Nov. 24, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. -
By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
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Much like its fans, UCF's football players are abuzz over the possibilities of which bowl and what opponent the Knights will face a couple of weeks down the road.
But, to a man, those same players stress that the team's focus is squarely on beating UAB on Saturday and finishing out the regular season with five consecutive victories in Conference USA play.
"We're in UAB mode, not bowl mode," standout defensive end Bruce Miller stressed. "We know it's a very important game for (UAB) because they are still trying to get bowl eligible. But it's very important for us because they are still trying to pick bowls and where we're going to go could come down to winning this game. Also, with a win we can get a piece of the East Division title. So it's huge for us, we're focused on it and we'll take care of the bowl stuff later."
The Knights know that an 8-4 resume, especially one that has them playing their best football late in the season, should make them an attractive pick to bowl representatives. UCF is hoping to land in a postseason game opposite a BCS-affiliated school, a game that could help broaden the national notoriety of a Knights' squad that has saved its season with a stirring finish.
If UCF can close out the regular season on Saturday in Birmingham with a victory, it's looking more likely that the Knights will end up opposite a Big East foe such as Connecticut or Rutgers in the St. Petersburg Bowl. But other options, such as the EagleBank Bowl in Washington, D.C., are still possibilities - as long as the Knights keep winning.
"Coach (George) O'Leary knew players were thinking and talking about the bowl so he broke it down for us and we really don't know and won't know, so he told us don't even worry about it," senior wide out Rocky Ross said.
"We'd rather be 8-4 than 7-5. Right now it's all about UAB. They beat us last year so it's all about one mindset of trying to beat them now."
O'Leary said he'd be more worried about the distractions a potential bowl game might present if the Knights already knew where they were they were headed and who they would be facing. But he doesn't expect distractions to be an issue for a team that re-dedicated itself after six games and has closed with a strong push. And O'Leary has repeatedly reminded his team that it was UAB who shut out the Knights 15-0 last season to help with Saturday's motivation.
"Our next bowl game is UAB, that's how I look at it," the coach said. "That's all we know now and that's the next game. I think the players understand that. This big thing is that we have a lot that we are playing for. We can still get a piece of the division (crown) if Southern Miss beats East Carolina. We still have that out there. The seventh win last week was big, but getting the eighth win and having the opportunity to get a ninth win (in a bowl) would make for a pretty good year. Anytime you get close to double digits I think it's a good season."
John Denton's Knights Insider appears several times per week on UCFAthletics.com. E-mail John at jdenton@athletics.ucf.edu.