Florida, Florida State and Miami have long been the premier college football programs in Florida, but that trio will have officially additional in-state Power Five competition as of Saturday, July 1, when UCF joins the Big 12. Knights coach Gus Malzahn says UCF is more than deserving of a seat that table as the Sunshine State moves past an era of the "Big Three" and into that of the so-called "Big Four."
"You, here, think about the 'Big Three' [of Florida, Florida State and Miami]," Malzahn, entering his third season in Orlando, told The Oklahoman. "It's time for the 'Big Four.' You look at the last six, eight years, we've been, as good or better as any of those other programs."
Malzahn's claim isn't without at least some merit. In the seven seasons since an 0-12 finish in 2015, UCF is 65-24. Though the Knights competed within the Group of Five as members of the American Athletic Conference, no FBS program in Florida owns a better overall record than UCF in that stretch. The apex includes a 2017 campaign in which the Knights finished sixth in the AP Top 25 after ending the season 13-0 with a Peach Bowl victory over an Auburn program led by Malzahn at the time.
As for Gators, Seminoles and Hurricanes -- programs that have combined for four national championships since 2000 -- each have had success but struggled to maintain consistency.
Florida, which won two national titles this millennium [2006, 2008] under former coach Urban Meyer, is 54-34 in that same seven-season stretch as UCF. The Gators reached a New Year's Six bowl in three straight seasons under former coach Dan Mullen from 2018-20, but Florida now enters 2023 under second-year coach Billy Napier riding back-to-back 6-7 finishes with a bowl game loss to UCF in 2021.
Florida State, meanwhile, is 46-39 in that same span. The 2016 season was its last of five consecutive double-digit win seasons -- a 2013 national title included -- before the Seminoles endured a stretch in which they won no more than seven games in a season from 2017-21, finishing below .500 in four straight years from 2018-2021. The Seminoles at last righted the ship in 2022, finishing 10-3 in their third season under coach Mike Norvell.
In the case of Miami, success has eluded what was once among college football's most dominant programs. The Hurricanes are 52-35 over the past seven seasons and failed to reach bowl eligibility for the first time since 2007 last year after a 5-7 finish. Miami won 10 games in 2017, and it remains the only instance of the Hurricanes winning double-digit games since doing so in four straight seasons from 2000-03, which included a national title in 2001.
Now comes the chance for Malzahn and UCF to continue their trend of success amid elevated competition. Malzhan, in a previous interview with CBS Sports, expressed his eagerness to lead a "championship program" into the Big 12, though UCF's debut season won't be without hurdles. The Knights' Big 12 opener comes at defending league champion Kansas State, and they'll also visit Big 12 flagship Oklahoma in what will be the Sooners' final season of conference membership for joining the SEC with Texas.
