UCF wrong complaining about USF and Miami football scheduling three-game series

The announcement earlier this week that South Florida and the Miami football program scheduled a three-game series in 2025 and 2028 at Hard Rock Stadium and 2027 in Tampa is good for football in Florida. Central Florida took exception.

Ever since their undefeated season in 2017 Central Florida has portrayed themselves as a power five football team. The announcement that the Miami football program has added and two-and-one series with South Florida in 2025 and 2028 at Hard Rock Stadium and 2027 in Tampa angered Knights Athletic Director Danny White.

White has been on a crusade since Florida refused to play a home and home series with UCF. Emails between Sticklin and White negotiating their football programs meeting and for College Football Playoff committee member Stricklin to help fix what White called a broken system became public last fall.

White believes that AAC teams should have a home and home with Power Five programs. The Central Florida AD continued his tirades and delusion that his program is on the same level as the Power Five School. The Knights are to be commended for the success they have had on the field under Scott Frost and Josh Heupel.

Miami and South Florida announced their three-game series earlier this week. They will play September 13, 2025 and September 9, 2028, at Hard Rock Stadium and September 4, 2027, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. The game in Tamps is likely to be the season opener. Miami leads the all-time series 5-1.

White spoke to Orlando’s 96.9 The Game’s Open Mike Program in Orlando earlier this week. The UCF AD called out South Florida Athletic Director Mike Kelly for signing the two-and-one with the Hurricanes instead of a home and home series.

White was quoted in the Miami Herald directly from the interview. He was outspoken and very thinly veiled in his assessment that he would not criticize Kelly.

"“They have a different set of circumstances. They obviously don’t have an on-campus stadium to play in. It’s a big NFL stadium, which provides a different dynamic for the schools that will go in and play there. Probably not as much of a road game as it would be in our stadium, obviously.“I don’t know what I would do if I was in that (AD) chair. (USF AD) Michael Kelly and I talk about a lot of different things…I’m sure that gate is meaningful for them for that single-game sale for those games. It’s a precedent I don’t like being set in our conference for schools to start doing a lot higher volume of 2-for-1s.We haven’t as a conference been that kind of place. We’ve been successful, historically, of getting home-and-homes with Power 6 opponents, and I’d like to see our conference peers continue to do that as we intend to do.”"

There are a lot of issues in White’s statement. It plays on the feigned argument that Florida State and Florida fans use against the Miami Football program. Playing in an NFL stadium is not a hindrance. Both USC and Miami have won multiple national championships doing so. When you win the home stadium isn’t an issue.

The biggest issue with White’s comments relates to the “Power 6”. There is not a Power 6. Central Florida’s play in the last two years has been impressive. Their supporters will point out they haven’t gotten the chance to play elite programs. The concession they have to make is to play the two-and-ones and increase their profile.

Boise State did that and now they are scheduling home-and-homes with Power Five schools. Miami became a national power by scheduling the best teams in college football. What Power Five schools need to do is to drop games against FCS opponents. The 2019 Miami football home opener is against FCS Bethune-Cookman.

White has some good points in his letter to Stricklin. He wrote to Stricklin that the game would be a sellout and his team has proven to be on a greater level than a non-autonomy five (Group of five) team. The Knights have to be able to prove it for more than two seasons on the field.

"“You mention not playing a neutral site contest versus a non-autonomy 5 opponent, but a UF vs. UCF game held in our state would certainly be a sellout, which would be a positive for both of us financially…I think that our team has shown on the field that we are far from a typical ‘non-autonomy 5’ opponent.”"

Miami and USF will get a chance to show what a Power five in-state team versus an American Athletic Conference team will generate in the level of excitement. The first game is still six years away. In the meantime, the AAC has to continue to have the entirety of their conference improve.