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The State of Orlando Sports with WMFE’s Intersection

By Philip Rossman-Reich

ORLANDO, FL - DECEMBER 01: UCF Knights head coach Josh Heupel is covered in ice and water by his players after winning the AAC Championship football game between the visiting Memphis Tigers and the UCF Knights on December 1, 2018, at Spectrum Stadium in Orlando, FL. (Photo by Joe Petro/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL - DECEMBER 01: UCF Knights head coach Josh Heupel is covered in ice and water by his players after winning the AAC Championship football game between the visiting Memphis Tigers and the UCF Knights on December 1, 2018, at Spectrum Stadium in Orlando, FL. (Photo by Joe Petro/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The Orlando Magic have been a nice surprise to start the season, the UCF Knights are undefeated again and Orlando City searches for a new GM.

It is a grand time for Orlando sports right now.

The UCF Knights just completed a second straight undefeated season, winning their last 25 games and completing a miraculous comeback to secure the American Athletic Conference Championship. All that got them was a trip to the Playstation Fiesta Bowl and a date with the LSU Tigers.

It is not the College Football Playoff, but the system seemed rigged against them from the start anyway. All the Knights can do is win games and that is all they have done for the last two years.

The Knights will get their chance to claim a second national championship with a win over the Tigers in Glendale, Ariz.

They are not the only good thing going on.

The Orlando Magic’s surprising start has started to re-awaken fans in the area to the basketball team. After six years lost in the wilderness of a rebuild, any bits of success are liable to get the fans excited.

Typically a 12-14 record is not too much to get excited about. Then again, that record has left the Magic sitting in eighth in the Eastern Conference past the quarter pole of the season. Fans are beginning to buckle in and believe in a Playoff road ahead.

Of course, as exciting as these things are for fans in The City Beautiful, there are still plenty of questions.

All these topics were at the center of our discussion on the latest episode of Intersection on WMFE. I joined Jeff Sharon of Black and Gold Banneret and Jordan Culver of Pro Soccer USA to discuss the state of Orlando sports.

The Magic certainly feel on some shaky ground. They have had strong starts before but quickly collapsed. As good as they have played, it still feels like this team could fall apart if they do not have the same attention to detail that brought them even this modest record.

The Knights, of course, did not get a chance to play for the proper national championship. That is thanks to a system that excludes teams from non-established conferences.

And they have played their last two games largely without Heisman Trophy candidate McKenzie Milton. His horrific leg injury cut short a career that seemed about ready to blossom. He was the Knights’ best player and engine for the last two years. Darriel Mack has big shoes to fill.

Orlando City is going through its own transition. After firing Jason Kreis midseason and hiring a new coach in James O’Connor, the team also parted ways with general manager Nikki Budalic. This is a team in transition and still trying to figure out how to win in the MLS.

The Lions are a team trying to figure things out. Much in the same way the Magic are.

Next. Orlando Magic get reminder of how fragile success can be. dark

It is still an exciting time for sports in Orlando. But one filled with plenty of questions moving forward.