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ORLANDO — The most important game is the next one, or so any coach will have you believe.
It’s a classic college football cliché and, sure, there’s a fair share of truth involved. Teams don’t typically begin preparations for their opponents until the week of the game. But once a schedule is finalized, it’s also fairly easy to determine which contests could ultimately decide the trajectory of the season.
For UCF, most of its final 10 games figure to be toss-ups on paper. That’s the nature of the new-look Big 12, which features five teams ranked in the debut US LBM Coaches Poll (No. 13 Utah, No. 17 Kansas State, No. 18 Oklahoma State, No. 21 Arizona and No. 24 Kansas). The Knights learned the week-to-week grind the hard way in 2023 and hope to avoid repeating the same mistakes.
UCF football opens fall camp: 5 position battles to monitor before New Hampshire opener
Several anticipated clashes missed the cut, but here are three games that could go a long way toward deciding whether the Knights will push for the College Football Playoff or scramble just to make a bowl game at season’s end.
TCU, Sept. 14
Colorado’s Michael Harrison (87) is hit by TCU’s Bud Clark (21) on Sept. 2, 2023, at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
TCU recently hit the heights Gus Malzahn envisions UCF could soon achieve.
The Horned Frogs became the Big 12’s first national championship game competitor two seasons ago, although the outcome laid bare the gap between Georgia and the rest of the field. They crashed back to Earth last fall, however, with a 5-7 record and a change of defensive coordinators.
UCF started its Big 12 tenure on the wrong foot in 2023, dropping its first five games against conference opponents. The Knights should get two wins under their belt with little fuss, against New Hampshire and Sam Houston, before a critical road trip to Fort Worth,…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/3-games-could-define-ucf-090641958.html
Author : Daytona Beach News-Journal
Publish date : 2024-08-14 09:06:41
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