Kentucky Football on the Cover of EA SPORTS NCAA Football 2014?

Dec 2, 2012; Lexington , KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops spoke with reporters with Athletic director Mitch Barnhart (left) and University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto (right) at the Nutter Field House. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Over the past few days, EA Sports has advertised a “Cover Vote” for the school with the most votes to be featured on NCAA Football 2014. While most Kentucky fans would be quick to say “Well, its football. Count us out,” I say never doubt the power of the Big Blue Nation. As I write this article, Kentucky currently leads the Facebook Cover Vote over Nebraska by 700 votes and has double the amount of votes as Alabama! Of course, this is not the first online poll that Kentucky has overtaken. However, this is probably the first football related poll that I have ever seen Big Blue Nation swarm upon. While the rabid Kentucky fan base is certainly the most responsible for this support for UK football, we must give a nod to Mitch Barnhart, Coach Stoops, and the incoming football staff for bringing a rebirth into the Kentucky football fan base.

I cannot begin to explain how large of a recruiting tool winning the cover vote would be for Coach Stoops and his staff. The overwhelming majority of football recruits either purchase or play NCAA Football year in and year out. Nothing says Kentucky football is becoming nationally relevant like seeing a UK logo, jersey, and player on the front of one of the best selling sports video games ever. I am sure Coach Stoops would love to call recruits and have a perfect example of how much support Kentucky fans will offer for this football team.

This could be the first big step in Kentucky announcing itself as more than just a basketball school. We have yelled for years at Barnhart to make a significant investment in the football program, and now it is time for the fans to do their part to ensure success for UK Football. Aside from buying season tickets for next year (students, alums, and fans please do so), we need to be very vocal on the Internet, especially social media.

So here is how to help put Kentucky on the cover of NCAA Football 2014:

Use this link from Facebook to reach the NCAA Football voting page

You must “Like” the page and then vote for Kentucky in the poll. The voting ends on 12/31.

DO NOT STOP THERE! On Twitter, use the hashtag #NCAACoverVote and tweet your Kentucky pride. Tweets, Instagram photos with the hashtag, and submissions to NCAA Football’s website will also be considered in the vote total.

The current voting until 12/31 is the preliminary voting to qualify for the second round with only 32 teams. EA Sports does not specify if the votes will carry over, but there is no reason to not continue voting. We will certainly keep updating the status of the cover vote and how to ensure Kentucky wins the second round.

So who would you like to see grace the cover for Kentucky? I personally would not mind seeing Mr. All-American Larry Warford on the cover. Leave your choice in the comment section.