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Knights Finish 2019 Season Ranked in Top 25

UCF at #24 in AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Poll

Nate Evans
Derek Warden

The UCF Knights finished the 2019 season ranked at #24 in both the AP Top 25 and the USA Today Coaches Poll, climbing back into the rankings for the final time this season.

It’s the third straight year and fifth time overall that UCF has finished a season ranked. It’s also the first time UCF has finished ranked despite not winning its division, let alone its conference:

UCF Football in Final Rankings

Year Record Conf. Conference Finish Bowl Result AP Coaches
Year Record Conf. Conference Finish Bowl Result AP Coaches
2010 11-3 7-1 C-USA Champions W Liberty Bowl vs. Georgia 21 20
2013 12-1 8-0 AAC Champions W Fiesta Bowl vs. #6 Baylor 10 12
2017 13-0 8-0 AAC Champions W Peach Bowl vs. #7 Auburn 6 7
2018 12-1 8-0 AAC Champions L Fiesta Bowl vs. #11 LSU 12 11
2019 10-3 6-2 2nd, AAC East W Gasparilla Bowl vs. Marshall 24 24
Final Coaches Poll pending as of publication

AP Top 25: #24

UCF is one of four American teams in the AP Top 25, behind #17 Memphis, #20 Navy, and #21 Cincinnati. A total of seven non-autonomous conference teams landed in the rankings, including #19 Appalachian State, #22 Air Force and #23 Boise State.

The Knights started the year at #17 in the preseason AP Poll and got as high as #15 before their first loss of the season at Pitt. They stayed ranked until Week 6, when they finally fell out of the polls following their second loss of the season at Cincinnati.

USA Today Coaches Poll: #24

Four American teams also finished in the final Coaches Poll, all in the exact same slots as in the AP poll (#17 Memphis, #20 Navy, and #21 Cincinnati). Appalachian State was one spot higher at #18, and Boise State (#22) and Air Force (#23) were flipped.

UCF started the year at #17 in the Coaches Poll, dropped out in Week 6 after the Cincinnati loss, and didn’t reappear until today.

Finishing the year ranked and with double-digit wins means that, at the very least, UCF should be considered for a preseason ranking heading into 2020. But for a season that saw some up-and-down moments, finishing with a number next to your name in both major rankings is a nice way to conclude the 2019 campaign.

UCF opens the 2020 season against North Carolina at home in approximately 233 days.