtime. The crowd stormed the field after the Knights showed real guts in all aspects of the game. “I’m just happy for our kids” Coach Scott Frost said after the game. He’s been involved in some huge wins at UCF and now has a signature one in his return. “A win like this has been a long time coming for us” Frost said. He left UCF for Nebraska riding high, coming off an undefeated regular season and the Knights would eventually declare themselves National Champions back in 2017. The Frost tenure in Lincoln was a disaster. He returned to UCF after taking time off, then consulting for the Los Angles Rams in 2024. It had been a very long time since he, or UCF won a game of this magnitude. The question was: has Scott Frost lost his mojo? The question now is: can he keep it?
UCF has struggled to be relevant since they joined the Big 12 and up until this week, really had no national profile at all. Now the challenge becomes to keep it and there is a lot of work to do to make that happen. The Knights are back at home after the BYU win on a short week for what Scott Frost knows is a huge game. “We can’t pat ourselves on the back too much after this win. We’ve got to play a really good Baylor team in 6 days”. UCF still has a 12 game road losing streak they need to break. The Knights have also been pushed around by some teams in the Big 12 like Iowa State and Kansas State. Frost described it well. UCF needs to become “a threat” in the conference. With this huge step forward, the Knights cannot take two steps back. It starts with Baylor and must be the mantra for the rest of the season.
Being There is Amazing
Normally I feel superior in my rankings because I watch so many games each Saturday while the voters in the regular polls are stuck with their teams and a single game on Saturdays. This week and next, I am experiencing the way the rest of the voters do it. I had a chance to spend Saturday at my alma mater, Clemson University on the perfect Fall 70 degree afternoon without a cloud in the sky. There is something special that happens at the tailgating spots around the southeast, and I encourage every fan to do this at least once a year. I have a second chance Saturday, going to see FSU play Clemson. I am likening it to two trains already off the tracks, and wondering which one will careen into the bridge support first?
To me, it will be about the joy of the experience which has always been magnificent at Florida State plus enjoying friends, fans, and the surroundings. Seminole fans probably feel similar, having seen Mike Norvell’s team disappoint time and again. The winner of this game won’t save their season, but it is over for the loser. I encourage you to get out and see your team, especially if it is UCF Friday night hosting Baylor. For UCF to have a letdown would be completely normal, and the home crowd could help pull them over the finish line.
TOP 25 FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING OCTOBER 26TH
- MIAMI (7-0) Did exactly what a number one team should, dominating Pitt from the opening kick
- UCLA (7-0) Their best wins are Wisconsin and Oregon. This week the backup QB led them to victory
- UTAH (7-0) Finally have a quality win beating Houston
- OHIO STATE (6-1) Loss to Texas looks better, win against Indiana looks better
- GEORGIA (6-1) Monster game vs Florida in Atlanta this week. Loser may be out of SEC title race, but not playoffs
- INDIANA (6-1) Win at Michigan finally gives them a decent win. Only lost to Ohio State by a foot out of bounds
- KENTUCKY (7-1) Will Stein for Coach of the Year?
- BYU (6-1) Still only team to beat Notre Dame
- NOTRE DAME (6-1) Their wins still are not good
- TEXAS (5-2) Wins (Ohio State, Ole Miss) are superb
- ALABAMA (6-2) Many of these two loss SEC teams are similar, but Bama did beat Kentucky
- TEXAS TECH (6-1) Not convinced with best win being home over Houston
- FLORIDA (5-2) Best wins are Ole Miss and Texas. That’s great. Georgia is next
- WAKE FOREST (6-1) They may end up in the ACC title game
- ARIZONA (6-1) Only loss is at BYU, but has beaten no one stellar
- OLE MISS (5-2) Still a playoff threat
- LSU (6-2) When they are on, they can beat anyone. I don’t trust them to be consistent
- MISSOURI (5-2) After a week off their remaining schedule is brutal
- TENNESSEE (6-2) They can’t go far without QB Faizon Brandon returning
- NORTHWESTERN (6-1) Went toe to toe in Indiana loss, but best win is Penn State
- SMU (6-1) Great offensive playmakers. Defense more than suspect
- HOUSTON (6-2) Losses are at Texas Tech and at Utah
- WISCONSIN (5-2) Only losses are at Notre Dame and at UCLA
- IOWA (5-2) Loss to Minnesota made me not want to rank them
- CINCINNATI (5-2) Ranking them for beating Texas Tech
