It was the “Year of Firsts” for the UCF football team in 2013. And the trend continued Tuesday when the Knights were ranked No. 10 in the final AP Top 25, marking their first showing in the top 10 in school history.
In the final USA Today Coaches Poll, UCF entered at No. 12.
Entering the bowl season, the Knights were ranked No. 15 in both top-25 polls as well as the BCS standings, which all were program highs. That was until the Black and Gold upset then-No. 6 and Big 12 champion Baylor in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, 52-42, to post a 12-1 record on the year.
UCF’s only loss in 2013 was to South Carolina, a team that placed No. 4 in both of the final polls.
UCF, Auburn, Michigan State and Missouri were all unranked in the preseason, but they all completed the year in the top 10 of the AP Top 25.
Firsts for UCF Football in the 2013 Season
- American Athletic Conference debut
- American Athletic Conference championship
- BCS bowl
- BCS bowl victory
- Top 15 ranking
- Top 10 ranking
- Win over a Big Ten team
- Win over a Big 12 team
- At least 10 regular-season wins
- 12 overall wins
- Nine-game winning streak
- Seven wins by seven points or less
- Undefeated away from home (7-0 including the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl)
- Senior class had at least 35 wins over a four-year stretch (ended with 38 from 2010-13)
“Be an Early Bird” as 2014 season tickets are on sale now. Call the UCF Ticket Office at 407-UCF-1000 for more details. And to learn about the Croke Park Classic against Penn State Aug. 30 in Dublin, Ireland, check out UCF.CrokeParkClassic.com.