Louisville Rooting for Kentucky?

Nov 28, 2015; Lexington, KY, USA; The Louisville Cardinals mascot watches the game against the Kentucky Wildcats in the second half at Commonwealth Stadium. Louisville defeated Kentucky 38-24. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports /

Way back in September, after the Cats’ second half meltdown versus Southern Miss and the uninspired shellacking suffered in the Swamp, you could almost hear the echo of laughter roll out of 4^th St. all the way to Keeneland. And why not, the Cards were college football’s darling, while the Cats were, well, Kentucky.

By the third week of the season, Louisville had already gashed Charlotte and Syracuse, lighting up the scoreboard for 132 points in two games, while Lamar Jackson looked like a video game, amassing 13 touchdowns and becoming the favorite to win the Heisman. And then while Kentucky was struggling to eke out a win over New Mexico St., the Cards hammered Florida State, formally announcing their status as a top program this season in college football. Ugh.

But a loss to Clemson and lackluster performances in wins over Duke and Virginia—who had Louisville beaten until the game’s final seconds—has taken some of bloom off this season’s rose. That lack of style points led Louisville opening with a #7 ranking in the first College Football Playoff Rankings of the season, leaving the Cards on the outside looking in for one of those four coveted slots.

Their only hope—Kentucky.

In an ironic twist of fate that only a Kentucky fan could appreciate, the Cards are in desperate need of a signature win. To make the Playoff, the Cards will need lots of chaos to ensue. Washington, Texas A&M, and Ohio State all must fall, but even then, a big win to close the season will be needed to ultimately make the Playoff.

The remaining schedule features Boston College (hello, Patrick Towles), Wake Forest and a sliding Houston. Only Kentucky can provide the necessary bump for the selection committee to see more in Louisville.

If the Cats could win out—what once seemed miraculous, yet now seems possible—and the chips fall just right, chaos could prevail and set Louisville up with the SEC East champion, and ranked opponent, to close the season.

Kentucky takes on a similar foe this weekend in Georgia, who recently lost to Vandy, then archrival Tennessee, who is suddenly reeling, followed by what should be an easy win against Austin Peay. Meanwhile, SEC East leader Florida must lose two games for the Cats to ascend to the top spot, and the Gators have two tough road games remaining at Arkansas and LSU, neither of which will be an easy task.

If all that madness happens, and Louisville fans should be praying that it does, the SEC East Champion Wildcats, with a Top-25 rating, will be coming to Louisville to close out the season on Nov. 26. The table will be set for Louisville to get their signature win and catapult into the school’s first College Football Playoff appearance.

And what better ending for Kentucky fans, with so much at stake, for the Cats to come in and snatch out the hearts of the Cardinals, the very team that has kept Kentucky from getting that bowl-eligible sixth win the last two seasons.

That would, of course, be a monumental turnaround for Coach Stoops and this Kentucky program. You never know, it’s been a crazy year. May the madness ensue.

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