Mark Stoops, buoyed by Kentucky's 10-3 win at Auburn, is holding onto hope. After the last few seasons that have featured a 10-game SEC home losing streak and a 1-13 record against Power Four teams, the head coach is framing the gritty, ugly win as a potential turning point.
The win mercifully snapped a five-game SEC losing streak just this year, 10 games overall, and came against an equally desperate Auburn team that has since fired its head coach, Hugh Freeze. For Stoops, the longest-tenured coach in the SEC, the victory provides a much-needed, if temporary, reprieve. But should it?
Mark Stoops hopes win will push the Cats forward, but is 5 wins enough for Mitch Barnhart?
Speaking to the media, Stoops emphasized the importance of seeing hard work finally pay off. "You hope for that, right? Absolutely," Stoops said. "Anytime you see that getting paid off, you see the dividends for the hard work, it helps with a win." He continued, "To see the end result here, you hope it does. You hope it catapults you."
The question is, catapult them to where? The remaining schedule is the softest part of Kentucky's season. The Wildcats now face a coach-less Florida team at home, followed by an undefeated-but-FCS Tennessee Tech team. Winning those two games is not just possible; it's expected.
If Kentucky wins those two and finishes 5-7 (2-6 SEC), will that be the "dividends" Mark Stoops is talking about? Will that be enough for Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart to justify bringing his "legacy hire" back for another season, despite fan anguish?
Many fans fear the answer is yes. This win, as ugly as it was, provides Barnhart with the exact talking point he needs: "The team never quit, they fought for their coach, and they built momentum."
The bar for success in Lexington has seemingly dropped so low that a 5-win season, capped off by wins against a G5 team, an FCS team, and two of the worst teams in the SEC (Auburn and Florida), might be spun as a positive. For a fan base desperate for real change, that "hope" Stoops is feeling might be their worst nightmare.
Somebody pinch Mitch Barnhart so he wakes up.
Drew Holbrook is an avid Kentucky fan who has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time he enjoys downtime with his family and Premier League soccer. You can find him on X here. Micah 7:7. #UptheAlbion