So, I spent way too long of my day debating, trolling, and mocking the fans and powers to be about our claim to our national championship over the last 2 days. I got so tired I wrote up a whole blog/tirade and thought I'd share it here. It's a lot to read sorry. I'd love feedback on points i may have missed:
The 2017 UCF twitter story Story
UCF has been making a lot of splashes recently with this whole National champ's thing. The thing is it has merit, it actually does. So, what I'm going to do is take you through a list of reasons and arguments/counterarguments of why UCF should have a claim to the national title.
First of all, let's establish that the NCAA does not sanction or recognize a national champion FBS team. They signed a lucrative TV contract, but they do not declare a champion the organization that runs it does. They don't, they won't, and at this point, they probably never will due to money, politics, and so much more. They will acknowledge when a team has unanimous support across all of the different polls/ systems/ etc. So, last year’s winner and even this years will be the CFP National champs (the most widely agreed upon version, currently), while prior we had the BCS champs, the AP champs, the USA Today Champs, etc. that list is actually pretty long. This non-decisiveness by the NCAA to declare is what creates co-national championships. Don’t believe me check out this article (College_football_national_championships_in_NCAA_Division_I_FBS) The strange part is that the NCAA does decide for FCS and all other divisions in football, as well as every other sport. With that said, technically all any team has to do to claim a national title is be voted first in any single one of those polls, systems, etc.
So, is UCF the CFP national Champs? NO, are they considered national champs, well according to polls and voters that have stated how the results will turn out… YES. You can disagree all you'd like, but UCF, in fact, Alabama, Auburn, and a handful of other schools set this precedence prior, so UCF has every right to claim such a title. They have Zero right to claim the CFP title however and that’s where we are really going to dig in.
UCF is a division 1 school, in fact, it is one of 129 division 1 schools that participate in college football. A Division one school is defined as a program that has a varsity football team that may grant a scholarship to all 85 players. Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, FSU, UM, and the 100+ others are also a division 1 school. According to the NCAA, each one of these schools is on a level playing field the day before the season starts. So, the day before the system you had 129 teams tied for first. As no one had played a single game. Aaahhh ha, this is where the Power 5 (P5) teams will get you, we get to our first argument
Argument #1: UCF schedule was weak, if they want to play in the CFP, they need to schedule better teams.
Argument #2: UCF just needs to join a better conference, because you wouldn’t have gone undefeated in “our” Conference.
Argument #3: Our team would destroy/roll-over/crush your team, you don’t even deserve to be on the same field
Argument #4: Strength of Schedule, it’s just not good enough, no one wants to watch you.
Argument #5: We can’t expand the playoff because <Insert one of many crappy reasons here>
Argument #6: You’re an idiot, you don’t know anything, You’re just jealous
Argument #7: Our “Super awesome deluxe” team wasn’t motivated to play you. We had “so and so” out this week!
Argument #8: You're a laughing stock / Crybaby
Argument #9: You cute little precious snowflakes, look at yourselves giving yourselves a participation trophy
At the end of the day, UCF proved it on the field, they did everything they were asked to do and were not given a shot. Its wrong, it’s a lie, and it needs to be remedied for all future collegiate FBS athletes.
TLDR: This is all the stuff the talking heads keep repeating and not listening to.
The 2017 UCF twitter story Story
UCF has been making a lot of splashes recently with this whole National champ's thing. The thing is it has merit, it actually does. So, what I'm going to do is take you through a list of reasons and arguments/counterarguments of why UCF should have a claim to the national title.
First of all, let's establish that the NCAA does not sanction or recognize a national champion FBS team. They signed a lucrative TV contract, but they do not declare a champion the organization that runs it does. They don't, they won't, and at this point, they probably never will due to money, politics, and so much more. They will acknowledge when a team has unanimous support across all of the different polls/ systems/ etc. So, last year’s winner and even this years will be the CFP National champs (the most widely agreed upon version, currently), while prior we had the BCS champs, the AP champs, the USA Today Champs, etc. that list is actually pretty long. This non-decisiveness by the NCAA to declare is what creates co-national championships. Don’t believe me check out this article (College_football_national_championships_in_NCAA_Division_I_FBS) The strange part is that the NCAA does decide for FCS and all other divisions in football, as well as every other sport. With that said, technically all any team has to do to claim a national title is be voted first in any single one of those polls, systems, etc.
So, is UCF the CFP national Champs? NO, are they considered national champs, well according to polls and voters that have stated how the results will turn out… YES. You can disagree all you'd like, but UCF, in fact, Alabama, Auburn, and a handful of other schools set this precedence prior, so UCF has every right to claim such a title. They have Zero right to claim the CFP title however and that’s where we are really going to dig in.
UCF is a division 1 school, in fact, it is one of 129 division 1 schools that participate in college football. A Division one school is defined as a program that has a varsity football team that may grant a scholarship to all 85 players. Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, FSU, UM, and the 100+ others are also a division 1 school. According to the NCAA, each one of these schools is on a level playing field the day before the season starts. So, the day before the system you had 129 teams tied for first. As no one had played a single game. Aaahhh ha, this is where the Power 5 (P5) teams will get you, we get to our first argument
Argument #1: UCF schedule was weak, if they want to play in the CFP, they need to schedule better teams.
- That means that prior to the ball ever being snapped on day one of the season some quantity of teams have already been disqualified due to some segregation of conference, money, or self-made entitlement. If so then the system is not functioning nor balanced.
- Most any non-P5 would be happy to play your P5 team during the season, including UCF. Schedules are made ~5 years in advance, and buyouts can occur in order to change these schedules. But why would a P5 "powerhouse" schedule a game against a non-P5 team if there is a risk of loss, thus effectively ending their season? I can assure you that Danny White, the UCF Athletic Director, would gladly accept any incoming call, as his outbound calls are not being answered.
Argument #2: UCF just needs to join a better conference, because you wouldn’t have gone undefeated in “our” Conference.
- Oh well let me just go call the join a P5 conference line and sign up with my credit card, this is bias and conjecture, opinion. It can only be proved on the field.
- Hopefully, you understand there are bottom and top dwellers in each division. The top is hard no matter your division. I’m pretty sure Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Florida, Arkansas, Ole Miss, were absolute juggernauts this year. Not convinced let’s go to the ACC (Syracuse, FSU, NC, Duke) maybe the big 12 (Kansas, Baylor, Texas Tech) so yes UCF played some bottom dwellers, so did your team, but your team's bottom dwellers get paid 10X what our teams bottom dwellers do.
- UCF is one of the Youngest collegiate FBS programs in the country and has already set the stage. We’ are just asking for a seat at the table.
- The New England Patriots division is way weaker then let's say the division of the Pittsburg Steelers, do they not get a chance to play in the playoffs if they run the table. Oh, wait they have run the table, got to the championship game and lost. The very thing UCF, as well as others, have been denied.
Argument #3: Our team would destroy/roll-over/crush your team, you don’t even deserve to be on the same field
- Give me P5 money and resources and let’s see. If only there was a possible example of this happening. Oh, wait there is, TCU. Finished 2nd behind Oklahoma, this year and has not fallen into the bottom 3 since joining the P5. So, it can happen.
- Prove it on the field: in bowl games, since the CFP has started, the G5 (UCF is part of) is 3-1 vs the P5. Including the win vs Auburn in the Peach Bowl.
- P5 teams love to use transitive property to determine team’s success against them, but then when a G5 team beats a p5 team the transitive property is ridiculous and old.
- The only way to be decisive is to play the teams on the field. Now not all 129 teams can play each other, I get that, but there has to be a better system.
- Oh, last time that Auburn, Georgia, or Alabama played UCF, UCF won. They got to put a W in the W column and the others had to put an L in the L column.
Argument #4: Strength of Schedule, it’s just not good enough, no one wants to watch you.
- If you agree with this then you are stating clearly that before the very first game of the year that teams will be excluded from decisions, not within the player's ability to execute. Spin this however you want. If SOS is a deciding facture (which is opinion based) then you have excluded nearly half or more of the "equal" 129 FBS college teams from having a shot at a championship. Why are they even playing if you are not going to give them a chance, the system is broken… just broken.
- Going undefeated in any sport in the world automatically qualifies you for the championship, or for the championship game. College football is the only one where you can tell the player "you did everything perfectly, but you don't deserve a shot". I challenge any single person to name another sanctioned sport where this could happen. Where a team like UCF or Auburn (2004,1993), or many others has ended up without a chance to play for the title.
Argument #5: We can’t expand the playoff because <Insert one of many crappy reasons here>
- It’ll never end, then #7 in a 6-team, or # 9 in an 8-team playoff will have gripes. Yeah, that's exactly how it will work. As long as opinions decide there will be discussion and anger, without opinion Alabama wouldn't even be in the playoffs this year. This argument is a straw man argument. It's like saying now that gay marriage is legal, what’s next marrying an animal? Well, it's been 2 years. Still have yet to see a bill that allows inbred rednecks to marry their farm animals. This is tired and old and can easily be disproven by about 100 other contests and playoff systems.
- It’s too hard on the players. Yes, the players have a tough schedule, miss lots of school and work extremely hard across all collegiate athletes. There are numerous sports talking heads that have come up with numerous models that allow break time, school time, and tiers of bowl games where a model like this worked. (This was the argument before the CFP too)
Argument #6: You’re an idiot, you don’t know anything, You’re just jealous
- It sucks so hard to be me. I tell you what as I sit in my nice warm house in Florida, with a solid job, a happy life, and am a fan of the ONLY FBS team to go undefeated this year, I’m really torn up by you calling me an idiot, fraud, joke, embarrassment, whatever will I do ?
- Everyone is a tough guy behind a keyboard. Everyone defends their team and program, why is it only the P5 schools get to be taken seriously, some, and I said SOME of you are really full of yourselves. No one could ever know football better than you, I agree, and no one has a solid point or statistic that could ever go against your team, it's how do they call it #FakeNews? at the end of the day only wins and losses should matter.
Argument #7: Our “Super awesome deluxe” team wasn’t motivated to play you. We had “so and so” out this week!
- Either every game counts or it doesn’t. Every week matters or it doesn’t you can’t pick selectively when it fits your agenda.
- Do you think our team was motivated to play Austin Peay? Do you know what would have happened if we lost to them, NONE OF THIS, just like if Alabama lost to Mercer.
- Yup injury is part of football, the only thing that gets remembered is the W’s and the L’s.
Argument #8: You're a laughing stock / Crybaby
- Clearly, as we are pulling in better recruits.
- Clearly, as we are taking coaches from P5 schools.
- Clearly, as we are the youngest team to do this.
- We are also the fastest team to show that our winless season was a fluke.
- We proved it on the field and all of your other excuses don’t stand up unless you agree that the system is biased/broken. In which case, we are still right.
- Fine, I'll be a crybaby. Someone has to go first, someone has to speak up, someone has to right the wrongs. It's as simple as that. UCF has the gumption and the balls to do it. ESPN contracts be damned, disrespect by non-UCF fans be damned. We are going to fight for what is right. We have a legitimate gripe and we are going to fight to make it right for us, for others, and for football. Sorry, the days of Ivory towers are done, chips and cracks will lead to them crumbling.
Argument #9: You cute little precious snowflakes, look at yourselves giving yourselves a participation trophy
- I hate to even acknowledge this one, but it's just silly. We won every game we played. As before, name me ANY sport that does not award a perfect season with a championship or a chance to play in the championship system. I’ll wait while you protect your precious little Ego
- It takes one vote, one poll, one organization to create doubt and a disputed champion. We get that, you have to shut your snowflake mouths. Especially since schools in the P5 have done this before and the precedence is set. We didn’t make the rules, we play by the same ones you do. We are just better at raising a stink and forcing them to be addressed. As it is days after the bowl game and days toil the CFP, and we are all talking about UCF on every news station, on every talk show.
At the end of the day, UCF proved it on the field, they did everything they were asked to do and were not given a shot. Its wrong, it’s a lie, and it needs to be remedied for all future collegiate FBS athletes.
TLDR: This is all the stuff the talking heads keep repeating and not listening to.
