Dr. Blackwell's BLOG

The UCF Knights (9-3; 7-1 C-USA) football squad secured the East Division Championship Crown Friday night without even having to play a game. With SMU’s win against ECU and Tulane’s win against Southern Miss, UCF was named the East Division Champion and granted the right to host the Conference USA Championship Game this Saturday against SMU (7-5; 6-2 C-USA). Despite an early sputter, the Knights also crushed Memphis (1-11; 0-8 C-USA) on Saturday and re-entered the Top 25, ranking #25 in the USA Today‘s Coaches’ Poll.

 The winner of Saturday’s C-USA Championship Game will receive an invite to C-USA’s top bowl berth, the Liberty Bowl, played at 3:30 on 12/31 in Memphis, TN. The opponent for that bowl is a team from the SEC. Many analysts have projected UCF vs. UGA in that game. The C-USA Championship Game will begin at Noon at Bright House Networks Stadium and is being nationally-televised on ESPN. The game is expected to sell-out; but tickets can be purchased by calling the UCF Athletics Office @ (407) 823-1000. The tailgating party for the Colleges of Nursing and Health & Public Affairs will begin in the Softball Lot (E5) at 9:00am.

The UCF Knights (8-3; 6-1 C-USA) football team delivered a crushing defeat to the Tulane Green Wave (4-7; 2-5 C-USA) in New Orleans, LA this past Saturday. UCF dominated the game on all fronts and lead Tulane 31-0 by the end of the first quarter. The Knights moved closer to clinching the 2010 C-USA Eastern Division Crown and hosting the Championship Game at Bright House Networks Stadium on 12/4. That will happen as long as the Knights take care of business this Saturday against the Memphis Tigers (1-10; 0-7 C-USA). UCF is also inching closer to being a ranked team once more. After falling to Southern Miss (8-3; 5-2 C-USA), the Knights fell out of the Top 25. But after the win against Tulane, UCF came in at #27 in the Coaches Poll. A major victory against Memphis could be enough to land the Knights back in the rankings. Conference USA also announced today that despite concern the SEC would push for an opponent from the Big East for the Liberty Bowl, its champion would be sent to Memphis on 12/31 for the game. Early predictions are pitting the Knights against the Georgia Bulldogs or the Tennessee Volunteers.

The UCF Knights football program is ranked in the Top 25 for the first time in its history. UCF made the move to IA in 1996 but has never been in the Top 25. The closest ranking to the nation’s elite football teams came in 2007 when the Knights placed #27 after losing to MSU in the Liberty Bowl. This week, the Knights placed #25 in the AP Poll and #23 in the Coaches’ Poll. After beating the University of Houston Cougars (5-4; 4-2 C-USA) on Friday in front of a national audience on ESPN2, UCF (7-2; 5-0 C-USA) has ensured they will most likely host the Conference USA Championship Game at their own Bright House Networks Stadium on December 4th. Kickoff for that game is TBD and it will be broadcast nationally on either ESPN or ESPN2.

 But, before then, the Knights take on the Eagles of Southern Miss this Saturday (kickoff @ Noon–TG Party begins @ 10am in Softball Lot), the Tulane Green Wave on 11/20 in New Orleans (kickoff @ 3:30pm), and Memphis Tigers on 11/27 in Memphis, TN (kickoff @ 12:00pm). While certainly out of their control, there has also been a lot of chatter that UCF will be asked to join the Big East, considered by most to be a major upgrade from Conference USA and would also place the Knights in an AQ-BCS Conference. Their ranking in the Top 25 will definitely bolster the Knights as a team worthy of strong consideration. (Photo Courtesy Orlando Sentinel).