(This blog was written earlier but not posted due to unforeseen technical difficulties.)
One of the most interesting College Bowl match ups for me this football season was the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, a contest between the Baylor Bears and the University of Central Florida Knights. I was interested in this game because the Bears were touted nationwide as the without-a-doubt winners hands down, while the Knights, an "unworthy" opponent for Baylor, were at the Fiesta Bowl only by virtue of winning the American Athletic Conference. I saw predictions for this game ranging from 17 points all the way to a three-touchdown blow out. For me, though, Baylor was no shoe-in.
The UCF Knights never seemed to gain the respect of sportscasters and coaches alike, but they had my respect early on. On September 14th the Knights beat Penn State by a field goal. That was a pretty big deal, but then two weeks later, on September 28th, the Knights played the Gamecocks in a thriller that saw South Carolina escape just by the skin of their teeth, winning the game by only one point! So it was my official prediction at the time that Baylor would indeed win the Fiesta Bowl, but by only one touch down.
On game day, it was apparent early on that the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl would be a fight. The UCF Knights put up two scores before the Bears really started to play. This game had been touted as a match up between the quarterbacks, Bryce Petty of Baylor and Blake Bortles of UCF, both seen as NFL quality players. When the game was over, Bortles had better stats, largely because of his rushing yards, including one touchdown. Bortles won the day and definitely gained a lot of recognition outside the American Athletic Conference with this upset.
The Baylor Bears are a great team on any given day, but the UCF Knights proved that they could be a great team as well, that they could play with the likes of Baylor University. On this particular game day the Knights were the great team. They left the Bears, and indeed much of the college football world, wondering what had just happened. The Knights beat the Baylor Bears?! No way! Yes, they did. I suspect that next season the Knights will be a little more respected, and no team, not the Bears or the Gamecocks, can consider themselves a "shoe-in" for the win.
One of the most interesting College Bowl match ups for me this football season was the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, a contest between the Baylor Bears and the University of Central Florida Knights. I was interested in this game because the Bears were touted nationwide as the without-a-doubt winners hands down, while the Knights, an "unworthy" opponent for Baylor, were at the Fiesta Bowl only by virtue of winning the American Athletic Conference. I saw predictions for this game ranging from 17 points all the way to a three-touchdown blow out. For me, though, Baylor was no shoe-in.
The UCF Knights never seemed to gain the respect of sportscasters and coaches alike, but they had my respect early on. On September 14th the Knights beat Penn State by a field goal. That was a pretty big deal, but then two weeks later, on September 28th, the Knights played the Gamecocks in a thriller that saw South Carolina escape just by the skin of their teeth, winning the game by only one point! So it was my official prediction at the time that Baylor would indeed win the Fiesta Bowl, but by only one touch down.
On game day, it was apparent early on that the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl would be a fight. The UCF Knights put up two scores before the Bears really started to play. This game had been touted as a match up between the quarterbacks, Bryce Petty of Baylor and Blake Bortles of UCF, both seen as NFL quality players. When the game was over, Bortles had better stats, largely because of his rushing yards, including one touchdown. Bortles won the day and definitely gained a lot of recognition outside the American Athletic Conference with this upset.
The Baylor Bears are a great team on any given day, but the UCF Knights proved that they could be a great team as well, that they could play with the likes of Baylor University. On this particular game day the Knights were the great team. They left the Bears, and indeed much of the college football world, wondering what had just happened. The Knights beat the Baylor Bears?! No way! Yes, they did. I suspect that next season the Knights will be a little more respected, and no team, not the Bears or the Gamecocks, can consider themselves a "shoe-in" for the win.
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