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The football field has been freshly painted.
The UCF campus is clean and beautifully manicured.
The TV satellite trucks are arriving and being unloaded.
The smell of an upset is in the air.
The Knights take on the University of Houston Cougars today at noon in Orlando for UCF's long-awaited Homecoming matchup. The Cougars (8-1, 4-1 Conference USA) have won four straight Conference USA games. The Knights have won three straight.
This will be the third meeting all-time between UCF and Houston. Each time the two teams have met, the home team has been victorious, making today's game that much sweeter.
Houston marks the second nationally ranked opponent to play at Bright House Networks Stadium this season. The Knights hosted No. 9 Miami (FL) on Oct. 17.
A major factor in Houston's success has been prolific signal caller Case Keenum. Through nine games this season, Keenum has passed for a nation-leading 3,815 yards and a nation-leading 28 touchdowns.
Houston's defense, on the other hand, is a completely different story. The Cougars rank 116th out of 120 FBS teams in total defense, allowing nearly 470 yards per game.
More interesting will be the scoring matchup.
While Houston leads the conference in scoring offense, UCF is tied for the lead in scoring defense.
UCF also leads the conference in sacks (sixth nationally) and tackles for loss (sixth nationally).
The Knights (5-4, 3-2 Conference USA) are five-point underdogs for today's game. However, UCF has beaten the spread in six out of their last eight games.
The Black and Gold need one more win to become bowl eligible for the third time in the last five years.
To add to the hype, UCF recently announced its players would be donning rare black jerseys on the field.
Conference Title Implications
A win for the Knights today is certain to get some national attention. It would also mark the first-ever win for UCF over a nationally ranked opponent.
More importantly, a win today would make the conference championship picture a lot more interesting.
The Knights currently sit tied for second in the East Division of Conference USA at 3-2. A victory today, coupled with a loss by East Carolina this Sunday, would catapult the Knights to a divisional tie for first place. East Carolina hosts Tulsa tomorrow in a nationally televised ESPN match.
Southern Miss, who holds a tiebreaker over the Knights after a 26-19 win in Hattiesburg on Sept. 12, travels to Marshall today. Marshall is reeling off a last-second, one-point loss to UCF two weeks ago in Orlando.
It would undoubtedly take some luck for the stars to align in UCF's favor.
The Knights found themselves in a similar situation in 2007, when a late-season East Carolina loss to Marshall vaulted the Knights to an East Division crown and eventual Conference USA title.
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