Yet again, despite another perfect season, Central Florida will have to settle for a New Year’s bowl instead of a spot in the College Football Playoff.
The undefeated Knights, winners of 25 straight games, will meet LSU of the SEC in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1 at 1 p.m. in Glendale, Ariz. after finishing eighth in the playoff rankings.
Athletic director Danny White took a shot at the selection committee on Twitter, by calling the four-team playoff an “invitational” and not a true playoff. It was White who last year pushed the AAC school’s claim as national champions despite not getting invited to the playoff. The Knights, it should be noted, did lose star quarterback McKenzie Milton to a season-ending knee injury last weekend, but still repeated as league champions Saturday.
“I’m not sitting in that room, so I don’t know what else this program needs to do,” UCF coach Josh Heupel told reporters. “We’re going to continue to compete at a high level and continue to go play football games, and hopefully win a bunch of them.”
Committee chairman Rob Mullens said the Knights didn’t play enough quality teams compared to the four programs chosen to compete in the playoff. They didn’t have a single win over anyone in the committee’s final top-25 rankings. A similar statement was made last year before Central Florida beat SEC foe Auburn in the Peach Bowl. The Knights will get another chance to prove they belonged against 11th-ranked LSU.
Nick Saban said he expects to have quarterback Tua Tagovailoa under center on Dec. 29 in the College Football Playoff semifinal against Oklahoma. The Heisman Trophy favorite suffered a high right ankle sprain in Saturday’s 35-28 SEC Championship game victory over Georgia.
Saban said Sunday that Tagovailoa, who struggled in the game, completing 10-of-25 passes for 164 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions before leaving in the fourth quarter, will be out two weeks before hopefully returning to practice as he recovers from a procedure on the ankle.
Syracuse will be aiming for its first double-digit victory season since 2001 on Dec. 28 when it meets West Virginia in the Camping World Bowl in Orlando, Fla. The 9-3 Orange already have more wins this season under coach Dino Babers than they did in the previous two seasons combined. This will be the Orange’s first bowl game in five years.
Army will face Houston in the Armed Forces Bowl on Dec. 22 in Fort Worth, Texas. This will be the 9-2 Golden Knights’ third bowl game in as many years after playing in just one the previous 17 seasons.
