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Several factors led to the best seasons in school history for both Baylor and Central Florida.

Without question, outstanding quarterback play is at the top of those lists.
In what most feel is the best quarterback matchup of this bowl season, Bryce Petty leads No. 6 Baylor and the nation's most potent offense into the Fiesta Bowl against Blake Bortles and 15th-ranked Central Florida on New Year's Day.
This is the first BCS bowl game for both Baylor (11-1) and UCF (11-1) after each earned conference titles.
The Bears' hopes for a national championship were dashed with a lopsided loss to Oklahoma State on Nov. 23, but they rebounded to win their next two games. A 30-10 victory over Texas in the regular-season finale gave Baylor 11 wins for the first time and the Big 12 crown, the school's first outright conference title since winning the SWC in 1980.
"Now that we've established ourselves as Big 12 champions, like I told the freshmen earlier today, it's not like we've reached the mountaintop," coach Art Briles said. "We've still got a lot to reach for. We're at a good point in our program and now the duty is to maintain that."
This is also uncharted territory for UCF, which wrapped up a BCS bid with Louisville's win over Cincinnati on Dec. 5 and added the inaugural American Athletic Conference title by holding off SMU 17-13 in an ice storm two days later.
The Knights also won 11 games in 2010, but that led to the Liberty Bowl as opposed to a BCS berth. They have won a school-record eight straight, only two by more than seven points, since a 28-25 loss to then-No. 12 South Carolina on Sept. 28.