Feb. 14, 2011
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By Marc Daniels
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Coming off its most successful season in school history, UCF's football team has its sights set on keeping the momentum rolling in 2011. With Jeff Godfrey and a ton of talent returning on offense and a solid core on the defensive side, expectations will be high and the team seems to embrace the thought that the bar is set even higher. But something else may be a key factor in determining UCF's success.
The new television package Conference USA struck with Fox Sports will deliver more dollars to league members and will also bring more games to a national audience. Those nationally televised games will come in the form of both Thursday and Saturday games.
UCF enjoyed success on national television last season posting a 5-0 record on ESPN alone. And the value of playing before the entire country is priceless in promoting the program.
With the release of the 2011 schedule last week, UCF will play all of its non-conference games on the front end, something George O'Leary has always preferred and what UCF did last season.
After a bye week, the Knights get eight-straight weeks of conference play. The six road games come on three back-to-back scenarios. The first finds UCF at FIU and then off to Provo, Utah, for a Friday night ESPN game against the newest independent in college football, BYU.
The second back-to-back road show will send the Knights to SMU for a rematch of the conference title game last year and then it's off to Legion Field for a division game with UAB.
Once again, C-USA schedule makers have found a way to challenge George O'Leary's team with the final back-to-back road trip with stops in Hattiesburg against Southern Miss and then to Greenville to face the Pirates of East Carolina.
The home slate opens with Charleston Southern followed by Boston College. Marshall visits after a bye week and the Herd open league play for UCF. Memphis, Tulsa and UTEP are also visiting Bright House Networks Stadium. The UTEP game will end the regular season over the Thanksgiving weekend.
Based on UCF's success last season, the Knights are likely to be a popular choice for games on national television. Bank on the Boston College game to be a choice among networks. The rematch with SMU is another sure pick and games with Southern Miss and East Carolina are almost sure to be on the list.
But what does Fox Sports do in regards to Thursday night games? And how would a Thursday game or two impact UCF. Exposure is great, but at what cost?
O'Leary often had Saturday games followed by Thursday games during his days at Georgia Tech. He welcomed the opportunity to play on ESPN those Thursday nights when the ACC needed exposure.
In years past when UCF played a weekday game the schedule typically had Saturday's off on both ends of that game. Last season's game at Houston was on a Friday and the same scenario happens this season with the BYU game. This season UCF has one bye, the weekend of Sept. 30. The Marshall game could shift to a Thursday and that would not force UCF into a short week of preparation. But any other game that would be moved to a Thursday would put the Knights into a position of having to play a game on Saturday and come back to play on a Thursday.
There are plenty of teams that have done this many times over the years of television growth that has made Thursday a prime night of action. But it is a wrench in your preparation. Players get into routines and when they change, it can impact a game plan.
What if Fox Sports wants more than one Thursday game for UCF? As much as I love the national exposure, I prefer no more than one Thursday game. I think two becomes a concern in how the team handles a short week.
My guess is UCF will land a minimum of six and as many as eight nationally televised games between ESPN, Fox Sports and CBS College Sports. Those networks have already started the process of picking games to televise and UCF should learn of any games changing days in the coming weeks.
While shifting day games might be a challenge, the value of playing on national television is huge this season for UCF. Whether the Knights are part of the preseason top 25 or close to being in the poll, those games before a national audience go a long way in getting into and staying in those polls.
ESPN will never admit it, but anyone can watch and see that conferences that do a lot of business with the network get more air time on studio shows and highlight shows. However, the way to get around that is to be part of the top 25. That usually guarantees you some time on those important shows.
Building a brand in college football is about facilities, administration commitment, fan support and most importantly it's about wins and television exposure. As UCF embarks on its mission to make 2011 as successful as 2010, the power of television has never been as big.
Knights notes and more: Baseball opening day is Friday. Terry Rooney's team faces Siena. College baseball has never been as big across the country with more television exposure than ever before. The new bat restrictions will make many college pitchers a lot of money when it comes draft time. In years past some felt any ERAA below 5.00 was decent. Now more pitchers will like break 4.00...Speaking of college baseball, Cal's team lost its recent battle to keep the program alive. Facing a massive budget shortfall in the state and the university's desire to cut its own deficit, Cal is eliminating several athletics teams. Men's gymnastics and baseball failed to raise enough money from private donations to sustain itself for the next five years. The story is worth noting because many schools across the country face similar budget issues and if a school like Cal, with a history of success in athletics, can do something like this then how many others might do the same...Final thought: Man's best friend is a dog. Woman's best friend is a diamond. Man's best friend likes to play outside and is loyal to his owner. Woman's best friend is expensive. Man's best friend doesn't ask for much and is a protector of the house. Woman's best friend is expensive. My wife has a lot of friends.
Marc Daniels' From the Press Box runs several times per month on UCFAthletics.com. Listen to Marc during UCF football, men's basketball and baseball radio broadcasts on the UCF Sports Network. Each weekday, Marc hosts The Beat of Sports on ESPN Radio 1080.