You don’t know Clark, a 41-year-old associate general counsel at Central Florida. How could you? Like thousands of other lawyers, he toils in anonymity protecting the interests of the university that pays him. It’s also possible Clark doesn’t know himself what kind of windfall year he has had for UCF.

It went almost unnoticed in April when the school won an appeal of an bowl ban resulting from one of the most heinous cases of cheating in recent history. That victory already might be the Knights’ biggest of the season. What happened at UCF made the Ohio State and Southern California scandals look almost like touch football.

Central Florida’s athletic director was involved with a convicted felon/street agent steering players — football and basketball — to UCF. Keith Tribble resigned, as he should have. The NCAA showed little pity, slamming the program with that bowl ban, lack of institutional control, scholarship cuts, vacated victories (in basketball) and five years’ probation.

“Coach [Bill] O’Brien at Penn State, I blamed him,” UCF coach George O’Leary said kiddingly on Tuesday at the media day, “because our case came up right after the Penn State case. I still think they had their guns blazing at that time, the NCAA.”

The penalties were handed down a mere six months after UCF had last been on probation. That means, technically, the football program was eligible for the death penalty.

Oh, and did we mention that the school is appealing a multimillion-dollar verdict against it in the death of former player Ereck Plancher? At last count, the school was on the hook for an estimated $15 million.

Yes, UCF was very lucky to be eligible for not only a bowl in its first year in the , but a BCS bowl. It is one of three conference teams that has never been to a major bowl, never mind one of the current BCS bowls (Fiesta, Orange, Rose, Sugar).

But look what just dropped from the sky — a weird, twisted piece of realignment fallout. UCF — along with American partners South Florida and Memphis — has its best chance this season to go to a major bowl for the first time. Perhaps ever.

One of those three only have to be the best of 10 in the AAC to grab the conference’s automatic BCS berth. Next year, they have to be the best of the entire non-BCS (55-plus schools) to grab the one berth available in the playoff era.

“I thought about that when I got the job,” first-year South Florida coach Willie Taggart said.

No one is saying it’s going to happen. South Florida and Memphis have never won an FBS conference title. UCF was picked fourth in the AAC’s preseason media poll. But that’s a combined 1,540 games and 145 years worth of football suddenly eligible for a lifetime achievement.

(In the AAC this season, Louisville, Connecticut and Cincinnati have played in BCS bowls. Rutgers has not but is headed to the Big Ten next season, where it will play for a playoff bowl each season. SMU [Cotton, 1982], Houston [Cotton, 1984] and Temple [Sugar, 1934] have all played in major bowls, but for each it has been a while.)

In this one magical year, those AAC schools have their best chance to get behind the velvet rope. Imagine Central Florida-Florida in the Sugar Bowl or SMU-Texas in the Fiesta Bowl. Sure, it’s a long shot, but at least it’s a shot — similar to the one granted Boise State and TCU at one time.

“It’s definitely on the mind of everybody that this is a BCS year, that we get an exemption in there,” SMU coach June Jones said.

It goes like this: This is the last year of the BCS. That means one more year for those automatic BCS bowl berths for the six conference champions. The net share for getting in a BCS bowl this year is $24 million. Thanks to conference realignment, the American inherited the Big East’s automatic berth for this year only.

Sure, the American is a bastardized version of the Big East — and the Big East only had a guaranteed BCS berth in the first place because of a special waiver. But for those outside the BCS circus tent, you look for glimmers of light where you can find them.

Consider this potentially the best year of their lives for one of those schools. Four teams in the league (Temple, Rutgers, South Florida and Memphis) haven’t won an outright FBS conference title. SMU’s last outright title was 1982. For Houston, it has been since 1978.

Without that appeal, UCF would be looking at a bowl ban and postseason purgatory.

“To go through a season and have no reward for the success of the regular season, that’s hard,” Knights quarterback Blake Bortles said. “It’s hard to be a motivated team when you can’t play past 12 games. I can’t imagine what that’s like. I give Ohio State, especially, all the credit in the world for going 12-0 last year.”

Bortles had a first-hand look. In the second week of the 2012 season, Central Florida provided a spirited challenge to those Buckeyes before losing 31-16.

All of this is moot if Louisville plays like the favorite it is. The Cardinals should start in the top 10 following last season’s Sugar Bowl victory against Florida. The American is a one-year stopover for Louisville before it heads to the ACC. Its football carried it there — two BCS bowls in the past seven years. Rutgers was thrown a surprising realignment life preserver by the Big Ten’s Jim Delany.

Life goes on extraordinarily successfully for the Cardinals and Scarlet Knights.

Beginning in 2014, 12 lucrative playoff bowl spots will be available each year, the top four reserved for the playoff. Only one of those 12 spots will be guaranteed to the highest-ranked school among the American, MAC, Sun Belt, Conference USA and Mountain West. Do the math. Fewer than five of those schools will have played in a BCS bowl (since 1998) when those conferences are further realigned in 2014.

You can see why Jordan Clark should be the Knights’ preseason MVP. They have a shot at that $24 million because of his — with others’ — hard work on the NCAA case.

“We knew that the appeals standard is a very difficult hurdle,” Clark said. “We did not think we had this earth-shattering successful case. We knew the standard would be high.”

UCF also had Mike Glazier. It has been a good year for him, too. One of the most influential figures in college sports, Glazier is an attorney based in Overland Park, Kan., who troubleshoots NCAA cases for schools. It was Glazier — nicknamed “The Cleaner” — who got Oregon off without debilitating sanctions in the Will Lyles case. It was Glazier who has fought doggedly representing Miami in perhaps the most controversial case in NCAA history.

Miami’s resolution is expected soon. An educated guess, but don’t expect anything major beyond what the school has already self-imposed.

Back to UCF. Glazier proceeded with the appeal in October 2012. (He did not want to be quoted for this column.) UCF had to show the NCAA the penalties were “clearly excessive” or “abuse of discretion.” Glazier crafted an appeal that cited similar cases. CBSSports.com obtained the documents used by UCF in the appeal.

To say the appeals standard was high is an understatement.

“We didn’t think [UCF] had that much chance to win,” one source close to the case said. “When they changed the standard on appeal for reversing — changed it [to show] an abuse of discretion — there’s not much chance to win on appeal.”

The school made a point that it had “complied and cooperated” with the NCAA, and was not given proper credit. The appeals committee agreed. In essence, UCF succeeded in showing the NCAA had piled on to one of the little guys.

Well, “little” if you consider UCF has the second-largest enrollment in the country.

In football, the Knights have only this season, perhaps, to prove they are big time.

— ,

The Buckeyes will host UCF on Sept. 8. Cincinnati approached Ohio State about making the change as the Big East had to shuffle its schedules because TCU won’t be joining the league next season.

The 2012 game between Ohio State and Cincinnati will be rescheduled for some point during the 2018 season. The teams will meet in Columbus during the 2014 season, as originally scheduled.

There was a lot of buzz about a Cincinnati-Ohio State game in 2009, when Cincinnati went undefeated during the regular season and reached the Sugar Bowl.

Ohio State’s 2012 non-conference schedule also features home games against Miami (Ohio), Cal and UAB.

Tribble and UCF President John Hitt have been in discussions with key players from the Big East and Big 12 about expansion possibilities. They have also kept abreast of Conference USA’s preliminary talks with the Mountain West about a potential merger that could earn the mega-conference an automatic bid into the BCS bowl games.

Whereas fellow C-USA members East Carolina and SMU have made public claims about it desires to land in another conference, UCF has chosen not to pursue that path. Tribble said such a move would be bad form and he’s chosen to keep abreast of the conference realignment negotiations quietly.

“If they know anything about the history of Dr. Hitt and what he’s done with our university, he’s always put UCF first and we’re following that same method in terms of how we’re doing our business,” Tribble said. “We’re doing our work and we’ll continue to do it in a way that’s fitting of our institution. We’re people of integrity and we do things the right way. So those who think there aren’t things happening or conversations taking place they would be wrong.”

Tribble admitted that all of the discussions, talk and speculation over which teams will end up where can be a bit consuming at times. He said that fans should know that UCF’s many great traits are being pushed to the appropriate people.

“It’s consuming for all of the ADs right now because it’s something that came out of the blue. No one was expecting the move by the ACC and once that started the conversations with the Big 12 and the Big East, the whole snowball effect to form. But the bottom line is no one knows what’s going to happen,” Tribble said. “Something might happen and something might not happen, but you’ve always got to be mindful of what’s happening. We have to have conversations with my counterparts and other conference commissioners and get a sense of what’s happening. Not that they will tell you, but at least we have to have those conversations. I spend a lot of time doing that, but it doesn’t spend 100 percent of my time.”

In 2010-11, Williams guided UCF to one of the finest campaigns in program history. The Knights won 22 games, posted a 12-4 mark in C-USA play and earned the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after winning the C-USA Championship in El Paso, Texas. Williams also led the Knights to the 2009 NCAA Tournament after her squad won the league championship crown. She was recognized as the 2008-09 C-USA Coach of the Year.

“Coach Williams has clearly created a culture of winning and success both on the court and in the classroom,” Tribble said. “She has taken our women’s basketball program to new levels and we are thrilled that she will continue to lead our program in the coming years.”

Williams is in her fifth season as UCF’s head coach. She guided the Knights to the 2011 C-USA Championship crown on the strength of an 11-game winning streak. UCF closed out the season on an eight-game run that was followed by three-straight wins in the conference tournament to claim the championship. The 11-game streak and the 20-plus win season were the first by the program in 27 years.

“I have been fortunate and blessed during my time as UCF’s head coach,” Williams said. “I am excited about the future of our program and I’m extremely grateful to President John Hitt and Keith Tribble for their continued support. With the dedicated commitment of our student-athletes and staff, we have developed a program that each year can compete for conference championships and beyond. It remains our mission to reach even greater heights on the national stage in all facets of our program.”

In 2010-11, six of Williams’ players were named to the C-USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll with a 3.0 or higher grade-point-average.

This past summer, Williams served as an assistant coach for the United States U19 World Championship team, and helped the U.S. claim the gold medal in Chile. In 2010, she worked with the U.S. squad that took the gold medal at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Williams’ Knights will open the 2011-12 regular season on Nov. 12. UCF’s first of 18 regular-season games at the UCF Arena is set for Nov. 18 against Florida A&M. The home schedule also includes non-conference games against Florida State, Virginia Tech, Hartford and Florida Gulf Coast.

Cunningham just finished his fourth season with UCF, helping lead them to arguably their best campaign in program history. The 2010 Knights finished 12-5-3 and 4-1-3 in Conference USA play to lock up the No. 2 seed in the conference tourney, the highest finish since joining the league in 2005. UCF also posted the most home wins by any team in the state as it was 8-1 at the UCF Soccer and Track Stadium.

The Knights defeated USF, 3-0, at home in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament before narrowly falling to eventual College Cup semifinalist Michigan, 2-1, in overtime in the second round in Ann Arbor. Cunningham also led his team to its highest national ranking ever as it reached No. 18 in the polls midway through the season.

“Bryan and his staff continue to elevate our men’s soccer team to national prominence,” Tribble said. “I am pleased that he will continue to guide the program to be successful on the field and in the classroom, while also making an impact in the community.”

Cunningham and the Knights will get the 2011 season underway in late August on the road against Jacksonville.

“Our student-athletes, staff and the program will certainly benefit from his ability to transfer his incredible knowledge of the game and his commitment to elevating those around him to new heights. We are pleased to welcome Coach Bob Starkey to the UCF Women’s Basketball family,” Williams added.

“I’m extremely honored about joining the UCF family,” Starkey said. “I’ve known Coach Williams for over a decade and while her success speaks for itself, it is the core values of her philosophy that has me excited about being a part of her program.”

Considered one of the top minds in all of college basketball, Starkey served as the associate head coach for the Lady Tigers under Van Chancellor since 2007.

Prior to Chancellor’s arrival in Baton Rouge, Starkey took on the responsibility as the acting head coach at the end of the 2006-07 campaign. Taking over headed into postseason play, Starkey led LSU to its fourth straight Final Four appearance, defeating UNC Asheville, West Virginia, Florida State and No. 1 seed UConn to reach the National Semifinals in Cleveland.

Part of all five Final Fourth berths, three SEC regular season titles and a conference tournament championship at LSU, Starkey spent 13 seasons in total along the Lady Tigers’ sidelines beginning in 1998. Before joining Sue Gunter’s staff, Starkey spent two seasons working in an administrative position with both the men’s and women’s programs.

In his first role at LSU, Starkey served as an assistant with the men’s team from 1990-96. During his time with the Tigers, he worked closely in developing post players such as Shaquille O’Neal, Stanley Roberts and Geert Hammink, all first-round picks in the NBA draft.

Coach Starkey continued to work with post players after joining the LSU women’s program. He was very influential in the development of Sylvia Fowles (Chicago Sky), the second overall pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft. He also coached other WNBA first round picks including Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx), Temeka Johnson (Phoenix Mercury), Marie Ferdinand (Phoenix Mercury) and Scholanda Robinson (San Antonio Silver Stars).

Before his extended stint at LSU, Starkey spent one year as an assistant at Marshall during the 1988-89 season and three seasons at West Virginia State from 1984-87. In his final season at West Virginia State, he helped guide the Yellow Jackets to NAIA National Championship Game.

“My visit to the UCF campus was amazing. It was my first trip here and I can see the ‘wow’ factor that so many have told me about. I was also impressed meeting with Mr. (Keith) Tribble and hearing his vision for our entire athletic department. It’s already easy for me to see why UCF is such a special place,” Starkey added.

Starkey is originally from Charleston, W.Va., and is married to the former Sherie Hayslett, a native of Winfield, W.Va.

“We are very proud for coach (Linda) Gooch on being recognized for the impact she has had on the collegiate spirit community nationally,� said Keith Tribble, UCF’s Director of Athletics. “It is a great testament to her beliefs and what she stands for, that her peers have bestowed such a special honor.�

In 2003, the team won their first national crown ending the º£½ÇÖ±²¥ of Kentucky’s streak of eight-consecutive titles. Then, in 2007, UCF claimed its second title outlasting several SEC schools, including UK’s Wildcats, Alabama and Tennessee.

Her squad, in 2007-08, went on to be featured in a six-part television documentary for the WE network, chronicling the program’s preparation to defend its second national title.

Gooch is the seventh recipient of this award that is presented annually in January during the National College Cheer and Dance Championships held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

“Having Linda Gooch receive this top award is an historic moment for our cheer program at UCF,� said assistant coach Michael Pare. “Recognizing the excellence of the UCF cheer program is a true tribute to her dedication to UCF, its athletic department, our cheer athletes and alumni. It couldn’t go to a more deserving recipient.�

UCF stormed to a commanding two-goal lead in a dominant first half and got a third goal in the second half from emotional senior leader Yaron Bacher to rout arch-rival USF 3-0 for the second NCAA victory in school history.

“We don’t think there’s a team in the country that can stop us when we play our game,” Bacher said. “We just have to stay focused, keep working hard and not get ahead of ourselves.”

UCF got a header from Ben Hunt and a penalty kick from Nik Robson in a first half in which it outshot the Bulls (9-6-4) 10-3. The Knights won in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2004 when they beat FIU 1-0 in the first round.

Bacher, one of just three seniors on UCF’s youth-filled team, scored on a rocket of a kick from 25 yards out in the 65th minute to put the game out of reach. UCF’s 3-0 win is the most lopsided victory against USF in 29 games all-time.

In the final minutes of the game, head coach Bryan Cunningham embraced UCF Athletics Director Keith Tribble for an emotional hug. Cunningham told Tribble last fall that he felt UCF was on the verge of a breakthrough season, and he proved true with the Knights re-writing the record books much of this season.

“I think I was the first head coach that Keith hired here and it’s always been my goal to make him proud,” Cunningham said. “He does so much for us and for me personally and he’s always believed in us even when we weren’t so good. He believed in my vision and I love beating USF and I know he loves it when we beat USF. It’s great for our athletics department.”

UCF (12-4-3) advances to face 10th-seeded Michigan (14-4-3) on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Ann Arbor, Mich. UCF was hosting a men’s NCAA soccer game for the first time in the program’s history, and the Knights continued to be nearly unbeatable at home. The Knights posted their seventh home shutout at home this season in nine games and have allowed just three goals in Orlando all year.

UCF’s strong suit all season has been its defense. The Knights allowed just 15 goals in 18 games all season. UCF goalkeeper Shawn Doyle, who was rarely tested on Thursday, had his eighth shutout of the season.

“In the past we really hadn’t had that homefield advantage feeling, but this year we have the motto to protect our house,” Bacher said. “We’re really priding ourselves on that this year.”

The Knights had double-digit wins this season for the first time since 2004, fulfilling the vast promise that Cunningham saw in the squad coming into the season. UCF was the lone team to beat national powerhouse SMU during the regular season, and authored its longest unbeaten streak in 25 years (nine games) throughout the regular season.

UCF jumped to a 1-0 lead in the 35th minute of the first half on a header by Hunt, a sophomore, that was set up by a throw-in from the left side. Seconds later, the Knights briefly thought they had gone ahead 2-0, but Warren Creavalle’s boot from the left hit the side of the net.

UCF did take a commanding 2-0 lead in the final minute of the first half when Creavalle was fouled in the box and the Knights were awarded a penalty kick. Robson, UCF’s star sophomore from Auckland, New Zealand, drilled the penalty kick past the keeper for the team’s second goal.

Robson proved himself to be an elite offensive player during the regular season, scoring nine goals and delivering nine assists to give him the 19th-best point total (27) in the nation.

“This game shows that it’s a new era for UCF,” Robson said. “I think this is the best game that UCF has ever had. I think we’re going to be really good for years to come.”

Back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since winning the Atlantic Sun three-straight years from 2002-04, UCF entered the NCAA’s ranked No. 29 in the RPI. The Knights hadn’t played since Nov. 12, a 2-1 loss to Tulsa in the Conference USA Tournament, but used that loss as motivation for Thursday’s game.

“The team was so re-energized when we found out that we got the (NCAA) bid on Monday. We’ve been awesome at home all year long and I really felt good about the game today,” Cunningham said. “USF is a tremendous team, but the boys stuck to the game plan, executed and a shutout is great against a high-powered team like them.”

John Denton’s Knights Insider appears on UCFathletics.com several times a week. E-mail John at jdenton@athletics.ucf.edu.

“When I had my meeting with Mr. Tribble last December, we were coming off a bad year, but I really thought this would be the year that we were going to turn the corner,” said Cunningham, who is in his fourth season at UCF. “My first (recruiting class), they’re now all juniors and coming into their own. They know the system and they’re teaching it to the younger players. Slowly but surely, they’re building this to where we want it to be – a Top 25 team.”

UCF’s season-long transformation comes full circle on Thursday at 5 p.m. when the Knights (11-4-3) hosts in-state rival USF (9-5-4). The two teams didn’t play this season, but the Bulls did beat UCF, 2-1, last season. Cunningham is confident that the Knights will be ready after playing a league schedule that included four Conference USA squads that qualified for the NCAA tournament.

“In Conference USA, you play a lot of good teams. I think we finished with six teams in the top 60 in the RPI and four teams in the top 30,” Cunningham said. “So I think we’re ready for the challenges that await us. Playing those teams and winning some of those games and getting some results helped us big time.”

UCF went into the Conference USA Tournament last week as the second seed, but lost, 2-1, to Tulsa. The Knights then had to await their fate in the NCAA Tournament, hoping for an at-large bid. And on the nationally televised Selection Show, the Knights were one of the final four teams announced, heightening the tension for the team.

The Knights not only got in, but they also earned a home game date against the rival Bulls. And if they win, they will play on the road against the No. 10 º£½ÇÖ±²¥ of Michigan on Sunday at 2 p.m.

“It says a lot about the season that we had and also the respect for Conference USA. We placed four teams in the NCAA Tournament and all four teams will be playing at home in the first or second round, which is great,” Cunningham said. “It’s the first time we’ve hosted and the first time we’ve received an at-large bid. So give all of the credit to the players and the assistant coaches for pushing everything all together this year. We’ve talked about one game at a time and it’s all paying off right now.”

UCF got to this point because of the dynamic playmaking of forward Nik Robson (nine goals, nine assists and 27 points) and the passing of Spencer Scott (eight assists) and a stingy defense that allowed just three goals at home all season. For the season, the Knights outscored foes 37-16 and were the lone team in the regular season to beat fifth-seeded SMU.

The combination of senior leadership provided by Yaron Bacher, Camilo Rendon and Josh Andone combined with the youth of Robson (sophomore), Scott (junior), Kevn George (junior), Cameron Cooksey (junior) and Warren Creavalle (junior) have given the Knights the right mix to author their most special season ever.

“We always believed in the players and what we were capable of. And we knew the caliber of the kids that we were bringing in to the team for this year,” Cunningham said. “We really felt like we were about to turn a corner and be writing some history, which we are doing this year.”

The 2011 UF Athletics Hall of Fame class, as announced by º£½ÇÖ±²¥ of Florida F Club and Gator Boosters, Inc., will also feature six Gator Greats, and an Honorary Letterwinner. The 2011 UF Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Banquet will be held on Friday, April 8, 2011, in the Holloway Touchdown Terrace at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. This complete induction class includes Gator Greats Dawn Buth (Women’s Tennis), Judd Davis (Football), Bob Emrick (Men’s Basketball), Michelle Freeman (Women’s Track & Field), Mimosa McNerney (Women’s Swimming) and Mike Peterson (Football). Keith Tribble (Football) will be inducted as a Distinguished Letterwinner and the late Dr. Richard Shaara (UF Team Physician) will be a 2011 Honorary Letterwinner.

Tribble was an offensive guard for three bowl teams during his time at Florida, from 1974-76. His first foray into collegiate athletics came at his alma mater, where he served from 1981-89, working his way up to the position of associate athletic director. Tribble later returned to his hometown of Miami in 1993 to take over the Orange Bowl Committee and its flagship event, the then-FedEx Orange Bowl. For 13 years, Tribble led the Orange Bowl in unparalleled success, ultimately landing the prestigious game in the rotation of today’s Bowl Championship Series. Since his tenure began as UCF’s Director of Athletics in 2006, the program has continued to thrive both academically and athletically.