Central Florida and the raw deal

Through no fault of their own, the football Knights of Central Florida look like they're going to get jobbed again this year. The powers that be won't let them within sniffing distance of a shot at greatness -- in other words -- the four team playoff for the national championship.

Currently UCF sits at #12 in the rankings, far out of contention. Yet they're one of few teams that remain undefeated this year. A perfect 7-0 so far.

They want us to believe that the Gators from Florida deserve a higher ranking, even though they already been beaten twice this year? How does that work?

Ditto for Ohio State. They got absolutely slaughtered at unranked Purdue, as in four touchdowns worth, but the Buckeyes are supposedly better than the Knights?  Get outta here.

Yeah, I get the argument. UCF plays in a "lesser" conference, so they shouldn't be taken as seriously as those schools in"power" conferences.

But how do we know how good they are unless they're given a chance?

Last season they went a perfect 13-0, including beating a top ten Auburn team in the Peach Bowl. Isn't Auburn in the "mighty" SEC? That game in itself showed the Knights can hang with the "big boys".

Though they would finish ranked #6 last year, which is also a statement validating they're football worthiness, they're going to get a raw deal this year too. Even if they go undefeated -- again.

There's a reason UCF won't be allowed anywhere near the top five. Because if they were, and a team ranked ahead of them lost in the last game of the regular season, or a conference championship game, it would be nigh impossible to keep the Knights out of the Big Dance.

Let's get real. The folks behind the scenes (see TV executives) would much rather see high profile teams like Notre Dame, Alabama, Clemson, Michigan, and the like. They would claim their beloved "ratings" would be higher, hence enabling them to charge more for advertising -- see cha-ching.

But is that really true?

If UCF were to get a shot at the four team playoff, might not millions of fans tune in to see how a Cinderella team would fare against traditional behemoths? And wouldn't they be an overwhelming sentimental favorite as well?

True, the Knights might get blown out of the stadium 100-0, and the I-told-you-soers would be screaming from the rooftops. But what if -----  the Knights just happened to pull off a victory?

Only one way to find out. BTW, wasn't it "conventional wisdom" that the mighty Baltimore Colts with Johnny Unitas and Co. were going to annihilate the upstart NY Jets of Joe Willy Namath -- to the tune of 270-0? How did that work out in Super Bowl III?

If they run the table this year, I will never understand why a team that's been undefeated two years running can't seem to get any respect.

Give them a shot, especially if a couple of the teams making the Final Four have a loss on their record.

It's only righteous.