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A license plate to honor UCF as national champions? That’s the idea

Florida lawmakers file legislation to create a specialty plate honoring the undefeated team that did not win the national championship.
 
A sample of the proposed license plate honoring UCF as national champions. (CateComm)
A sample of the proposed license plate honoring UCF as national champions. (CateComm)
Published Jan. 17, 2018|Updated Jan. 17, 2018

Maybe you thought the conversation over college football's national champions was over once Alabama secured that thrilling come-from-behind victory over Georgia last week.

And maybe you thought the push to make undefeated UCF co-national champions was over after that Disney World parade and that proclamation from Gov. Rick Scott declaring UCF the national champions in Florida.

But wait, now there's a bill filed in the Florida Legislature to create a specialty license plate honoring the University of Central Florida as national champions. Yes, legislation. (Never mind those pesky real world problems that lawmakers could be addressing, this is college football.)

RELATED: Naughty, explicit, racist: 2017's rejected Florida license plates

HB 1359 is cosponsored by Rep. Jamie Grant, R-Tampa, and Rep. Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, a UCF graduate.

"As a UCF alumnus representing Florida House District 49, the 'UCF District,' I am incredibly proud of our national champions," said Rep. Smith. "A UCF license plate is the perfect way to commemorate our undefeated Knights for achieving this historic milestone."

Rep. Chris Latvala, R-Clearwater, has also signed on to the bill. He is a UCF graduate.

"UCF's football team had a historic season this year," said Rep. Latvala. "No others went undefeated, and we have a legitimate claim to the national championship. Thank you to Representative Grant for adding this amendment. Charge On!"

Grant is an Auburn graduate. Why would he get involved? "Nobody wanted Auburn to beat UCF more than me," he said. "However, UCF beat the team who beat the team also claiming to be national champions — Alabama — a team with a long history of making up national championships."

Democratic consultant Kevin Cate is helping promote the idea through his firm, CateComm, even setting up a website for fans to contact their lawmakers about the legislation. A release went out Wednesday with the image designed by CateComm and Sean Hartman of Orlando.