A Kent State blowout doesn't make UCF a world beater; trajectory and opportunity might

ORLANDO — As the end mercifully arrived in UCF's 56-6 smashing of Kent State on Thursday, a Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral, leaving a glowing orange streak stretched across the Florida night sky.

Symbolic? Only time will tell.

But it's sure felt somewhat like a rocket ride since 19 years ago, when on a field just under 18 miles away, the Knights were beaten soundly, 41-24 by the Golden Flashes, then a Mid-American Conference foe.

On Thursday, when the two schools resumed the series for the first time since that meeting nearly two decades ago, it was clear from the kick that the home team had come a lot further than just the distance separating Camping World Stadium and the Bounce House.

Miles? More like light years.

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Fresh out of the G5, UCF looked faster than 5G, racking up 723 total yards and blitzing the overmatched Flashes to open its inaugural season in the Big 12 Conference.

It was certainly a good first step but victories that eluded UCF back then are expected now.

It's not just the pockets of the Power Five that are heavy. There's a burden that comes with the stability too.

And coach Gus Malzahn knows that.

"We beat a team that I think we were more talented (than), but we played well and we beat them handily," Malzahn said. "We'll see how it goes as the year goes on. I do think we have a talented team, but we'll have to keep improving. Once we play in the Big 12, and play in those games, we'll see where we stand."

Just under two decades ago, UCF would've delighted at such a performance. Now, it'll be an afterthought by Friday morning. And that's how it should be.

Counting Thursday’s games, there are 26 instances of Power Five programs playing non-Power Five, FBS-level programs this weekend. The P5 squad is/was favored in all 26 of them, including the Knights, who entered as 35-point favorites. Those spreads came out to an average of 19.7 points, nearly three full touchdowns.

Will UCF be favored next week against a much more talented, game Boise State squad? That’s up to Vegas and yes, sadly, folks far above my paygrade.

But will UCF expect to win? They should. They better.

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Because armed with a coach in Malzahn, who was the offensive coordinator for Auburn's national championship team in 2010 and who's also busy corralling one of the program's best recruiting hauls in the '24 class, P5 status is no longer a goal. It's a road sign the Gus bus passed a few miles back.

And it's fitting. Rapidly ascending from its inception in 1979 through Division III, Division II and the FCS, from FBS independent and then through stints in the MAC, Conference USA, AAC and now the Big 12, the Knights have never been known for resting on laurels anyway.

There’s always been an opportunity for more. And maybe never more than now.

The Big 12’s long-time alpha dog, Oklahoma, is riding its Schooner straight outta town and to the SEC next year. Texas will take its cattle drive right behind them. Yet, the league’s status among the Power 5 is rock solid, bolstered even further by the entrance of Utah, Arizona, Arizona State and Colorado next year.

Just an hour after the Knights and Flashes kicked off, Florida took center stage on national television and was beaten 24-11 by Utah, the same Utah that will call UCF a conference peer next year. As for the state’s other bluebloods, Florida State and Miami, well, if you want to take a guess as to what happens to the ACC from here, be my guess. But there’s no doubt, in the ever-shifting sands of conference realignment, UCF finds itself on much more solid footing than either of them, at least for now.

Before the season, Malzahn expressed the desire for a "Big Four" in Florida, a plea for his squad to be included as equals with the Gators, 'Noles and 'Canes. And certainly, a home date with Kent State, a team picked to finish last in the East Division of the MAC and a road game at the No. 14 Utes are hardly the same thing.

But if Malzahn's fight for respect is being scored by ringside judges, Thursday was a 10-8 first round.

And the fact of the matter, is that the door is suddenly wide open, both in the Big 12 and in the Sunshine State. So, why not a team representing the second biggest enrollment in America, situated smack dab in the middle of a recruiting hot bed that made a habit out of cruising past milestone checkpoints since Pink Floyd released "The Wall"?

The time is right. The pickin’s are ripe.

So, how fast can UCF step in and fill the void?

If the difference in its last two performances against Kent State are any indication?

Maybe not quite as quick as a flash, golden or not. And certainly not as fast as a Falcon 9.

But I'd take the under on 19 years.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF football flashed Big 12 potential, Power 5 progress vs. Kent State