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UCF is No. 12 in latest College Football Playoff rankings
By Matt Murschel
Mike Bianchi, Matt Murschel and Chris Hays talk about UCF remaining No. 12 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, McKenzie Milton's injury status, the struggling defense and a preview of Saturday's game against Navy.
UCF remained at No. 12 in this week's College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday evening.
The Knights (8-0) failed to gain ground in their quest for a spot in one of the two semifinals despite extending their nation-leading winning streak to 21 games with a hard-fought win over Temple last Thursday.
No team from the Group of Five conferences has ranked higher than No. 12.
Even after finishing as the only undefeated conference champion in the Football Bowl Subdivision last season, UCF finished at No. 12.
Last week, it was UCF's strength of schedule that the committee called into question, pointing out that the Knights haven't played a team with a winning record.
That changed over the weekend after facing Temple (5-4) coupled with the fact that the team's win over Pitt (5-4) looks much better after the Panthers upset No. 25 Virginia on Friday to take control of the ACC Coastal Division.
Playoff chair Rob Mullens was asked how the committee viewed UCF's 52-40 win over Owls and its impact on the team's position in the rankings.
"Obviously they have a powerful offense. McKenzie Milton continues to lead that power offense but when you watch their game last week, you can see the defensive struggles," Mullens explained. "They gave up nearly 700 yards to Temple. So again, that is a piece of it. Strong offense, struggling on defense."
Two two-loss teams were ranked ahead of the Knights this week in No. 7 LSU (7-2) and No. 11 Kentucky (7-2).
Elsewhere, Florida (6-3) was ranked No. 15 after falling to Missouri Saturday.
The Knights and the Gators were the only teams from the state of Florida in the latest playoff rankings.
Alabama remained No. 1 atop the rankings, followed by No. 2 Clemson, No. 3 Notre Dame and No. 4 Michigan.
This is the second of six weekly rankings released by the selection committee, with the final rankings to be revealed on Dec. 2. The rankings will determine the four semifinal teams along with the teams participating in the remainder of the New Year's Six bowl games.
The two semifinals, which rotate yearly, will take place in Miami at the Orange Bowl and in Dallas at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 29.
The remaining New Year's Six games will be hosted by the Fiesta, Peach, Rose and Sugar bowls.
The top-ranked conference champion from the Group of 5 leagues automatically earns a spot into one of the New Year's Six access bowl games.
UCF earned the spot last season, beating Auburn in the Peach Bowl.
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If the Knights remain undefeated, they are on track to clinch the Access Bowl bid again, but they could face competition from the Mountain West Conference's Fresno State.
The Bulldogs (8-1) were ranked No. 23 in the latest playoff rankings.
The College Football Playoff National Championship Game is slated to be played on Monday, Jan. 7, at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
The selection committee is composed of Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens plus Frank Beamer, Paola Boivin, Jeff Bower, Joe Castiglione, Herb Deromedi, Ken Hatfield, Chris Howard, Bobby Johnson, Ronnie Lott, Gene Smith, Todd Stansbury and Scott Stricklin.