Last year UCF was ranked in the Top 25 and we were all excited. But, as we look back on it, here is the real truth. We were at the top of our game a year ago. Many of us thought that we were better than we really are. We thought “hey, if we can get into the Top 25 in C-USA, imagine what we can do in a REAL Conference!” But the reality is, in a real BCS Conference, UCF will get run over. You don’t believe this? Think about this.

At the top of college football, we have LSU and Alabama. These are the top programs in the game. Both of these teams are about 30 points better than Florida. Florida is a middle of the road BCS AQ team. Florida beat UAB 39-0. OK so that’s how bad UCF really is. For those of you who thought we could just jump right into the big time of college football, wake up. We have a long way to go. And the first step is an upgrade in the coaching staff. George O’Leary is a decent C-USA Coach. But if we as a fan base aren’t happy with being a decent C-USA program, then we need to do something about it. Recruiting in the 50s and 60s is not going to get us consistently ranked in the Top 20. Not without a Chris Petersen as coach. O’Leary is nearing retirement and he has barely won 100 games in his career. This guy is not going to turn a mid-major program into a national contender. Ever.

At the end of the game tonight, we had a team with an 0-6 record, running the ball at us gaining 9 yards a pop. Or more. What would have we done tonight against a legit team? We’re not even going to make a bowl this year, in C-USA. That’s pitiful. What’s worse is this has happened in half of O’Leary’s eight seasons. He is now 48-48. That’s a mediocre record in a less than mediocre conference. The numbers do not lie.

It’s been a year since I’ve made a post on the site. There didn’t seem to be much reason to. UCF was rolling. We won the C-USA title for the second time. We made a bowl game in consecutive years. We won the Liberty Bowl against the SEC power Georgia Bulldogs! It was a great time to be a Knight. We got ranked in the Top 25 polls for the first time ever. Having a “fire the coach” web site didn’t seem to make much sense. So I decided to give it a rest and enjoy the success.

Here we are a year later. UCF has parlayed that season into an invite to the Big East (or so it looks). We re now one of the “Big Boys” in college football. It’s just a matter now of recruiting the players and winning games. In other words, our destiny is in our own hands now. But, there is trouble lurking. And that trouble is our team appears to be back on the up and down O’Leary roller coaster ride.

In a year where the season started with UCF talking about being a “BCS Buster” things have gone drastically south. Two consecutive losses in games where we should have won, (FIU and BYU) followed by a not-too-impressive offensive showing against Marshall, and a blowout loss where our usually stellar defense got lit up, has our season on the brink of crashing into another 4-8 type year that O’Leary seems to be prone to.

Some would argue that O’Leary has done great things at UCF. I would agree. But let’s not kid ourselves. O’Leary has also had plenty of bumps in the road. He’s had three losing seasons and this one could well be a fourth. We sit at 3-3 and still have some tough games left. In fact, Memphis is the only light weight on the schedule. The other five games, UCF had better get a lot better than the last four weeks. We still have Tulsa, USM and ECU left to play. And we cannot overlook UTEP or UAB either. Four losing seasons in C-USA in an eight year run would not look too good. How are we going to compete in a BCS Conference if half the time we can’t even hang in C-USA?

So the rest of this season is huge. If UCF rights the ship and wins five of six and gets to a bowl, then we will be in decent shape going forward. If we end up 4-8 or 5-7, then a coaching change may be in order.

I know it sounds cold, calling for a coach’s head a year after winning a championship. But this is an extraordinary circumstance. The administration has to think ahead. They must ask themselves if O’Leary is the guy they want us to go to battle with against the South Floridas, Louisvilles, Cincinnatis, and Rutgers of the Big East. Remember that St. Pete Bowl? Remember those four USF games? That’s going to be our competition all of the time now. And we might also be looking down the barrel at Boise State.

Some of you are going to be glad to see us back up and running. But, even when we were stinking up the joint, not nearly enough of us were behind this to get much attention from the school. Yeah we got a mention in the Orlando Sentinel. Yeah I was scheduled to appear on Channel 9. (as it happens, Caley’s body was found right before I was supposed to go on. Talk about timing…).

If we the fans want change, then we have to get serious. Liking our facebook page is not enough. Post your comments. Post comments on the forum of this site. Put your money where your mouth is. We have t-shirts on the site. Buy them and wear them. Wear them to the games. Tell your friends to go to our facebook page and like it. Numbers speak. 350 fans is not going to get anybody’s attention. 3500 will.

I will be here doing what I do. I will point out the truth. I will post updates. I will come up with some new t-shirt slogans. The rest is up to you, the fans who want better. If you think we need a new coach to go into the Big East with, then do something about it.

OK people, this is it. UCF is at 2-2 right now. Not too bad, but when you consider we are two or three plays away from being 4-0 it is a bit maddening. But now the games really become huge. Starting tonight against UAB, the Knights are playing eight consecutive conference games. UCF should have the talent to at least make a run at the East division. It’s far from a shoo-in with Southern Miss, East Carolina, Marshall and UAB all showing they can hang. Marshall nearly beat West Virginia. UAB had Tennessee on the ropes. ECU scared North Carolina. So Miss beat Kansas. So the fact that UCF scared NC State and Kansas State won’t impress these guys.

O’Leary had better make a statement tonight. A loss on national TV at home, will not look very good. This is one of his “every other” years where he can break the pattern of losing seasons. A win tonight would get him on the right track. A loss tonight and the seat gets very warm.

I wish I had a nickel for every time UCF has had a big time college program on the hook and let them off. It’s all too familiar. We’ve seen it twice this year already. Driving for a potential game tying score in the last minutes against NC State, we fumble. A game we might have been winning had we had the right QB in the whole time. Then this past week a loss at K-State in the last 30 seconds. A game the Knights dominated for most of the game, yet let slip away, again.

It’s aggravating. Yeah we do have that win at Alabama. And then there was the one at NC State in ’07. But SO many close calls. The law of averages dictates that we are owed a few right?

I’m trying to figure out how I can blame this one on O’Leary. But in reality, I can’t.  He isn’t the one who missed two field goals. With those K-State loses even with the last drive and a two point conversion. He didn’t miss on a long pass that was wide open. Players have to make plays. UCF just didn’t make enough of them on Saturday.

I still think UCF needs to be thinking about its next coach though.  O’Leary’s record is now 36-43. I can’t believe that is what the school had in mind when he was hired. Plus the man is getting old. Retirement should be just around the corner for him.

When that day comes, and I believe it may be coming in the near future, UCF needs to think large. They need someone with a name. Someone who can recruit. Someone who can get this team believing that they not only can beat these “big boys” but can convince them that UCF is one of the “big boys”.  I would call Phil Fulmer.

Jeff Godfrey will UCF’s starting quarterback. Presumably for a very long time. The true freshman had a shaky first half and was benched to start the 3rd quarter on Saturday. At halftime the Knights led 10-3 on the strength of Bruce Miller’s interception return for a TD. Rob Calabrese then came in for two possessions and stunk it up as usual. The Bulls had the game tied at 10-10 going into the 4th quarter. And then…

The Jeff Godfrey Show was ON! He led the Knights to two touchdowns in the 4th quarter, mostly by running, and as usual the defense was stellar. Today it was announced that O’Leary has named him starter for the upcoming Kansas State game.

Kudos to O’Leary for not being stubborn this time and refusing to start the freshman until it’s too late. He may save his job this year after all.

Rewind to a year ago. It’s opening night vs. Samford. Starting QB Rob Calabrese is stinking up the joint in the first half. The Knights are losing to this FCS opponent. In the second half, O’Leary pulls Calabrese and Brett Hodges leads to Knights to a comeback win while putting up 24 second half points. It’s obvious which QB was better, but O’Leary stubbornly sticks with Calabrese for two more weeks, costing us the Southern Miss and East Carolina games and eventually the Eastern Division. He goes with Brett in week 4 and the Knights go 7-2 the reat of the way and earn a bowl bid.

This year, a similar circumstance has occurred. Calabrese again stunk it up last night against NC State. O’Leary then pulls him and Godfrey nearly leads the Knights to a three touchdown, fourth quarter comeback. So now we will be able to see if O’Leary has learned anything from last year. Will it take another loss or two for him to realize the Calabrese just is not starting QB material? Or will he go with Godfrey next week? If Calabrese starts and loses another game as UCF’s starting QB then this site should be the number one site on the net. Because every UCF fan should be clamoring for a coach with a clue.

Loved the uniforms. Black and Gold represented well. Bravo.

I know. It’s only South Dakota. But UCF has to feel good about a 38-7 pasting of them. After all, last season we struggled mightily against Samford. Two years ago we looked pitiful against South Carolina State. So even though we weren’t playing anybody, it was a good thing. Look at how teams like Ole Miss, Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, etc did against nobodies. Even though you have no competition, you still have to go out and execute. UCF did that. So Congrats. Let’s keep it up.

Marshall. Southern Miss, and UAB all played on Thursday night. None of them left me shaking in my boots. Marshall played at #2 Ohio State. So they weren’t expected to do much. But they really did nothing at all. Their only score came on a blocked field goal. It was 35-7 at halftime.

Southern Miss was run over by South Carolina. Maybe the Gamecocks are pretty good. But they have never been that great in the past. Not 41-13 great anyway. Stephen Garcia, not to be confused with Terrelle Pryor, ran for two touchdowns. He bounced off Eagle defenders like he was made of rubber.

And UAB lost at home to Florida Atlantic 32-31. Too bad this one wasn’t on TV. Sounds like a thriller.

Memphis will be at Mississippi State on Saturday. A road game in the SEC will be tough, but MSU is not to be confused with Alabama or Auburn.

East Carolina will host Tulsa on Sunday in a rematch of the 2008 C-USA Championship Game.

Just since my days of going to UCF home games in the late 90s, I have seen two Super Bowl winning quarterbacks come into Orlando to play the Knights. Ben Roethlisberger, who has two Super Bowl wins came into Orlando in 2003 when he was at Miami of Ohio. And also, Drew Brees came in when he was at Purdue in I believe 1999. You never know who might see at a UCF game. A few years back it was Colt McCoy and Kevin Kolb. Kolb is now starting for the Eagles, McCoy is a backup for now at Cleveland, but probably not for long. McCoy brought his Texas Longhorns into Bright House Stadium for the first home game ever on campus. Kolb was the QB at Houston before Case Keenum. Keenum will be an NFL QB soon. And those are just the Quarterbacks. And let’s not forget Duante Culpepper who had some good years in the NFL with Minnesota.

We are down to 11 days until kickoff! In what will be a crucial season for Coach O, the Knights will open with South Dakota before the ACC’s NC State comes to Bright House Stadium. The Wolfpack will be looking to avenge a loss in the last meeting with UCF in 2007. It will be critical for the offense to get off to a good start against South Dakota. They can’t stumble around like the last two openers against SC State and Samford if they expect to be ready for the ‘Pack. This year will be a chance for O’Leary to break his even year jinx. If the Knights struggle this year, look for Coach O to officially be on the hot seat.

I know I’m not a big fan of Coach O, but come on. Give me a break. I’ve seen the video. I’ve seen the photos. There is nothing wrong with them. They showed no boob. They show no butt. What’s the problem? The girl in them is a UCF grad from what I understand. She is gorgeous. This is nothing but good advertising. For those of you with your panties in a wad, pull them out of your butt crack and get a life.

Since UCF is now in its fourth decade of football, I believe it is about time to honor some of the all time great players. UCF should have a Hall of Fame or a Ring of Honor on the stadium walls. Something to show the fans and recruits how many great players have come through the program.

In an inaugural class of five players, my first five would be:

Kevin Smith

Duante Culpepper

Brandon Marshall

Asante Samuel

Shawn Jefferson

My second year’s class would be

Bernard Ford

Joe Burnett

Mark Gruttadoria

Atari Bigby

Travis Fisher

I can almost smell the grills and the kegs! Looking at the schedule, I can see some opportunities for big wins. NC St and Kansas St won’t be easy, but they are beatable. Two wins over BCS Conference teams would be sweet! The C-USA schedule looks rough though. @ Houston will be a tough road game. @ Marshall will be another one. We do get UAB, ECU and USM at home, so we better take advantage there.

Congrats to UCF for getting South Carolina to agree to a home and home starting in 2013. Getting big time programs to Orlando can only help recruiting. Can’t wait for that one.

The pressure needs to be ramped up on ol’ George. This is one of the “even years” when UCF typically goes into the tank. O’Leay’s record in even years:

2004- 011

2006- 4-8

2008 4-8

That’s a 3-9 average. UCF cannot afford a 3-9 this year. Not with all the conference shake-ups going on. The Knights are perhaps in prime position to secure a Big East invite. With East Carolina losing everyone including the coach, UCF needs to win the East. It won’t be a cakewalk. Marshall looks to be better. So Miss is always tough. But UCF should still be beating these schools. If we aren’t in year 7, then we need to cut our losses and get a new coach.

Congratulations to second round draft pick of the Buffalo Bills, D-Lineman Torell Troup. Troup joins former Knights such as Duante Culpepper, Asante Samuel, Kevin Smith, Atari Bigby, Travis Fisher, Brandon Marshall, Mike Walker, Matt Prater and many others as a growing presence in the NFL. We know you’ll do great!

Let’s hope so. So far the reports out of spring practice are positive. Calabrese will have to get it done this year. There won’t be a Hodges there to bail us out. The running game should be very good with Harvey and company. So the passing game should be able to go up top when other teams stack eight in the box. With that four star WR we have coming in, we better get some long TDs this year.

UCF has fired head basketball coach Kirk Speraw after 17 seasons. Speraw has led UCF to four NCAA tournament appearances but has not really been competitive in Conference USA. So the question now is, why is the basketball program expected to “compete at the highest level” according to AD Keith Tribble, but not the football program?

Clearly he does not believe the football team is competing at the highest level? Does he? Hey Keith. You aren’t going to let 17 years go by on this one are you? I’m not getting any younger. Neither are the rest of the fans.

Just got my first of many emails about buying season tickets this year. The ad pretty much lays out that the goal this year is the Conference USA Championship. We as fans need to hold O’Leary to this. If we come up short, do not let him excuse his way out of it. We don’t want to listen to him blame the players for making dumb plays. You are supposed to coach them not to make those plays George! If we do our normal every other year flop, I expect a change to be made.