Now the REAL season starts for UK football….

Like it has been said too many times, UK football is right where we thought it would after four games in the season: at 2-2. You can say what you want to about the production at the QB position, the injury situation, or the UK coaching philosophies. Let’s close the books on the first four games and see what the Cats are facing in their quest for a 4th straight bowl game.

OCTOBER 10 – @ #25 SOUTH CAROLINA (4-1) (1-1) At first glance, South Carolina is a good bit better that we thought they may be, losing by only 4 at Georgia and upsetting then #4 ranked Ole Miss. South Carolina brings a nasty defense (and a ferocious pass rush) into the game but the offense has been inconsistent. South Carolina is saddled with their own injury and suspension issues and if UK can point some points up early, this could be a game. While a loss would not destroy UK’s season, it makes the next game almost an must win if UK wants to go bowling outside of the state of Tennessee.

OCTOBER 17 – @ #17 AUBURN TIGERS (5-0) (2-0) Don’t let the record and ranking scare you. As of now, this is still a (paper) Tiger, having feasted on a schedule of Louisiana Tech, Mississippi State, West Virginia, Ball State, and Tennessee. The Tigers have been road tested just once, at Tennessee and won that game 26-22. The Tigers average over 500 yards a game on offense, but also gave up 30 points to horrid Ball State. Gene Chizik avoided a nightmare start at Auburn, but ultimately, this can be a winnable game for UK.

OCTOBER 24 – LOUISIANA – MONROE (3-2) After a tenacious four game stretch, UK gets the Warhawks from the Sun Belt conference as a visitor. ULM has been drilled 59-20 at #2 Texas and 38-14 @ Arizona State. ULM owns wins over Texas Southern, and the lower tier Florida schools (Atlantic and International). This is a good game for UK to regroup and get ready for the stretch run.

OCTOBER 31 – MISSISSIPPI STATE (2-3) (1-2) Once though a sure win for UK, the Bulldogs have played some pretty good football thus far drilling Vandy 15-3 and coming within inches of possibly upsetting LSU. UK catches Mississippi State right after Florida, which could be a good thing. Mississippi State has a good ground game, but is anemic through the air and has a porous defense. This game is still a winnable game for UK but is not one that can be taken lightly.

NOVEMBER 7 – EASTERN KENTUCKY (3-1) The OVC leading Colonels come into Commonwealth for their semi-regular beatdown. The Colonels don’t seem as bad as in past years as they barely lost to Indiana 19-13, but this game should complete a 3 game home winning streak. Even if UK loses to both South Carolina and Auburn, they could still be 5-4 at this point. If they could steal one of those road games, the Cats could be bowl eligible at 6-3.

NOVEMBER 14 -@ VANDERBILT (2-3) (0-3) The Commodores face UK after a horrendous stretch of games (Georgia, South Carolina, Georgia Tech, and Florida) that could have the Commodores at 2-7 and devoid of any chance at a bowl. You would think that if that is the case, the Cats could get a fightless Vandy team. The Commodores have a very tough defense, but a toothless offense that is averaging 9.0 a game if you take out the 45 points they scored against Western Carolina. Despite the horrid offense, the Commodore D played well against LSU (23-9) and Ole Miss (23-7).

NOVEMBER 21 – @ GEORGIA (3-2) (2-1) It’s odd to see Georgia without a number #1-10 preceding it, but the Bulldogs are still a very good team. Georgia just lost a heartbreaking loss at Death Valley last week and the Bulldogs have only lost to teams ranked in the top 10 this season. Granted, UK faces a very tough game between the hedges and this is the only sure loss I have for UK on the remainder of the schedule.

NOVEMBER 28 – TENNESSEE (2-3) (0-2) Yet another season comes down to the Tennessee game and breaking this godawful streak. At this point, I have UK 6-5 on the season (7-4 if we can steal a win at South Carolina or Auburn). Am I happy with a possible 7-5 season? No. But any season that ends with UK bowling is a success. And any season that ends with a win over the Vols is a HUGE success. Despite playing Florida
tough, Tennessee has only wins over Western Kentucky and Ohio to count as wins in the Kiffin era. Tennessee’s offense has looked atrocious and I am calling for an end to the streak with the game at Commonwealth. UK will finish with a 7-5 season with an outside shot at 8-4.

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