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For the first time in school history, UCF is ranked in the top ten in both the AP and Coaches' Polls in the regular season.
Following the Knights' 48-20 dispatching of SMU, their 18th straight victory, UCF, now 5-0 and 2-0 in The American, rose four spots in the Amway Coaches' Poll, to #9:
Coaches Poll:
— UCF Football (@UCF_Football) October 7, 2018
9️⃣9️⃣9️⃣9️⃣9️⃣9️⃣
9️⃣ 9️⃣
9️⃣ 9️⃣
9️⃣ 9️⃣
9️⃣9️⃣9️⃣9️⃣9️⃣9️⃣
9️⃣
9️⃣
9️⃣
9️⃣
9️⃣#ChargeOn
Later on Sunday, UCF got news that it had moved up two spots in the AP Top 25, to #10, although they got leapfrogged by Texas, who rose 10 spots:
Why stop at top 10?
— UCF Football (@UCF_Football) October 7, 2018
Next up: business trip to Memphis at 3:30PM ET Saturday on ABC ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/aoQCQVLxds
Perhaps even more importantly, Cincinnati and South Florida also broke into both polls at #23 and #25, respectively. UCF plays the Bearcats and the Bulls in their final two games of the regular season (Cincinnati at home on November 17th, South Florida in Tampa on the 23rd).
Head Starts Matter
The Knights' head start in the race to a potential College Football Playoff berth is now undeniable.
In the Coaches' Poll, UCF has moved up every week but one, and is now 12 spots ahead of its highest ranking at this point in a season:
| Week | 2013 | 2017 | 2018 |
| Preseason | – | – | 23 |
| 1 | – | – | 20 |
| 2 | – | – | 18 |
| 3 | – | – | 18 |
| 4 | – | – | 14 |
| 5 | – | 25 | 13 |
| 6 | – | 21 | 9 |
| 7 | – | 10 | ? |
| 8 | 25 | 17 | ? |
| 9 | 22 | 14 | ? |
| 10 | 21 | 12 | ? |
| 11 | 19 | 12 | ? |
| 12 | 20 | 12 | ? |
| 13 | 19 | 11 | ? |
| 14 | 17 | 10 | ? |
| 15 | 15 | (No Week 15 Poll) | (No Week 15 Poll) |
| Final | 12 | 7 | ? |
In the AP Top 25, UCF has risen every week and is again 12 spots ahead of its pace from 2017:
| Week | 2013 (12-1) | 2017 (13-0) | 2018 |
| Preseason | – | – | 21 |
| 1 | – | – | 19 |
| 2 | – | – | 18 |
| 3 | – | – | 16 |
| 4 | – | – | 13 |
| 5 | – | 25 | 12 |
| 6 | – | 22 | 10 |
| 7 | – | 20 | ? |
| 8 | 21 | 18 | ? |
| 9 | 19 | 15 | ? |
| 10 | 19 | 14 | ? |
| 11 | 15 | 14 | ? |
| 12 | 17 | 13 | ? |
| 13 | 17 | 12 | ? |
| 14 | 15 | 10 | ? |
| 15 | 15 | (No Week 15 Poll) | (No Week 15 Poll) |
| Final | 10 | 6 | ? |
The Knights' jump in the polls come just in time to show their wares on national television in their next game at Memphis:
UPDATE!
— UCF Football (@UCF_Football) October 7, 2018
We’ll be on ABC across most the nation on Saturday at Memphis ✊
(Other portions of the country will see it on ESPN2) pic.twitter.com/Ph89drD8Uv
Neither of these polls factor into the forthcoming CFP Committee poll, which debuts October 30th.
But seeing UCF this high in the rankings may indeed impart some influence when the committee makes its judgment of where UCF fits in among college football's elite teams for 2018.