Following an epic battle, the Alabama Crimson Tide claimed their fifth national title in nine years in a thrilling comeback against the Georgia Bulldogs to conclude the fourth edition of the College Football Playoff. However, in the eyes of the Central Florida Knights, the final in Atlanta was rendered anticlimactic following their victory in the same stadium just over a week earlier, as they defeated the Auburn Tigers 34-27 in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl to cap a 13-0 undefeated season. UCF finished the year as the only undefeated team in the nation, and their victory over Auburn was so significant because of the fact that Auburn defeated both Georgia and Alabama during the regular season.

Shortly after the Peach Bowl, UCF claimed its first national title in school history, as the American Athletic Conference Champions had the best possible season for a Group of Five School. Scott Frost's men accomplished everything that is possible for a school of UCF's stature, and their campaign will open discussion about expansion of the College Football Playoff to six or eight teams. Therefore, I believe that the Knights are well within their bounds to claim the 2017 National Championship, despite the fact that they were ranked number six in the final AP poll of the season. When contrasting the resume of the Crimson Tide and UCF, both are actually extremely close in terms of quality wins, further justifying the Knights as at least co-National Champions. Alabama had low-end top-25 wins over LSU and Mississippi State, while UCF had similar wins over USF and Memphis. Alabama would then gain a top-10 win in the Sugar Bowl against Clemson after UCF's victory over Auburn, sealing identical quality win totals on the year, before of course Alabama received an extra opportunity in the title game. Moreover, UCF won its conference while Alabama did not even win the SEC West or therefore, the SEC conference. Additionally, UCF convincingly beat Auburn at a half-road game in Atlanta, leading by two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, while Auburn dismantled Georgia and comfortably handled Alabama earlier in the year.

Although it may not seem like much of a debate on paper, when examined more closely, UCF has a serious case to declare themselves National Champions. They accomplished everything possible and proved it completely impossible for every team outside the Power 5 to win the championship, even before a football has been kicked in week one. Congratulations to the Knights, the ultimate underdog, and now, the most-unexpected National Champions in history.