NFL to honor UCF during Pro Bowl, won’t call team ‘national champions’
With the Pro Bowl being held in Orlando this year, the NFL has decided to honor UCF football for its incredible undefeated season in 2017. However, the Knights may not get the exact recognition they have been forcing people to give them since they defeated Auburn in the Peach Bowl.
On Monday, UCF announced that its football team will be honored by the NFL on Jan. 28 at the Pro Bowl “in the wake of its national championship” and undefeated season. According to Matt Shapiro, director of events strategy for the NFL, the ceremony will focus more on the latter.
“When we thought about UCF and the amazing season they had going undefeated and their bowl game win, we thought there was really no better way, especially in the city of Orlando, to do something for that college celebration of football than to honor the UCF team in stadium on Sunday,” Shapiro said, via Shannon Green of the Orlando Sentinel. “I think we’re going to focus on their undefeated season. I don’t know that we’re going to get into the business of labeling them national champions. But we’re just excited to honor them and celebrate them.”
Technically, Alabama won the national championship with its remarkable comeback win over Georgia. The NFL doesn’t want to take anything away from that, so it makes sense that they are playing it neutral. That won’t deter the Knights, who have already gone to great lengths to undermine the College Football Playoff and are not showing any signs of backing off.
