Like everyone, it is hard to get excited. But I have a good feeling. KNIGHTS are coming home with a W.

They are soooo bad. We’re just bad. But I did make some easy money on Duke winning.

Just got a chance to recap UCF Knight Talk, which was held earlier this evening on location at Mellow Mushroom.

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FOUR games on TV tonight. UCF obviously hosts BYU next week.

7 p.m.:
Florida State at Duke - ESPN2

8 p.m.
No. 2 Oregon at Purdue - FOX

10:15
Oklahoma State at No. 13 BYU

10:30
Fresno State at Nevada

Didn’t this business advertise with UCF athletics at one time?

In the swamp. Unless we have an early bye, we’ll have played 5 games already. Same with Florida, including Miami. I’ll predict the gators will be favored by 6.5. Anyone know the point spread in 2006 when they beat us 42-0? They don’t have Tebow or Harvin this time and we’re coming off a bowl win over them. Let’s make it 2 in a row.

Top 4: UNC, LSU, UCF, FSU

Of note, he was previously committed to Miami.

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For being 5-1 there are A LOT of empty seats there at Duke

On this week's Sons of UCF LIVE: Former Knights Defensive Back Derrick Hallman stops by for some straight talk about the 3-3 Knights.

Plus, we welcome in Eugene Rapay, beat writer on Iowa State for the Des Moines Register, for a look at the Cyclones.

All this and more right here ... from the Sons of UCF.

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Welcome to The Knighted One’s Podcast, Episode number 60!! We are the ONLY podcast that features a former UCF National Champion, a former UCF radio host, an ESPN Analyst and Hoops Player, a INfamous rapper, Our Resident Influencer, and an IG star, shooting the breeze, talking UCF Sports. Remember to like and follow us Youtube, IG, and check out the 70+ teams and conferences on the College Huddle.

This week we highlight the positives of our offensive potential now that Jacurri is at center, analyze our outlook against a #9 Iowa State, we gauge how hot Gus' seat is at this point in the season, and Roger & Allen go head to head in a Debate Battle!

Please comment for subjects that we should cover in our Intern Re-Education segment!

Go Knights! and Charge On!

Introductions
A Grizzly Night For UCF - 00:06:22
- A Defensive Silver Lining
- Offensive Fixer-Upper
- Running Into Big Defenses
Text Talk Trash Talking - 00:09:06
- There Goes The Boom?
- Fail Mary
- Offense Needs To Hit The Nitrous
- Looking For Return On Our Investment
- False Advertisement
- Dollar Store Cam Newton
- EJ Gave a Good First Impression
Key Stats From The Game - 00:24:29
- We Expected More From a Gus Offense
- Dead End Red Zone
- A Fumble In The Jungle
- Playing Without Protection
- No Peny's For Our Thoughts
- Complimentary Football
- "We Saw Slants"
- Comparing Exes (Ex QB's)
- Time We Need But Don't Have
- One Win Could've Changed The Tune
- Downs In The Dumps
Biggest Storylines - 00:47:51
- KJ Meets The Bench!!
- Gus Gets Some Youth In The Game
- Where Allen Sees Change, He Sees Hope
- Defense Is Solid, QB Is Not
- No Time To Warm Up
- A Light Speed Regression
- Looping Around
Debate! Allen VS Roger - 01:02:56
- Are We Out of The Conference Race?
- Laundry List of Problems
- Does UCF Have An Identity?
- Has Gus Done Irreparable Damage?
- What Is The UCF Brand Now?
- Is Gus That Guy?
- Auburn Deja Vu
- We Can't Turn Into Miami
Everyone Yells At Eachothers Clouds - 01:24:51
- We Can't Turn Into Miami (Continued)
- Will Fans All Abandon Ship Before We Fix Up?
- Other Playing Factors
Game 7 Preview - 01:30:57
- Breaking News
- Jacurri Should Stay QB1 For Now
- Did We Build Any Momentum?
- How Hot Is Gus' Seat?
- Sizing Up Iowa State
- Where Is Roger's Optimism Coming From?
Game 6 Score Predictions Review - 01:42:05
- Josh Tries To Change The Rules Again
Game 7 Score Predictions - 01:43:45
- Josh Can't Betray His Faith
Big 12 Scores Recap - 01:49:53
- 3 Teams Still Ranked
UCF Hoops! - 01:50:46
- AP Top 25 Preseason Poll
- Charity Exhibition
Allen's Oxymoronic Stats Of The Week - 01:52:00
- A Decade Since We've Been This Bad
Josh’s Sometimes Funny Fact Of The Week - 01:55:19
- 10 Win Season For Iowa State?
- NCAA Has More Hope Than Most?
Listener Love - 01:58:45
UCF Athletic Sports Update - 02:00:54
- Men's Soccer Take L To Marshall
- Women's Soccer Take an L & Tie
- Women's Volleyball Take a Cancellation & an L
- Fall Ball Coming Soon & Welcomes All
Final Thoughts - 02:04:11

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In his recent media availability, UCF Football head coach Gus Malzahn said that the Knights are beginning the second half of their 2024 season.

Sitting at 3-3, UCF has had a rough month of results, including struggles on offense and in the red zone.

The matchup this week against ranked Iowa State presents the next opportunity, but will UCF be able to turn things around?

Click here to watch ... from the Sons of UCF.

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On this week's Sons of UCF LIVE: Former Knights Defensive Back Derrick Hallman stops by for some straight talk about the 3-3 Knights.

Plus, we welcome in Eugene Rapay, beat writer on Iowa State for the Des Moines Register, for a look at the Cyclones.

All this and more right here ... from the Sons of UCF.

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UCF Top 5 in highest risers since last ranking.

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Thoughts?

Then Rutgers AD Hobbs, sent his Letter of Resignation to Rutgers President in August stating: "After meeting with my cardiac team this week and having just been apprised of the results of my latest round of testing, it is clear that I can not continue to serve as Athletic Director given the requirements of the position."
Hobbs

Whoops!

That really wasn't the reason at all as Rutgers was investigating his sequel relationship with Rutgers HC of Gymnastics, Umme Salim-Beasley...who just so happens to be married to the former NY Jets CB Aaron Beasley.

Even Ruthers players thought they both acted weird together as this happened:

The former athletic director looked at Salim-Beasley and said “love.”

“It was so weird,” one gymnast told the publication. “It’s really hard to put into words, but they were staring each other in the eye, sitting right next to each other. You could feel some type of tension between them. All my teammates looked at each other with the weirdest look like, ‘What is going on here?’”

RU AD, also married, spent unusually amount of time attending Gymanastic Practices plus extra trips with the program.

He also gave her a big raise which should come as to no shock:

Salim-Beasley’s contract boosted from $95,000 in her first season in 2019 to $165,000 this season and will reach $195,000 in the last year of her contract in 2028, per the report.

She signed a five-year, $995,000 deal on Feb. 24, 2023, and is tied for the third-highest salary in the conference this year excluding Penn State, according to the publication.

A $1 million contract and weird ‘love’ moment behind Pat Hobbs’ demise as Rutgers’ athletic director

Hobbs shockingly resigned as the Scarlet Knights’ athletic director in August citing health concerns.

nypost.com

Something new: You can now catch the Pegasus Podcast with @BaileyJAdams22 & @ByCASimmons on the Sons YouTube channel.

Check out Episode 233, available now ... here.

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Yep, you can now find our video pod on the Sons YouTube Channel. We’re excited to be collaborating on some stuff with @SonsofUCF, with more to come in the future.

Join us for this lovely episode where Bailey & Christian discuss the state of the football program.

Schools are getting frustrated by season tix holders that sell good seats mostly to visiting fans (plus usually pocketing profits).

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This discussion for Northwestern is they may look into doing so in football next year when so many Indiana Fans ended up inside their small 12,000 seat Lakeside Termporary Stadium but Northwestern Students couldn't get in.


Note: NU's 72 yr old arena seats 7,039 and recently went thru a major $110 Million renovation:

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UCF is back on the road in the Big 12 this week with a trip to Ames, Iowa to face the No. 9 Iowa State Cyclones.

It's been a tough three weeks for the Knights - after the last minute rally to beat TCU on the road, UCF has since lost three straight to Colorado, Florida and Cincinnati.

Iowa State meanwhile is 6-0, their best start since 1938, and currently the highest ranked Big 12 team. They are 3-0 in the Big 12 with wins against Houston, Baylor and West Virginia.

To get ready for the matchup, I caught up with Bill Seals, publisher of Cyclone Report on Rivals. Originally from the Des Moines area, Seals has been covering Iowa State since 1999.

The Cyclones have had some down years in that time, but have been trending upward since Matt Campbell's arrival in 2016.

"In 25 years, there has been a lot of ups and downs, some pretty good peaks and a lot of valleys," Seals said. "Before Matt Campbell got here, I think it was 2-10 and a couple of 3-9s the last three years leading up to when Matt got here. And it was a rough stretch in year one for him.

"But gosh, since then, they've really been contenders. They've had some marquee victories. I think the pinnacle up to this point, probably the win in the Fiesta Bowl over Oregon in 2020."



That was a Brock Purdy-led team that finished 9-3 with a No. 9 ranking.

"This program, they've never won 10 games in a season, believe it or not," Seals said. "One of the first years I was on the job was in the 2000 season. They went 9-3 and went on to win their first bowl game in school history. That was kind of the high watermark there in that in the Dan McCarney era."

Since that Fiesta Bowl win in 2020, Iowa State has finished 7-6 in 2021, 4-8 in 2022 and 7-6 in 2023.

"Everybody was kind of wondering the direction of this program (after 2022)," Seals said. "But I'll tell you what, with a very young team last year, Matt laid the foundation, I think, for what it is today. They win seven games a year ago with a very, very young team.

"And then this year, I think I saw the number was maybe the second most returning snaps of any team in the country. So I think this team really going into 2024 was primed for a year like this."

Seals also said the 6-0 start has been aided by a friendly opening half schedule which gets a lot tougher on the back end with games against Utah and Kansas State.

Iowa State is the only school in the country with top 10 rankings in football and men's and women's basketball.

Jack Trice Stadium is the second-largest venue in the Big 12, holding approximately 61,500 fans.

"Well, as with anything in the Big 12, I think prime time, you're going to see amazing environments anywhere you go," Seals said. "But Iowa State, it's going to be another tremendous one I think from talking to some Iowa State folks earlier today, they anticipated being a sellout this weekend. So it's going to be a raucous crowd."

Ames is located about 45 minutes from Des Moines, which is the state capital of Iowa. And Iowans love their two major college teams - Iowa and Iowa State. There's no professional competition. Seals thinks state fandom is closer to 50/50 these days.



For fans making the trip, Seals recommends a pair of barbecue restaurants, Hickory Park and Cornbred. For a sports bar venue, Wallaby's Bar and Grille is a good choice. Sweet Caroline's Kitchen & Cocktails is great for homestyle fare.

As for the team, Iowa State's offense is led by redshirt sophomore quarterback Rocco Becht who is originally from the Tampa area. His father is former NFL tight end Anthony Becht. This is his second season as starter. Becht is top 25 in QBR, averaging around 240 passing yards per game.

"I think here in year two, he's taken his game to another level," Seals said. "That first full off season where he knew he was going to be the guy and he has great players around him like Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, those top two receivers, and really just a great foundation."

Rushing wise, Iowa State ranks No. 4 in Big 12 conference games, averaging 211.3 yards per game. It's been mostly running back by committee with Carson Hansen, Jaylon Jackson and Abu Sama III.

Wide receiver Jayden Higgins was All-Big 12 honorable mention last season as well as the Offensive Newcomer of the Year. He has 39 receptions for 505 yards and five touchdowns.

Higgins, like Becht, is also from Florida. Higgins is from Miami. Iowa State regularly recruits the Sunshine State.



Unlike UCF, Iowa State hasn't seen a rash of opt-outs.

"You always wonder when they hit that game four or game five, how that's going to go, but they came out of that pretty good," Seals said. "It's a culture thing with what they've developed up there. Everybody's bought in. Obviously, with the 6-0 start too, I think it makes it certainly much easier for guys to buy in."

Defensively, Iowa State runs a 3-3-5. The Cyclones are a big takeaway team with 10 total interceptions, ranking No. 5 nationally.

Their top linemen are JR Singleton and Domonique Orange. Safety Jeremiah Cooper was first team All-Big 12 last season. Seals thinks the safety group could be among the best in the country. Cornerback Jontez Williams, another Florida native, leads the team with three interceptions.

Iowa State's three linebacker starters had injury issues last week at West Virginia, forcing walk-ons and freshmen to see action though it didn't seem to be a detriment to the defense overall.

"It's the system really," Seals said. "It's plug and play. Those guys go in there and they do their jobs. I think that the coaches believe they're going to be successful."

For Iowa State to keep their undefeated record intact, Seals says they need to establish their running game, which is their bread and butter, and get off to a good start. You could say the same for UCF.

"I think it's going to come down to the trenches though," Seals said. "Also, this is a team that has been one of the top 20 teams in the country in turnover margin as well. And then when you factor in turnover scoring margin, they were No. 3 in the country and plus-14 in that win against West Virginia. They've done a good job turning turnovers into points on the offensive end."

Kickoff from Ames is set for 7:30 p.m. EST with TV coverage on FS1.

On this day in 2007, usf lost to Rutgers and ended their 5-day reign as the #2 ranked football team and became the Uncle Rico/Al Bundy of college football.

.

1 Kansas
2 Houston
3 Iowa State
4 Baylor
5 Arizona
6 Cincinnati
7 Texas Tech
8 K-State
9 BYU
10 TCU
11 UCF
12 Arizona State
13 West Virginia
14 Oklahoma State
15 Colorado
16 Utah

Iowa State 6-0 overall, 3-0 in conference

I haven't seen any point spreads yet but ESPN projector says Iowa State wins 78.3 percent of the time.

they beat West Virginia yesterday in Morgantown 28-16.

UCF at Iowa State 7:30pm. Tv coverage looks to be FS1

Sat 19 | Night​

45°
31%
WNW6 mph
A shower or two around the area in the evening, then partly cloudy overnight. Low around 45F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.

No predictions from me other than I hope this topsy turvy college football season includes an upset win for UCF! But, severely doubt it on this game.

UCF is playing bad football right now.

Go Knights.