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When asked which UCF Football team would win between his 2013 squad and the 2017 team, Blake Bortles had this to say to Calais Campbell:
“We [2013] would have run [2017 #UCF] out of the stadium.” - Blake Bortles https://t.co/ZHnKrdTJjo
— Black & Gold Banneret (@UCF_Banneret) September 18, 2018
[Side note: Blake is 6'5" and look at how short he is compared to Calais. Dang.]
We'll never know if he's right, unfortunately, but we can compare.
Let's take a look at the stats:
| Stat | 2017 UCF | 2013 UCF |
| Record | 13-0 | 12-1 |
| Conference W/L | 8-0 | 8-0 |
| Opponents' W% | .518 | .456 |
| P5 W/L | 2-0 | 2-1 |
| Points/Game | 48.2 | 34.6 |
| Points Against/Game | 25.3 | 21.3 |
| Differential | +22.9 | +13.3 |
| Final AP Rank | #6 | #10 |
| Final Coaches' Rank | #7 | #12 |
Hmm. Not a great case for Blake & Co.
How about offense:
| Stat | 2017 UCF | 2013 UCF |
| Plays | ||
| Run/Pass | 54%/46% | 54%/46% |
| Yards/Play | 7.5 | 6.6 |
| Yards/Game | 530.5 | 441.5 |
| Time of Possession | 28:05 | 32:12 |
| First Downs | 327 | 291 |
| Third Down % | 45% | 49% |
| Red Zone %/TD% | 85%/70% | 87%/60% |
| Penalties/Game | 8.4 | 4.8 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rush Yds/Game | 198.7 | 159.9 |
| Rush TD | 39 | 28 |
| Yds/Rush | 5.2 | 4.4 |
| Passing | ||
| Pass Yds/Game | 331.8 | 281.6 |
| Comp % | 67.7% | 66.5% |
| Yds/Att | 10.2 | 9.1 |
| Pass TD | 38 | 26 |
| Sacks Allowed | 13 | 22 |
| Turnovers | ||
| INTs | 9 | 11 |
| Fum Lost | 6 | 10 |
I guess George O'Leary would have been happy with the fewer penalties and slightly better third-down percentage. Not much else for him to brag about here.
How about Defense?
| Stat | 2017 UCF | 2013 UCF |
| Plays Allowed | ||
| Run/Pass | 51%/49% | 46%/54% |
| Yards/Play | 5.7 | 5.4 |
| Yards/Game | 427.9 | 362.0 |
| First Downs | 280 | 248 |
| Third Down % | 41% | 41% |
| Red Zone %/TD% | 85%/60% | 74%/68% |
| Rushing Allowed | ||
| Rush Yds/Game | 159.8 | 122.5 |
| Rush TD | 16 | 21 |
| Yds/Rush | 4.2 | 4.0 |
| Passing Allowed | ||
| Pass Yds/Game | 268.1 | 239.5 |
| Comp % | 55.4% | 56.8% |
| Yds/Att | 7.4 | 6.5 |
| Pass TD | 24 | 13 |
| Sacks | 27 | 29 |
| Turnovers Forced | ||
| INTs | 20 | 14 |
| Fum Recovered | 12 | 12 |
This is where the 2013 team has the better case. However, it's also important to know that they faced easier competition that wasn't as high-octane on offense as what the 2017 team faced.
For the hell of it, let's do special teams:
| Stat | 2017 UCF | 2013 UCF |
| Punts/Game | 3.5 | 3.3 |
| Yards/Punt | 39.6 | 39.9 |
| FG | 13/18 | 21/24 |
| Extra Points | 80/81 | 53/53 |
| 2XP | 1/3 | 1/2 |
| Punt Return Avg. | 14.7 | 10.8 |
| Punt Return Avg Allowed | 6.8 | 5.1 |
| Kickoff Return Avg. | 24.8 | 22.5 |
| Kickoff Return Allowed | 20.4 | 20.3 |
| Kickoff TB % | 22% | 28% |
Special teams is more or less a wash but I'd give the slight edge to 2013 in the field goal department, although 2017's return game was certainly better.
So if you're asking me to crank up the Madden Machine and put 2013 UCF vs. 2017 UCF, I'm running with the 2017 Knights to get the head-to-head victory based on their sheer explosiveness.
Sorry, Blake.
Which @UCF_Football would you take in an imaginary head-to-head matchup? #UCF
— Black & Gold Banneret (@UCF_Banneret) September 19, 2018