Game time: 7 p.m., Saturday
TV: ESPN 2
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- UCF and Houston were expected to play the role of understudy to more established programs like Louisville and Rutgers in the race for the American Athletic Conference crown and the coveted BCS berth that comes with it.
Instead, Saturday's matchup between No. 19 UCF (6-1, 3-0 American) and Houston (7-1, 4-0) could go a long way in proving lots of preseason prognostications wrong.
As welcoming as the national spotlight might be for the former Conference USA rivals, UCF receiver J.J. Worton said it didn't change the approach for the Knights this week.
"We see it, but it doesn't really mean anything to us," he said. "Yeah, it's nice to be nationally known, but that's how we feel every year. We know what we can do, and we know everybody's got their own opinion -- and they're entitled to it. But like coach says, the people that matter are inside the circle, and that's us inside the football group.
"We know that other people think of us the way they want to. We know what we can do and that's all that matters."
Unlike in some of their earlier season matchups, UCF and Houston have lots of history with one another, having met four times in C-USA.
Most of those matchups were buoyed by title implications as well.
A victory Saturday would tie UCF's best start in school history.
The underdog this time around, Houston coach Tony Levine said he knows what to expect against a George O'Leary-coached team.
"When you talk about a Coach O'Leary football team and program, what comes to mind nationally is that they are a well-coached team," Levine said. "That's really been a trademark of his as long as he's been coaching. They make you earn everything, they don't make mistakes, they don't turn the ball over, they don't commit penalties...It'll be a great challenge for us."
The Knights are coming off a bye-week and remained ranked behind Louisville in the BCS rankings despite a lopsided victory over Connecticut on Oct. 26.
BCS rankings could potentially come into play in a tiebreaker scenario should UCF lose one of its final five conference games.
Still, O'Leary said he wasn't thinking about any potential boost that could come with a victory this week.
"I think the most important thing is that you keep winning," O'Leary said. "That's the only control you have in the polls. Say whatever, but if we keep winning, then we'll end up where we want to be...That's the only control we have over anything, really."
