At 12–0, UCF was the lone remaining undefeated team in Division I FBS, as Wisconsin had lost to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship.

[6][7] The high-powered UCF offense got off to a shaky start, but superb defensive play kept the Knights in the game during the first half.

A mishandled snap was fumbled by quarterback McKenzie Milton and recovered by Auburn, which led to a Tigers field goal and a 3–0 lead.

Milton, with two long quarterback runs, put the Knights in field goal range, and the score was tied 3–3 partway through the second quarter.

But Milton's 83 yards rushing, coupled with five first half sacks, and eight tackles for loss by the Knights defense, gave UCF a 13–6 halftime lead.

Under pressure and scrambling, Milton found Dredrick Snelson at the back of the endzone for a leaping touchdown catch and a 27–20 UCF lead.

The Knights drove to the Auburn 8 line, with Tre'Quan Smith's 34-yard catch a key play of the drive.

With the Knights now leading 34–20 with under six minutes to go, Auburn fans began heading for the exits, and the UCF side of the stadium turned into a frenzy.

With one last chance to tie the game and potentially force overtime, the Tigers drove to the UCF 21 yard line.

[10] Auburn narrowly edged UCF in total yards (421 to 411), but the Tigers had three turnovers compared to only one for the Knights.

A few days later, UCF was ranked number 1 by the Colley Matrix, an NCAA-designated major selector of football national championships.