UCF is big winner while Gators, Spectrum Cable are big losers | Commentary

The Florida Gators and UCF Knights opened the college football season Thursday night against two opponents in two drastically different weight classes, and the results were completely expected — and relatively meaningless.

As UCF tuned up for its highly anticipated inaugural season in the Big 12, the Knights opened with nonconference moonpie Kent State — a program that lost its head coach to a bigger school and most of its roster to the transfer portal. The Knights were 35.5-point favorites and predictably made the Golden Flashes look like plodding tortoises en route to a lopsided 56-6 victory.

In contrast, the Gators traveled across the country and suffered a self-inficted 24-11 loss to 14th-ranked Utah — the two-time defending Pac-12 champions — in a nationally televised game on ESPN. Except many viewers in Orlando didn’t get a chance to watch the game because Spectrum Cable is in a dispute with Disney/ESPN over rising access fees to carry Disney-owned channels. Consequently, much to chagrin of thousands of Gator fans in Central Florida, Spectrum halted ESPN programming just before kickoff Thursday night.

Tweeted one UF supporter: “Gator fans thought their biggest challenge would be Utah. Nope, Spectrum versus ESPN.”

Memo to those Gator fans who didn’t get to see the game: Consider yourself lucky. The Gators, quite frankly, were discombobulated. They converted only 1-of-13 thrid downs and were penalty-prone, mistake-marred and even had two players on the field wearing the same number at one point. The good news: New quarterback Graham Mertz, the Wisconsin transfer, threw for 333 yards and the Gators actually outgained the Utes 346-270.

It was UF’s first non-conference road game outside Florida’s borders since a 38-21 loss to Syracuse in the Carrier Dome in 1991. It should be noted that those ’91 Gators were coached by UF legend Steve Spurrier and went on to win the school’s first official Southeastern Conference title.

I’m certainly not suggesting that Billy Napier’s Gators will recover from Thursday night’s ugly loss and unseat two-time defending national champion Georgia as SEC champions. I’m just pointing out that early season, nonconference games are often inconsequential.

Even Sunday night’s mega-matchup between No. 5-ranked LSU and No. 8 FSU at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium, which will probably go down as the best nonconference matchup of the season, does not have monumental ramifications. The fact is, whichever team loses still has a chance to run the table, win their conference and likely advance into the College Football Playoff.

But I digress.

Obviously — unlike FSU and LSU — UCF and Florida aren’t considered playoff contenders this season, but my point is that their season openers will have little bearing on the rest of the season.

UCF almost always opens with a nonconference cupcake such as Kent State, which is why the Knights haven’t lost an opener since the winless 2015 season. Coaches like Gus Malzahn love these types of season openers because it gives their team a chance to entertain fans, gain some confidence and iron out the wrinkles before the real season begins next week at Boise State; and then the Big 12 opener against defending conference champion Kansas State in three weeks.

It’s always nice when your offense can gain 723 yards and your quarterback is able to pass for nearly 300 yards and three touchdowns and run for nearly 100 yards and another TD as John Rhys Plumlee did Thursday night. It was just the type of performance UCF fans wanted to see in the Knights’ first game as a Big 12 member.

But this was certainly not a Big 12 opponent. Let’s not forget what happened last season. JRP looked phenomenal in the 56-10 victory against South Carolina State, throwing for 308 yards and four touchdowns and running for 100 yards and another TD. The following week against ACC opponent Louisville, JRP didn’t even complete 50 percent of his passes, threw for only 131 yards and no TDs and the Knights lost 20-14.

That’s why I think it’s laughable when anybody tries to make a determination about a college football program after the first game. For instance, ESPN’s Booger McFarland went on social media earlier this week and suggested that Florida’s game against Utah was the biggest game of Billy Napier’s career.

“Feels like [Utah] is the most important game in the Billy Napier era so far,” McFarland tweeted. “Win and everyone starts to forget about last year. Lose and last year gets compounded.”

Puh-leeze, Booger, you should know better.

Are you that shortsighted?

Can’t you even remember what happened last season?

The Gators beat No. 7 Utah 29-26 in an epic battle at the Swamp and went from an off-the-radar unranked team to No. 12 in the country. Napier was suddenly portrayed as the savior of the program and inexperienced quarterback Anthony Richardson was being talked about as a Heisman Trophy frontrunner. Richardson made several jaw-dropping plays, running 11 times for 106 yards and three touchdowns and throwing the ball efficiently (17 of 24) and accurately.

After the game a year ago, McFarland tweeted, “Billy Napier is a really, really good coach.”

The following week, the Gators lost to Kentucky with Richardson running six times for four yards and completing only 14-of-35 passes with no touchdowns and two interceptions.

Back to life, back to reality.

The Gators finished 6-7 with impatient fans grousing and grumbling about Napier.

Those same fans were no doubt grumbling even louder Thursday night.

Yes, Florida fans should be disappointed after the sloppy loss to Utah.

And, yes, UCF fans should be happy about the lopsided victory over Kent State.

Just remember that what happened on Thursday night is relatively meaningless in the grand scheme of a college football season.

Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on X (formerly Twitter) @BianchiWrites and listen to my Open Mike radio show every weekday from 6 to 9:30 a.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and HD 101.1-2