The UCF Knights are college football’s national champions, according to at least two groups: the UCF Knights themselves and, now, a dentists’ group in Nevada.
Nevada dental professionals call College Football Playoff a ‘cartel’, declare UCF national champion for 2017
Nevadan dentists confer new legitimacy on UCF.
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Meet the Nevada Dental Association, which has been deciding for itself who the sport’s champion is since the 2002 season. The NDA has made UCF official:
College football Redditor joebruin32 passed that along and included this explanation from the dental group, which is passionate about its ability to make these picks:
It is well accepted that dentists are among the most trusted professionals to give advice in society. The honorable precepts of the ADA’s Professional Code of Conduct are second to none, and the code mandates that dentists put the welfare of society ahead of self-interest. Dentists are highly educated individuals who understand the concepts of logical and ethical cerebration.
These attributes are absent in a program affiliated with higher education today, the faction that selects its Football Bowl Subdivision (Division I) championship, primarily on the basis of maximizing renumeration for “Blue Blood” member programs, ignoring well-established, logical, and time-proven concepts (playoffs) in place to reward achievers in America. The cartel cosmetically changed from a two-team BCS format to a four-team CFP paradigm in 2014, but as is predictably obvious in 2017, it still doesn’t work. The NDAJ has always recommended a 16-team playoff.
For those reasons, and without apology to other FBS/D-1 teams jockeying for second place:
The Nevada Dental Association Journal FBS National Championship Committee is pleased to announce its selection for college football’s 2017 National Champion, the only undefeated team in the nation: The University of Central Florida Knights (13-0).
The dentists have been awarding the title since the 2002 season.
Their picks aren’t always in line with the national consensus. In 2003, they went with USC over LSU. In 2004, they decided to split the title between Auburn, USC, and Utah.
In 2006, they awarded it to Boise State over Florida. In 2007, they went with USC over LSU. They gave Utah another title in 2008, split it between Boise State and Alabama in 2009, and between TCU and Auburn in 2010. They consider Oklahoma State 2011’s champ, Ohio State 2012’s, and now UCF 2017’s.
No one puts this group of Nevadan dentists in a corner.
There’s a long history of this in college football.
The sport’s never had an official champ at its highest level. Even the Playoff is only recognized by the NCAA as a title selector, albeit the sole one still being added to the record books these days. Titles have been awarded over the years by polls, historians, math, and anything else you can think of.
For example, 2004 was the year Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville asked Golf Digest to anoint the Tigers No. 1. The magazine made him a mock cover.
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