I'm all for UCF, Boise State, Coastal Carolina, Bob's College, whomever having a shot at the CFP, but you have to prove your case by playing better competition. Granted, non-P5 schools have their own conference games bringing down their SoS rankings, but play some neutral site games or go to the Big House in Michigan and pull another upset like App State. Is it a challenge? Sure, but no more so than an Alabama, Ohio State or Michigan, who play tougher competition. Notre Dame is an Independent, beholden to no conference schedule, and they play some of the toughest teams in the nation; nothing is stopping UCF from going Independent and improving their scheduling.
UCF claims they have a tough time scheduling P5 schools, yet they booked Pitt and North Carolina in 2018 (North Carolina game postponed), they booked Georgia Tech (cancelled and never made up) last season, and they have Stanford and Pitt booked for 2019. They also booked Florida A&M, a FCS team, which I have no problem with, cause they secured an away game with Stanford. That's a good get in my book. In 2020, they have North Carolina (at home) and Georgia Tech (away) again, so they're getting P5 schools. Sure, neither Georgia Tech or North Carolina are stellar football programs, but if UCF beats them, then it helps their case.
In 2013, UCF finished 12 - 1, with a victory over unranked Penn State (at Penn State), but with a loss to ranked South Carolina (a home game for UCF). They defeated 6th ranked Baylor in the bowl game. Great season, for sure, but if we were to apply that season and that schedule to this year's CFP conversation, they wouldn't be in the mix. Sure, they beat a blue blood program like Penn State, on the road, but they also lost, at home, to South Carolina. Both games decided by three points, just FYI. The rest of their schedule is light on real competition. But it shows that UCF
has been able to schedule P5 programs, even getting a SEC team to play at their stadium. In 2015, the season they won zero games, they played at Stanford and at South Carolina. In 2016, Scott Frost's first season, they played at Michigan and hosted Maryland, and while Maryland is not a great program, it is a Big Ten school. So I don't buy the argument that UCF can't get P5 teams to play them.