Central Florida joined the American Athletic Conference in its inaugural season in 2013, moving over from Conference USA. UCF enjoyed immediate football success in the AAC, winning or sharing the conference title in its first two seasons.
All told, the Knights won four AAC titles, all by 2018. Here is a look back at UCF’s top five moments in the AAC.
1. A “national championship” in 2017
UCF went 13-0 and was the lone unbeaten team in 2017. The Knights didn’t earn a berth in the College Football Playoff, but they beat Auburn 34-27 in the Peach Bowl. That was significant because Auburn beat eventual national champion Alabama 26-14 and split with runner-up Georgia, beating the Bulldogs 40-17 in the regular season and then losing to them 28-7 in the SEC championship. Auburn finished the season 10-4.
UCF felt it should have been invited to the College Football Playoff, but when it wasn’t, the Knights decided to crown themselves “national champions.” The Orlando-based school even held a championship parade at Walt Disney World.
Say what you want about UCF, but this was no Mickey Mouse team.
There were four wins by a touchdown or less, none wilder than the 62-55 double overtime win over Memphis in the AAC title game.
Otis Anderson’s 1-yard run gave UCF a 62-55 lead on its second overtime possession. Then Tre Neal sealed the win with a goal-line interception of Memphis quarterback Riley Ferguson.
AAC Offensive Player of the Year McKenzie Milton completed 28-of-40 for 494 yards and five touchdowns. He also rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries to earn the game’s Most Outstanding Player Award.
In the Peach Bowl, senior Chequan Burkett’s 45-yard interception return for a TD gave the Knights a 34-20 lead with 5:56 left to provide the eventual winning margin.
McKenzie was named the game’s Most Outstanding Player, throwing for 242 yards and two scores and rushing for 116 yards and another touchdown.
Coach Scott Frost departed for Nebraska after that season, and that one didn’t work out quite as well for the ex-Cornhuskers coach.
2. The winning streak increases by 12
UCF followed its unbeaten 2017 season by winning the first 12 games in 2018 before finally seeing the 25-game win streak end with a 40-32 loss to No. 11 LSU in the Fiesta Bowl. The Knights entered the game ranked No. 11.
During the win streak, UCF beat four ranked opponents.
The rivalry with Memphis continued as the Knights won a 31-30 regular season road victory in which they trailed 30-17 at halftime.
The two teams would meet again in the AAC title game with UCF earning a 56-41 home win. It was the second straight AAC championship. (The AAC initiated the league championship game during the 2015 season).
Once again, the Knights had to overcome a halftime deficit, this time trailing 38-21.
Redshirt freshman Darriel Mack Jr. stole the show, completing 19-of-27 for 348 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. He also rushed for 59 yards and four touchdowns on 18 carries and earned the game MVP award.
3. The first AAC title
Coming over from Conference USA, the Knights won the first-ever AAC title in 2013, going 12-1 overall and 8-0 in the conference. This was before there was a championship game. There was just one division of 10 teams.
Louisville finished second with a 7-1 mark. The difference was UCF’s 38-35 win at No. 6 Louisville. UCF trailed 28-7 midway through the third quarter before closing the game on a 31-7 run.
Trailing 35-31 after Louisville scored a touchdown with three minutes left, UCF scored the winning touchdown with 23 seconds remaining when Blake Bortles hit Jeff Godfrey on a 2-yard scoring pass.
Bortles threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns, and the Knights survived a big game from Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who completed 29 of 38 for 341 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions.
The only loss that season was 28-25 at home against South Carolina in the fourth game of the year. UCF would end its season with a 52-42 win over Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl. It was the third consecutive bowl win for George O’Leary’s squad.
Bortles was the player of the game, passing for 301 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 93 yards and another score.
4. Back-to-back conference champs in 2014
UCF defended its AAC title in 2014 but had some company. The Knights shared the championship with Memphis and Cincinnati, who all finished with 7-1 AAC records. UCF didn’t play Cincinnati or Memphis that season. (There were 11 AAC teams but only eight conference games)
The Knights clinched a share of the title with an improbable 32-30 win at East Carolina in the final regular season games. The game-winner came on Justin Holman’s 51-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass to Breshad Perriman as time expired. That erased an impressive comeback by ECU, which trailed 26-9 entering the fourth quarter.
Perriman ended with four receptions for 139 yards and the one touchdown, among the most memorable in school history.
5. Halting a long conference win streak
Cincinnati was the two-time defending AAC champion and the No. 20 Bearcats entered this past season’s game at UCF with a 19-game conference winning streak.
Quarterback Mikey Keene replaced an injured John Rhys Plumlee and led the Knights to two scoring drives in a 25-21 win over the visiting Bearcats. Keene completed 15-of-21 for 176 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions. RJ Harvey’s 17-yard run with just 48 seconds left provided the Knights with the winning margin.
That win was a major reason why UCF earned a berth in the AAC title game, where the Knights lost 45-28 at Tulane. (UCF won at Tulane 38-31 in the regular season).
UCF finished its final AAC season 9-5.
