UCF Continues Its NCAA Troll Job With Championship Rings, Banner
Socrates Johnson7 years ago

It seems like only yesterday that the University of Central Florida Knights won the college football National Championship. Or, more accurately, declared themselves National Champions. You see, UCF put up a perfect season in 2017, and beat Auburn, who beat Alabama, who ended up officially raising the championship banners. Meanwhile, the Knights find themselves snubbed from playoff contention, but weren’t buying into the whole “strength of schedule” bullshit that the league was throwing around. So when it came to championship recognition, UCF took a more DIY approach.

The latest example of that came late last week with the unveiling of actual championship rings and a championship banner.

From Orlando Sentinel:

UCF unveiled 2017 national championship rings presented to players during spring football game festivities Saturday.

The Knights posted a 13-0 record in 2017, winning the American Athletic Conference championship and defeating Auburn in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. The Tigers previously defeated College Football Playoff champion Alabama and the Knights were the only undefeated team in the nation last season, prompting UCF athletics director Danny White to declare the school national champions.

The Colley-Matrix, one of more than 40 polls, rankings and formulas recognized by the NCAA in its list of national champion major selections, crowned UCF national champions in January and backed up the Knights’ claim.

The rings and the unveiling of new national championship signs around Spectrum Stadium Saturday were the latest part of White’s effort to celebrate the Knights’ success and highlight the difficulty a non-Power 5 team faces earning a spot in the College Football Playoff semifinals.

The 2017 undefeated national championship ring.#ChargeOn pic.twitter.com/RtLEqbgoKR

— UCF Football (@UCF_Football) April 22, 2018

So, I guess the underlying question remains: Is UCF going too far with this championship troll job? Are college football purists like Kirk Herbstreit and Paul Finebaum right in saying that this is bad for the game?

Just enjoy a magical-incredible year. You’re damaging your own brand by jumping up and down “claiming” a National Championship. Just stop. Your “National Champions” in your own world. And that’s awesome. But the rest of us crowned Bama the champ January 8th. https://t.co/Lblv7dEp8p

— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) March 15, 2018

Ok, technically that was two questions, but the answer remains the same with both: Absolutely not. Keep trolling, trolling, trolling. Raise those banners high. Flash those rings around until everyone realizes what UCF actually stands for: Undisputed Champions Forever. .

[via Orlando Sentinel]

Image via Twitter Screenshot/UCF Football