Bianchi: Scott Frost’s second act at UCF is now officially on the clock

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The Scott Frost Nostalgia Tour is now officially over.

That does not mean UCF fans should forget 2017, erase the unbeaten season or pretend Frost’s first tenure was anything less than transformative. It means those memories can no longer serve as evidence that this second act is working.

With the Knights starting practice earlier this week as they prepare for the second season of Frost’s return, the clock starts ticking now.

Frost’s first season back at UCF came with legitimate excuses. He inherited a gutted roster from Gus Malzahn, a fractured locker room, an unstable quarterback situation and a program trying to compete financially in the Big 12 after spending its first two years in the league receiving only a partial share of conference revenue. He deserved patience because he did not inherit a rebuild so much as a crater.

Year 1 bought Frost grace.

Year 2 begins the evaluation.

This is not a College Football Playoff-or-bust declaration. It is not even a demand that UCF win eight or nine games. The Big 12 is too deep, the schedule is too unforgiving and UCF’s financial position is too ordinary for anyone to evaluate the Knights as if they were still the richest, fastest and most talented program in the American Athletic Conference.

But the Knights must show progress. Real progress. Visible progress.

Frost’s culture is now established. His staff is established. His first full recruiting class is his. The portal additions are his. The roster construction, player development, game management and weekly preparation are increasingly his responsibility.

Nobody should care anymore what Frost did in 2017 when judging what he is doing in 2026. The only relevant comparison now is last season against this season.

Are the players better? Is the offensive line stronger? Does the offense have an identity? Is the team more disciplined? Is recruiting gaining momentum? Are the Knights more physical in short-yardage situations? Are they competitive on the road? Do they look like a program rising in the Big 12 rather than one merely surviving it?

Those are the questions that matter.

UCF should not be judged solely by whether it finishes 8-4, 7-5 or 6-6. The record matters, of course, but it cannot be the only measurement. An 8-4 season in the Big 12 may be the modern equivalent of going 10-2 in the AAC. Even six or seven wins could represent legitimate progress if the Knights develop young players, establish an identity and begin winning the types of conference games that have repeatedly escaped them.

If those things happen, the record becomes part of the story, not the entire story. If they do not happen, even an extra victory or two will not be enough to quiet the concerns.

UCF has now spent three seasons in the Big 12 and is a combined 7-20 in conference play. Last season, the Knights went 2-7 in the league and lost four of their final five conference games. Their only victory during that stretch came against winless Oklahoma State, and UCF nearly found a way to lose that one, too.

At some point, the transition period ends. At some point, UCF has to stop talking about how difficult the Big 12 is and start proving it belongs there.

Remember what the naysayers said when UCF was going undefeated in 2017?

“Let’s see how UCF performs in a real conference.”

The comment was dismissive and condescending then, and it remains unfair to use present struggles to diminish what UCF accomplished during its rise. But after three years and a 7-20 conference record, the Knights are giving those skeptics ammunition.

UCF has built the facilities, expanded the stadium, improved the brand and talked like a major college football program. Now it must begin winning like one.

That does not mean fans should continue evaluating seasons as if it were still 2018. UCF entered most AAC games with a financial, athletic and organizational advantage. In the Big 12, the Knights are middle-of-the-pack at best in spending. The opponents are deeper, the road environments are more difficult and there are fewer Saturdays when UCF can simply overwhelm another team with superior speed.

Expectations must evolve with the conference.

They cannot disappear.

The challenge for Frost is finding the line between patience and accountability. Last season, UCF too often looked like a team that did not know what it wanted to be. The lowest point came in the 30-3 loss at Baylor, when the Knights looked unprepared, disjointed and uninspired against a struggling opponent.

The offense could not produce a yard when 1 yard was all it needed. There were breakdowns on basic exchanges. The defense, expected to be the program’s stabilizing force, was shredded early. It was not merely a defeat; it was a performance that raised questions about toughness, preparation and direction.

That game could be dismissed as part of a painful first-year rebuild. It cannot become a recurring symptom in Year 2.

National championship-winning Indiana coach Curt Cignetti, in his second season last year, provided an extreme example of how quickly a program can accelerate once its culture, roster and expectations align. Nobody should demand that Frost match Cignetti’s exact results, but there’s no denying that rebuilds can be accomplished quicker in today’s transfer portal world.

“It’s hard to take a program that hasn’t been on top for a really long time and elevate it so fast,” Frost said of Cignetti. “It’s amazing what he’s done. We’re always looking outside the building to try to get ideas.”

The comparison is not about demanding a miracle. It is about recognizing that Year 2 should look different from Year 1. The team should be sharper. The roster should be more cohesive. The young players should be more prepared. The program should no longer appear surprised by the physical and emotional demands of Big 12 football.

Frost has also said this team has better character, stronger leadership and a healthier culture than the one he inherited. Still, national expectations are low for the Knights, which is how Frost prefers it.

“I want a team with a chip on their shoulder that understands UCF is not going to get a lot of attention or respect until we earn it,” Frost said. “… Everybody understands the mission and how we’re trying to get there. We’ve got a lot better overall character on this football team and we have more talent.”

That sounds encouraging in August. It must become visible in October and November.

Culture is not a slogan printed on a wall or a talking point repeated at a preseason news conference. Culture is what happens after a turnover. It is what happens when UCF falls behind on the road. It is what happens on third-and-1, when the opponent knows exactly what is coming and toughness matters more than creativity.

The 2017 Knights had an unmistakable identity. They were fast, fearless, explosive and defiantly confident. The new UCF does not need to recreate that style, because this is a different roster, a different league and a different era of college football.

But it needs to become something.

Frost does not need another 13-0 season. He needs another identity, one capable of surviving and thriving in the Big 12.

Year 1 was about clearing away the wreckage. Year 2 must be about building something that can be seen.

The nostalgia is over. The explanations have been heard. The foundation has been laid.

Now the clock is running.

Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on social media @BianchiWrites and listen to my radio show “Game On” every weekday from 3 to 6 p.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com/listen.

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