They called me crazy and they said it over and over.
“Kentucky can’t beat Louisville”
I heard it over and over and even right up to kickoff I remained confident. I said it right after the Wildcats win over Clemson in the Music City Bowl – this was going to be the year.
Kentucky will beat Louisville, that’s what I told everyone on The Sports Guys and that’s exactly what happened. I was laughed at and ridiculed – but as the Wildcat student section poured onto the turf at Commonwealth Stadium I found myself getting the last laugh.
Everyone likes to be right from time to time. I’m probably wrong more times than not, but making ridiculous claims is part of being on the radio. People expect you to take a stand and when you have to do it on a daily basis over the radio it can catch up with you.
Like many others throughout the Bluegrass state the Kentucky-Louisville game forces fans to pick a side. From the most fanatical followers to the occasional bystander the fight for the Governor’s Cup captivates people from all over the state.
For the Big Blue Nation the game felt like a combination of relief and exhilaration. Finally, UK football fans feel like they’re relevant, especially when ‘that other school’ has seemed to have done so well for itself of late.
Cardinal fans find themselves in a state of disbelief. Many wonder, or at least did to me, if the promise of BCS title hopes left with Bobby Petrino to Atlanta. That’s probably not fair to Steve Kragthorpe, but hey, it’s the life of a college football coach – at least one where expectations matter and U of L seems to be that kind of place now.
So – what now for the Cats and the Cards.
As I boldly picked UK to finally topple Louisville last December the rose colored future did not stop there. Eight wins – yeah I said it – eight. At 3-0, can the Cats reach eight wins, or could they do even more.
I’m not sure if I’m feeling that generous, but a look ahead at Kentucky’s schedule should give some fans at least a little optimistic. Other than home games with top-five regulars LSU and Florida, every other game on the slate are games that seem realistic. Road games at Arkansas and South Carolina over the next three weeks will be tough, without question, but shouldn’t seem like far-fetched fantasies.
If the Wildcats can avoid letdowns, there appear to be very winnable games against Florida Atlantic, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. UK has already proved they can beat Georgia, but in Athens, it will be very tough to say the least – but once again – a winnable game.
And finally, there’s Tennessee. The Vols have eluded UK time and time again during their current 22 game win streak over the Wildcats. But could this be the year that another trend is snapped? Only time will tell, but with the way things are going, it would be a huge disappointment if they didn’t.
For Louisville, all hope is not lost. The Cards, even in a loss, proved they’re a formidable opponent for anyone.
At the beginning of the year I predicted that Louisville would lose three games. The remaining schedule offers quite a few tough test, especially the final three weeks of the year when the Cards are at No.5 West Virginia, at No. 23 South Florida and then at home against No. 11 Rutgers.
Throw in a date with Utah (beat No. 11 UCLA 44-6 this weekend) in three weeks and three loses may not have been enough – especially when they’ve shown no ability to play defense.
So, finally I’ll step back from the crystal ball and predict the fortunes of both teams now that we’ve all had a chance to see them with their feet to the fire.
Kentucky will beat Tennessee this year. I think they can go a step further and also win one of the following games – LSU, Florida or Georgia. That would give them two wins against the old guard of the SEC.
So yeah, the Cats will get eight wins and with the above mentioned, that’s a year to remember for the Big Blue.
For Louisville the immediate future doesn’t appear as optimistic, especially since the expectation was to do better than last year’s Orange Bowl championship.
I’m going to stick to my guns and say Louisville finishes the regular season with three loses. Now come bowl prediction time that number could go up depending on the matchup.
