UCF Salty About No. 23 Ranking to Start Season

UCF football has had enough of being slighted.

UCF declared themselves the national champions of the 2017 season after going 13–0 to be the only undefeated team in the nation. 

The Knights won the American Athletic Conference, but they were left out of the College Football Playoff with the selection committee saying UCF's schedule wasn't strong enough. UCF then beat Auburn in the Peach Bowl.

So after the big snub of last season and the latest slight to the team in being ranked at No. 23 in the coaches preseason poll, UCF football twitter has had enough.

Reason No. 130 why there’s no complacency around here. pic.twitter.com/NfxM4Y9cQF

— UCF Football (@UCF_Football) August 2, 2018

Here’s how we feel about our No. 23 ranking

A thread 👇

— UCF Football (@UCF_Football) August 2, 2018

No team in the last decade that finished undefeated has started the following season outside the top 20...until now

— UCF Football (@UCF_Football) August 2, 2018

The only undefeated teams in the last 15 years to start the following season outside the top 5 had lost their starting QB:

04-05: Auburn (J Campbell)
04-05: Utah (A Smith)
06-07: Boise (J Zabransky)
08-09: Utah (B Johnson)
10-11: TCU (A Dalton)
10-11: Auburn (C Newton)

— UCF Football (@UCF_Football) August 2, 2018

Here’s where teams with a new head coach, but a returning QB ranked at the end of ‘17 and to start ‘18:

-Mississippi State: 20 👉 18
-Florida State: NR 👉 19
-UCF: 7 👉 23

— UCF Football (@UCF_Football) August 2, 2018

Former UCF coach Scott Frost, who led the team to its 13–0 season, is now the head coach at his alma mater Nebraska. Josh Heupel has taken over for the Knights.