Lost in the parades, playoff lobbying, and uncivil discourse, a remarkable streak was extended. UCF lost their 25-game winning streak with an eight-point loss to LSU in the 2019 Sugar Bowl, but in scoring 32 points, the Knights extended another remarkable streak: Twenty-six consecutive games with at least 30 points.
UCF lost to Arkansas State, 31-13, in the 2016 Cure Bowl. That was the last time they failed to score at least 30 points in a game. Eight months later, the Knights plastered Florida International, 61-17, in the 2017 opener and haven't stopped their offensive onslaught since.
With their 37-10 win over East Carolina on Oct. 20, 2018, they became just the sixth FBS program to score 30 points in 20 consecutive games. Five weeks later, they tied South Florida's all-time record of 24 games with a 38-10 win over the Bulls and set the record with 56 points in the AAC Championship on Dec. 1.
Now, entering the 2019 season, the winning streak is dead, but the scoring streak is alive. How long will it last?
Side context note: Only one other team carries a streak longer than six games into the 2019 season (Oklahoma, 10), and four teams have active streaks of at least 10 games in which they've failed to score at least 30 points.
None of UCF's 12 regular-season opponents in 2019 ranked among the top 30 S&P+ defenses in 2018, and only two, Cincinnati and Stanford, allowed fewer than 27 points per game. However, both Cincinnati and Stanford — like UCF's offense — suffered personnel losses at each level, as did most of the other defenses on UCF's 2019 schedule.
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Prediction: UCF will have no trouble reaching 30 points against Florida A&M and FAU in Weeks 1 and 2, respectively, and barely hit against Stanford and Pittsburgh in Weeks 3 and 4. Following a Week 5 demolition of UConn, the streak will end in Week 6 against Jarell White, Bryan White and Cincinnati.
If that happens, UCF's 30-point streak will end at 31 games, seven games longer than any other 30-point streak in FBS history and far out of reach of any near-future threats.
