The college football world crowned a new National Champion Jan. 8th in Atlanta, Georgia. The Alabama Crimson Tide were the kings of Division I again after beating the Georgia Bulldogs 26-23 in an overtime thriller, capturing their 17th title in school history.

However, despite not being in the playoffs, one team has declared themselves the 2017 National Champions.

The University of Central Florida finished the season 13-0, the only undefeated team in the country. Despite being unbeaten, the Knights missed out on the playoffs and instead got a bid to play in the Peach Bowl. Their opponent, the Auburn Tigers.

Auburn was the only team to beat both Alabama and Georgia throughout the year. The only team to ever beat two #1 teams in a span of three weeks in the playoff era. Opening up, the Tigers were a 13-point favorite over UCF. That was until kickoff. The Knights started slow, then turned up the heat and showed the nation why they were undefeated. UCF beat Auburn 34-27 and that’s when the claims of a National Championship started.

To UCF, they beat Auburn. The team that beat the two teams who played in the National Championship, therefore they are the kings. Hold up, not so fast.

Congratulations to The University of Central Florida on an incredible season. Arguably the best turn around in college sports, from 0-12 two years ago to 13-0 and Peach Bowl champions. That is not an easy task.

But to claim a National Championship? That is a bit extreme.

The school went as far as announcing they were going to hang a banner in the stadium and Disney hosted a parade for the team. On the night of the National Championship, the school hosted a block party in celebration.

As people flooded the streets of Disney, chants being screamed “We Want Bama” and “UCF UCF UCF,” the National Championship game kicked off.

In the early 2000s when Boise State and TCU began to get a nationwide audience, there were no talks of claiming championships, the Broncos, and the Horned Frogs kept playing and kept beating the big boys of college football earning respect with their programs. UCF should do the same, just keep playing ball. It has only been one year.

Being a smaller school, a Peach Bowl victory is huge for the football program. Nationwide attention, big bonus checks, and hardware for the trophy case. It is all positive for the UCF program. Claiming a National Title only diminishes the program's reputation that’s finally on the rise.

With head coach Scott Frost leaving to Nebraska and taking almost all of his assistants, UCF has more things to worry about then claiming something that’s not theirs. The Knights have to find a way to continue to win.

If Alabama and UCF squared up, the Crimson Tide would be a 21-point favorite.

Stop the claims, you’re not the champs. It's not the early 1900s anymore.