ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — It doesn't seem to matter who is running UCF's offense. The 17th-ranked Knights score points in bunches and keep winning.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Brandon Wimbush was impressive. Dillon Gabriel may have been just as good.

Together the redshirt senior transfer, true freshman and even third-stringer Quadry Jones...

Central Florida again shapes up as the nation's top Group of Five program heading into the season. Just not by nearly as wide a margin as the last couple of years.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Part of the pitch that lured McKenzie Milton from his home state of Hawaii to UCF was a pledge by then-Knights coach Scott Frost to put the quarterback on a path to a...

Tua Tagovailoa will be the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman Trophy next season after the Alabama quarterback had to settle for second to Oklahoma's Kyler Murray.

No. 7 Central Florida (12-0, AAC champion) vs No. 11 LSU (9-3, SEC), Jan. 1, 1 p.m. EST (ESPN)

LOCATION: Glendale, Arizona.

TOP PLAYERS

UCF: QB Darriel Mack Jr. The Knights suffered a big blow when quarterback McKenzie Milton suffered a leg injury in the regular-season finale against South Florida. Mack slid into the starting spot nicely, accounting for six TDs in UCF's win over Memphis in the AAC title game.

Memphis' Darrell Henderson has bigger goals to accomplish, so he doesn't have time to waste celebrating his American Athletic Conference record or his status as the nation's second-leading rusher.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The family of Central Florida quarterback McKenzie Milton says he has nerve damage in his right leg, but "blood flow has been restored" and he is recovering from the injury suffered during UCF's last game.

Milton was carted off the field during the first half of the Knights' victory at rival South Florida on Friday after getting injured while being tackled. He has been treated at Tampa General Hospital.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — McKenzie Milton's teammates crowded around the injured UCF quarterback, some kneeling in prayer and others offering comforting words.

"Our guys care deeply about everybody on our football team, and certainly McKenzie," coach Josh Heupel said after the eighth-ranked Knights rebounded from losing their leader to an apparent right knee injury to finish a 38-10 rout of intrastate rival South Florida on Friday.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — No. 8 UCF isn't content with having the nation's longest winning streak. The Knights want more. A lot more.

The defending American Athletic Conference champions can complete a second consecutive undefeated regular season by beating intrastate rival South Florida on Friday.

Next on their list of goals is winning the AAC championship game — which they'll host on Dec. 1 — to remain in the conversation about which teams are deserving of berths in the College Football Playoff.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The college football spotlight isn't too bright for UCF.

The 11th-ranked Knights feel they are one of the best teams in the country and welcome any opportunity to strut...

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — No. 11 UCF is becoming predictable as the Knights pursue another undefeated season.

The defending American Athletic Conference champions keep on winning while insisting they aren't listening to chatter about whether they will be deserving of a berth in the College Football Playoff if they remain unbeaten when the four-team field is picked in December.

GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) — No. 10 UCF didn't have its Heisman Trophy hopeful, so the Knights' opportunistic defense kept taking the ball from East Carolina and giving it to their backup quarterback.

Darriel Mack Jr. stepped in for McKenzie Milton and rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown, and UCF forced five turnovers in beating East Carolina 37-10 for its 20th straight victory.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — With No. 10 Central Florida struggling and the nation's longest winning streak in jeopardy, first-year coach Josh Heupel decided to take a gamble.

Facing fourth-and-1 in Memphis territory late in the third quarter and down 13 points, Heupel sent his offense back on the field and gave the ball to Taj McGowan. With the Tigers' defense bunched at the line of scrimmage, McGowan burst through the line and went 71 yards for a touchdown.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Unbeaten and barely tested.

No. 12 UCF won again by double digits Saturday night, continuing to build a resume the Knights hope will be worthy of consideration for a College Football Playoff berth in December.

McKenzie Milton threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns, and the defending American Athletic Conference champions extended the nation's longest winning streak to 18 games with a 48-20 victory over SMU on Saturday night.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — No. 13 UCF is unbeaten and getting better.

That's what's most important to coach Josh Heupel right now. Not whether Saturday's 45-14 rout of Power 5 conference opponent Pittsburgh sent a message to the College Football Playoff selection committee or skeptics who question how good the Knights are because of their schedule.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — With McKenzie Milton on top of his game, No. 16 UCF keeps rolling along.

The junior from Kapolei, Hawaii, ran for a career-best three touchdowns while throwing for three more, helping the Knights rally from a second-quarter deficit to remain unbeaten and extend the nation's longest winning streak with a 56-36 rout of Florida Atlantic on Friday night.

"When things got a little shaky," Milton said, "we didn't flinch."

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — On a night when quarterback McKenzie Milton wasn't at his best, No. 19 UCF got it done with rushing and defense to beat South Carolina State 38-0 and extend its winning streak to 15 games.

Adrian Killins Jr. scored on runs of 3 and 24 yards in the first quarter. Greg McCrae rushed for 62 yards and a touchdown, and Otis Anderson added 42 yards and a touchdowns as UCF (2-0) racked up 315 rushing yards.

EAST HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — No. 21 UCF has a new coaching staff — and an offense that looks very similar to the one that helped the Knights go undefeated a year ago.

McKenzie Milton threw for 346 yards and tied a career high with five touchdowns as the self-proclaimed defending national champions routed UConn 56-17 on Thursday night to extend the longest winning streak in the nation to 14 games.

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — No. 21 UCF comes into its season opener at UConn on Thursday night with the nation's longest winning streak at 13 games, a bit of swagger and a lot more attention than it had a year ago.

Junior quarterback McKenzie Milton, the reigning American Athletic Conference player of the year, says that after last year's undefeated season and a self-declared national championship the Knights are anxious to show they remain one of the nation's top programs.

Josh Heupel has either the most difficult job of any head coach in the country taking over a new team or the easiest. Maybe it's both.

Hired to replace Scott Frost at Central Florida, Heupel takes over a team that went unbeaten last season and declared itself the national champion. Most of the playmakers return from one of the best offenses in the country, including gifted quarterback McKenzie Milton.

ATLANTA (AP) — McKenzie Milton wanted to throw a blanket of 13 wins and no losses over the College Football Playoff.

After Milton and Central Florida capped a perfect season, he suggested it was time to respect the Knights, even if they weren't invited to the playoff.

Milton threw two touchdown passes and ran for 116 yards with another touchdown, leading No. 10 UCF to a 34-27 Peach Bowl win over No. 7 Auburn on Monday.

ATLANTA (AP) — Central Florida coach Scott Frost and nine of his assistants will be full-time Nebraska employees immediately after Monday's Peach Bowl game against Auburn.

Until then, they've worked almost nonstop to make sure the Central Florida players feel no disruption in their normal routines.

Knights quarterback McKenzie Milton knows that hasn't been easy.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — There were so many reasons for UCF coach Scott Frost to worry about his team's focus this week.

With a huge game looming, playing an improving Temple team in a stadium where the empty seats outnumbered the filled ones by about a 3-1 ratio on a chilly, gray day had all the makings of a tricky spot for the Knights.

Then Frost saw his wide receivers and defensive backs warming up at Lincoln Financial Field with their shirts off in the 40-degree temperatures.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Otis Anderson got a little down on himself after committing a costly turnover in the third quarter.

The freshman bounced back in a hurry.

Anderson had a spectacular 65-yard touchdown run in the final period, helping No. 14 Central Florida pull away from UConn for a 49-24 victory on Saturday.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — It's one thing to have the top scoring offense in the country.

But one reason UCF has managed to baffle so many defensive coordinators is all the options the 14th-ranked Knights can throw at them. UCF can put multiple playmakers on the field at the same time.

DALLAS (AP) — UCF's McKenzie Milton didn't complete passes with his usual efficiency, and his offense didn't put up its usual high-scoring numbers.

But the Knights earned their usual result, leaving SMU with a 31-24 victory, remaining the only undefeated team in the Group of Five and on track for a major New Year's Day bowl game if they can win out.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Central Florida finally had been tested in a tight game, and someone wondered if coach Scott Frost enjoyed seeing how his team reacted to the situation.

"Heck no. I lost a year off my life tonight," Frost said Saturday after the Knights' 31-21 victory over Navy. "You need close games because you need to see how your kids experience those situations, but they're not fun. It was stressful."

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Defensive end Jamiyus Pittman heard his number called from the sideline and couldn't believe it. Normally the blocking back in the Knights' goal-line offense, Pittman was about to have his hands tested with points on the line.

"We're really calling this in a game?" Pittman recalled thinking.