ORLANDO, Fla. — Well before sunrise, while most of his classmates were sleeping in during winter break, Mitt Charles was up early.

  • UCF Knights depart for Arizona on Thursday morning
  • Fiesta Bowl: UCF vs. LSU, 1 p.m. ET New Year's Day
  • UCF has nation's longest winning streak at 25 games
  • FULL COVERAGE: UCF Knights stories from Spectrum Sports

The UCF junior boarded a bus destined for Orlando Sanford International Airport for a trip to Glendale, Arizona and the Fiesta Bowl.

"(I've) never been to Arizona. It's a once in a lifetime (trip)," Charles said. "I can't wait to cheer the game."

Charles won't be playing in the Fiesta Bowl, but he will be there as a cheerleader, hoping the Knights are victorious over LSU.

"I just want to cheer on the team and try to help them get the win there," he said.

Charles, along with 360 other team members — players, cheerleaders, coaches, staff and their families — boarded one of nine buses Thursday morning, taking one of two chartered planes out west.

The UCF Knights (12-0) will take on LSU (9-3) at 1 p.m. ET on New Year's Day.

It's been a season of great highs and some painful lows for the undefeated Knights. The team's biggest low, of course, was star quarterback McKenzie Milton's gruesome knee injury last month which had him carted off the field.

Despite that, Milton also made the trip to Glendale. He even attended practice as the team prepped to take on LSU in the Fiesta Bowl.

Still on crutches from a devastating knee injury last month during a game against USF, Milton will cheer on his team from the sideline.

The Knights are making their third straight appearance in a bowl game and undefeated for a second consecutive season. They hold the longest active winning streak in the country at 25 games.

"It's truly special," Charles said. "You never get a chance to cheer on an undefeated team two seasons in a row, so it's really special to cheer out here at a bowl game."

The Knights will land in Phoenix late Thursday morning and get in several days of training in Arizona before taking on LSU.