Orlando Magic Daily
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2017 Central Florida 85 Nos. 1-17: The Best of the Best

By Philip Rossman-Reich

ORLANDO, FL - AUGUST 31: UCF mascot Knightro takes the field before the football game between the visiting FIU Panthers and the UCF Knights on August 31, 2017 at Spectrum Stadium in Orlando FL. (Photo by Joe Petro/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL - AUGUST 31: UCF mascot Knightro takes the field before the football game between the visiting FIU Panthers and the UCF Knights on August 31, 2017 at Spectrum Stadium in Orlando FL. (Photo by Joe Petro/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Scott Frost, UCF Knights
ORLANDO, FL – AUGUST 31: Head coach Scott Frost of the UCF Knights is seen during a NCAA football game between the Florida International Panthers and UCF Knights at Spectrum Stadium on August 31, 2017 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Alex Menendez/Getty Images) /

2. Scott Frost, UCF Football

For all the excitement of Orlando City taking over the city. And for all the good the Orlando Magic have done to put Orlando on the sports map. The reality may very well remain that Florida is a college football state. And Orlando, at the crossroads of the Florida Gators, Florida State Seminoles, Miami Hurricanes and so many other schools, is a capital of college football activity.

When the UCF Knights shocked the world and won the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl in 2014, it felt like that program was finally going to wake up from its perpetual “sleeping giant” status. That did not happen, though. The Knights were still a solid team, but not spectacular.

Then came the disastrous 0-15 2015 season, just two years after that triumphant Fiesta Bowl win. Longtime coach George O’Leary was out and the Knights faced major questions.

But UCF wanted to try something new. They were determined to be relevant in this marketplace. And in came Scott Frost, bringing the Oregon offense and a bit of the Oregon flair for jersey dramatics and marketing too. The Knights were going to be different in Central Florida.

The reviews from Scott Frost’s first year as the coach at UCF? Very good.

The Knights went from winless to a bowl game in one year. All this with an offense that was still trying to adjust to the new hurry-up style and had plenty of its own hiccups. UCF struggled in the Cure Bowl, played in UCF’s own backyard, but it was clear the Knights were on the rise again. They had every reason to be optimistic again.

Then came Thursday’s opener — a 61-17 romp over the FIU Golden Panthers. The Knights offense started to pick up its pace and tear through a tired and unprepared defense. Sophomore quarterback McKenzie Milton amassed 360 passing yards and four touchdowns. UCF seemed at its best in this moment.

The Knights are probably not quite ready to compete for an American Championship, they are projected to finish second in the division. But Frost seems set to have his program grow a bit more this year. And that can only make this college football-hungry town more excited as more UCF grads come of age in Orlando.