2017 UCF
13–0 (8–0 American Athletic Conference), coached by Scott Frost, finished No. 6 in the AP poll. Share
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Schedule and results
- Biggest upsetBeat No. 7 Auburn 34–27Jan 1
Auburn was ranked No. 7 and favored to win.
- Most excitingBeat No. 16 Memphis 62–55Dec 2
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 | vs Florida International | W 61–17 | 67% |
| Sep 23 | at Maryland | W 38–10 | 40% |
| Sep 30 | vs Memphis | W 40–13 | 51% |
| Oct 7 | at Cincinnati | W 51–23 | 64% |
| Oct 14 | vs East Carolina | W 63–21 | 85% |
| Oct 21 | at Navy | W 31–21 | 39% |
| Oct 28 | vs Austin Peay | W 73–33 | 92% |
| Nov 4 | at SMU | W 31–24 | 57% |
| Nov 11 | vs UConn | W 49–24 | 90% |
| Nov 18 | at Temple | W 45–19 | 58% |
| Nov 24 | vs 22South Florida | W 49–42 | 57% |
| Dec 2 | vs16MemphisAmerican Athletic Championship Game | W 62–55 | 63% |
| Jan 1Bowls & playoff | vs 7AuburnPeach Bowl | W 34–27 | 45% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Beat Auburn 34–27 in the Peach Bowl; No. 6 in the final AP poll; American Athletic Conference champions.
In program history: The 3rd-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 40 on file).
AP poll, week by week
- Wk 6: 25
- Wk 7: 22
- Wk 8: 20
- Wk 9: 18
- Wk 10: 15
- Wk 11: 14
- Wk 12: 14
- Wk 13: 13
- Wk 14: 12
- Wk 15: 10
- Final: 6
National championsa title the school claims
American Athletic Conference champions8–0 in the conference, won the American Athletic Championship Game
Eddie Robinson Coach of the YearScott Frost, coach; also the Bear Bryant Award
- Record
- 13–0
- Conference
- 8–0 first in American Athletic Conference
- AP final
- No. 6 peak No. 6
- Points
- 627–329
- Coach
- Scott Frost
- Elo
- 1733 +272 this season
- SP+ rating
- 14.1 No. 22 of 128; offense No. 6, defense No. 63, special teams No. 50
- SRS
- 17.5 No. 10 of 130 in FBS
- Returning
- 64% of last season’s EPA, No. 57 of 128
- Recruiting class
- No. 55 roster talent No. 54 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Troy Walters
- Defensive coordinator
- Erik Chinander
- Offense
- No-huddle spread option
- Defense
- 3–4
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.28 | 48% | 1.43 | 2nd of 130 |
| Defense | 0.00 | 38% | 1.33 | 31st of 130 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.22 off 0.00 def | 46% off 39% def | — | 9th off 24th def |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 4.1 | own 35 | 14% allowed |
| Defense | 3.0 | own 29 | 17% caused |
CORE rating 17.4, 13th of 130 (offense 11.3, defense -6.1).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | McKenzie Milton QB | 4,037 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | McKenzie Milton QB | 37 TD |
| Rushing yards | Adrian Killins Jr. RB | 790 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Adrian Killins Jr. RB | 10 TD |
| Receiving yards | Tre’Quan Smith WR | 1,171 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Tre’Quan Smith WR | 13 TD |
| Tackles | Pat Jasinski LB | 104 tkl |
| Sacks | Shaquem Griffin LB | 7 sacks |
| Interceptions | Kyle Gibson DB | 4 INT |
Top recruits in the 2017 class
| Cordarrian Richardson RB | ★★★★ | No. 159 |
| Emmanuel Logan-Greene WR | ★★★ | No. 481 |
| Bentavious Thompson RB | ★★★ | No. 577 |
| Marlon Williams WR | ★★★ | No. 590 |
| Sterling Jones ILB | ★★★ | No. 690 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2017 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 2 | 3.0 | 0.829 |
| Running backs | 3 | 3.3 | 0.883 |
| Receivers | 5 | 2.8 | 0.827 |
| Offensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.812 |
| Defensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.831 |
| Linebackers | 6 | 2.5 | 0.803 |
| Defensive backs | 3 | 3.0 | 0.835 |
| Whole class | 25 | 2.9 | 0.828 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Drafted in 2018
The 2018 draft| Rd 1 | Mike Hughes CB | Minnesota Vikings |
| Rd 3 | Tre’Quan Smith WR | New Orleans Saints |
| Rd 3 | Jordan Akins TE | Houston Texans |
| Rd 5 | Shaquem Griffin OLB | Seattle Seahawks |
Roster 119
The 2017 roster119 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2017 line; 63 have a stat line. See the roster
2017 American Athletic Conference standings
| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
 UCF | 8–0 | 13–0 | 6 |
| Memphis | 7–1 | 10–3 | 25 |
| South Florida | 6–2 | 10–2 | 21 |
 Houston | 5–3 | 7–5 | |
| SMU | 4–4 | 7–6 | |
| Navy | 4–4 | 7–6 | |
| Temple | 4–4 | 7–6 | |
 Tulane | 3–5 | 5–7 | |
| Cincinnati | 2–6 | 4–8 | |
| East Carolina | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
| UConn | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
 Tulsa | 1–7 | 2–10 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.