Relive the dominant era of UCF football as three historic rosters claim their spots among the nation's elite Group of Five powerhouses from the CFP generation.
The UCF Knights were a powerhouse Group of Five program for three straight seasons before transitioning to the Big 12 conference and becoming a Power Four team.
Group of Five refers to the five NCAA Division I FBS conferences that are considered a step below the Power Four. The American Athletic Conference (UCF's former league), Mid-American Conference, Mountain West Conference, Conference USA and Sun Belt Conference make up the Group of Five.
College Football Report, an X user, posted their rankings of the 30 best Group of Five teams in the College Football Playoffs era. The 2017, 2018 and 2019 UCF squads made the list, with 2017 and 2018 finishing within the top five.
The 2019 Knights ranked 24th, and CFBReport accidentally put 2019 USF in UCF's spot, they are on the list three times, but the graphic only represents two squads.
2017 was UCF's peak. The program went undefeated in the second year of coach Scott Frost's first tenure, and McKenzie Milton had a career season.
Opposing defenses could not contain the Knights' offensive firepower, as they averaged 48.2 points per game. Their lowest-scoring game was 31 points against Southern Methodist, and their highest-scoring game was 73 points against Austin Peay.
An explosive, historic offense led to an AAC championship and crowned them as the 50th winner in Peach Bowl history over then-No. 7 Auburn.
Frost left before the 2018 season began to coach at his alma mater, Nebraska, but UCF did not lose a step without him at the helm. The offense averaged 43.2 points, with its lowest-scoring game being 31 points against Memphis and its highest-scoring being 56 points three times against Cincinnati, Florida Atlantic and Memphis.
The Knights went undefeated again in the regular season, but suffered their lone loss to then-No. 11 LSU in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl.
UCF's offense kept its groove for the third straight season in 2019, averaging 43.4 points. However, there were a few more cracks in the armor, as they ended the season 10-3.
They faced the Marshall Thundering Herd in the Bay Bay Mowers Gasparilla Bowl and crowned themselves as the 12th winner of the annual bowl game, defeating Marshall 48-25.
The Knights were AAC juggernauts for three straight seasons. Their offense was unstoppable, and they added two bowl victories and two conference championships during that period before the 2020s era started.
Join the Community. Don't miss out on our ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news!
It's completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members. Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!