8. Gasparilla Bowl – Florida vs UCF
Time and Channel: December 23rd, 7:00 PM EST on ESPN
There has been a narrative over the past few years that UCF claims to be the best team in the state. Florida has been saying that little brother is just being obnoxious and they own the state. In most any other year, this would be the deciding game. But with Florida and UCF both having down years, it doesn’t carry as much prestige as it would otherwise.
What is funny though, is that the winner of this game will probably still be the best in the state because no other team in Florida has played well either.
Aside from this story line, this is a big opportunity for UCF to send a message to the P5 in general and Florida in particular as they start to transition into the Big 12.