UK football and its future cupcake schedule
- Thread starter jalovell23
- Start date
If your team needs three "breather" weeks in a 12-game schedule, then that is an indication that your coach, who will be entering his fourth season at UK in 2016, needs to be replaced.
No one on here said for UK to play UofL, USC, Oklahoma and Michigan in the non-conference. In fact, if you actually read my post, I purposely left those last three teams (plus other elite programs like Ohio State, Notre Dame, Texas, Florida State and Clemson) off of the list of 30 Power5 programs that UK could and should schedule, because they would most likely be too ambitious at this point.
There's no legitimate excuse not to play a home and home every few years against another P5 school like Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, Pittsburgh, Maryland, or one of the ACC schools in Virginia or North Carolina. Two "breather" games is plenty - both in terms of revenue generation and in terms of the program being at a modest level of development.
Go up to to the colleges icon and click on the SEC teams and look at their schedules. Only 2 teams have 2 OOC games against tough opponents, Texas A&M and South Carolina.
So with that record you still think UK should schedule even tougher teams, only Cards would think that ; )!
Scheduling one additional tougher team can better prepare the Cats for the grind. It gives them an OOC look at what they need to work on. By playing a lower tier P5, or even mid-tier P5, it's possible they can escape w/ the win while also identifying areas needed to improve.
Playing the poor only, doesn't help them see what they need to work on.
By scheduling the absolute bottom feeders,especially early in the season, it can be argued that doesn't help the program. Guys are getting away with mistakes.
Nobody is saying erase all the gimmes. And nobody is saying go play Oklahoma opening weekend. There's a medium for a single middling opponent, and UK should be looking into that.
Just don't schedule Western Kentucky.
That's your opinion, but do you likewise think Saban should be under fire for playing MTSU, UL-Monroe, and Charleston Southern this season?
Not that you asked, but the answer there is, obviously no. Because, he's running an established winning program. What he's doing is producing results, so he shouldn't be questioned.
To add to that, they open with Southern Cal in 2016.
They open with FSU in 2017.
They opened w/ WVU in 2014.
They opened with Michigan in 2012.
They played Penn St in 2010 and 2011 as their 2nd game both times.
They opened w/ Clemson in 2008.
So they are taking on some top flight, Top 10 OOC types early. Maybe they should take on one more mid-tier P5, they've given Fresno St and Col. St a few shots over the years. Feels like hair splitting when you look at their openers in the past and future though.
The SEC has been doing this for years. I read that Florida hasn't played a regular season game west of the Mississippi in 25 years. They play no one all year and then brag about how tough the league is.
That's fair. I feel like you either believe the SEC schedule stands on its own merit or you don't. Until/unless the CFP selection committee takes a cue from the hoops committee and goes out and explicitly states that non-conference schedule strength will be an important factor in their selection process, you're not going to see teams lining up top tier competition week in and week out, outside of the conference.
Further, one could argue that Saban should be under MORE pressure, not less, to schedule "real" teams OOC, given how strong his program is. One could argue that his program is strong, in part, because he is strategic with his OOC scheduling.
Saban schedules UL-M, MTSU, and Charleston to make money for his program with cash games, money that is funneled back into the Alabama program.
UK is downgrading its schedule because they can't compete against teams of WKU's caliber most years and they know it.
No doubt, a legit draw. But, they were bound to the two SEC games.
ULL is also legit, and actually sets up for a good preview of what they may see the following weeks.
But, administration is backing off that type of game moving forward, judging by the future OOC listings.
Lets be honest here, you guys don't actually want to see UK schedule another tough OOC to get better.
Being in the SEC doesn't warrant scheduling multiple tough OOC opponents to prove yourself as a team, real or not that's the overwhelming view.
UK is trying to take steps forward, WHILE playing in the toughest conference, and that means making bowls regularly. UK plays UT, UF, USC, UGA, MSU, Mizzou, UofL and another tough team from SEC west every year. With that schedule there is absolutely no need to schedule another P5 team
Being in the SEC doesn't warrant scheduling multiple tough OOC opponents to prove yourself as a team, real or not that's the overwhelming view.
UK is trying to take steps forward, WHILE playing in the toughest conference, and that means making bowls regularly. UK plays UT, UF, USC, UGA, MSU, Mizzou, UofL and another tough team from SEC west every year. With that schedule there is absolutely no need to schedule another P5 team
Bill, UK has been playing football since 1881. The all time Football Record for UK is 588-598-44.
I don't think it matters what any of us "want". History hasn't been kind to UK football. UK football is a doormat program, and that's not my opinion. That is history telling us that is true. It's a losing culture that nobody has been able to change in 133 years and counting.
Yeah I know, this year it's going to be different. Forgive me for being skeptical.
We don't actually care what UK schedule makers do Bill.
For me personally it's not about necessarily seeing UK better, it's just about seeing how they stack up against other P5 teams.
We already know where they are in the SEC.
Which gets to the meat of the matter. UK is boxed in a circular cycle of ineptitude. The tired annual idea of taking "baby steps" completely ignores the concept of the inevitable march forward. It spends its time apologizing instead.
Bill, UK has been playing football since 1881. The all time Football Record for UK is 588-598-44.
I don't think it matters what any of us "want". History hasn't been kind to UK football. UK football is a doormat program, and that's not my opinion. That is history telling us that is true. It's a losing culture that nobody has been able to change in 133 years and counting.
Yeah I know, this year it's going to be different. Forgive me for being skeptical.
How does scheduling another P5 OOC game help?
Part of improving and changing the culture involves winning and recruiting.
If you don't win it hurts recruiting. A vicious cycle.
Another opportunity to pick up a quality win. A chance to boost team confidence legitimately. It's been explained a # of times. Don't need to shoot for a top 10 opponent.
LPT fans genuinely don't know the answer to this question because their school has never done it.
LPT Football: Please tell us...
I don't know man. Word is they're looking really good in fall camp.....against other UK players
I never said UK should. All I said it if history is our guide, then it doesn't much matter who UK schedules. I understand the Cats are supposed to be bigger, stronger, faster, better, deeper, meaner, or whatever other verb you want to use to describe them in August. They always are in the summer months. Best 0-0 team of all time when it doesn't matter.
So Saban is allowed to schedule cupcakes to make money for the program, but Stoops is not? Saban couldn't make money by bringing a P5 team to Tuscaloosa?
I love the scheduling self-righteousness that has cropped up around here of late. All of this concern about the direction of our program and all. Really well intentioned.
Our schedule is fine, and will remain fine unless the SEC stops putting out good football teams. Least of our concerns, really.
That is the entire point of this debate. You guys see an opaque wall - your glass ceiling of advancement. You can't picture winning a National Championship or winning the SEC outright. You already proscribe your own limits and you seem totally content with that.
"Yes but...................."
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Likewise, Louisville fans seem falsely to prop up "scheduling tough OOC games" as a requirement for winning at a high level. SEC teams have won championship after championship playing what would apparently be described on this board as "substandard" OOC schedules.
It's just not the case that Kentucky, or any other SEC school, must play other P5 teams OOC in order to succeed. Some of them do anyway, and good on them, but it's a calculated risk.
What's "false" about that? The SEC got creamed last bowl season by teams who surprised them with their skills and game plans. Experiencing someone outside the fish bowl teaches important lessons.
Are you really suggesting that, on the whole, the SEC has suffered as a result of their collective OOC scheduling? 7 titles in a row wasn't good enough, should have been 9?
Last year's bowl record (a good example of the difference between exception and rule), despite some very visible losses, was still >.500, even while "playing up" in relative strength vs teams from other conferences in many of the games.
Breather weeks? That's the weakest, most chicken sh!t nonsense I've seen. Just own up that your team sucks, you need bunnies for w's, and that you can't wait until basketball season. In fact, just stop talking football. Breather weeks. lol.
Call them what you'd like, every P5 team in America (there may be an exception or two but none come immediately to mind) plays cupcake teams OOC. So I'm not sure what the vitriol is about. We're in reality talking about the difference between playing 2 of said games and playing 3.
Saying (explicitly or otherwise) that Kentucky can either schedule multiple P5 teams out of conference or have no chance at increasing success as a program in the future is a false dichotomy. There are a lot of things Kentucky needs to do better in order to get where we want to be, no doubt about that. Scheduling just isn't one of them.
Maybe......at the least Saban should be embarrassed playing such inferior opponents..
No good reason Bama doesn't play some of the lower rated P5 schools to beef up the OOC schedule somewhat......I know, I know they are SEC and play in the SEC-W, the toughest division in the universe......however, to paraphrase the illustrious Ric Flair: "To be the best you have to beat the best".....as it should be.
Champions or aspiring national champions should never shy away from the best competition possible.....or ------------------fill in the blank! No Fear! Champions beat all comers.
I'd like to see the replies to this by UofL fans. Not even go undefeated, just make a New Years day bowl.
Ahh yes, we are aware of what the SEC has done prior to the playoff. The winner of the SEC defaulted to a title game every year undoubtedly increased the chances of the SEC winning the title.
Now, with a playoff in place, and the likelihood of a playoff expansion, the playing field becomes a bit more evened out.
I will hold off making claims without enough of a sample. All we know is the SEC has won 0% of the titles since the berth of the playoffs.
Now, with a playoff in place, and the likelihood of a playoff expansion, the playing field becomes a bit more evened out.
I will hold off making claims without enough of a sample. All we know is the SEC has won 0% of the titles since the berth of the playoffs.
Bill it's just slightly off topic. Not that I'm unwilling to do that.
But for the record, the topic is about the non-conference schedule, not the schedule as a whole.
I understand, your style is to, shift topics that discuss UK and turn that into a discussion about UofL. The deflection tactic has not gone unnoticed by anyone other than you.
The bottom line is, scheduling easier doesn't figure to help a bottom feeding program improve. Racking up fake juice wins doesn't help when it's time to line up against the true playas. At least, it hasn't shown to be the right way to go for the last 30 yrs or so, or more.
There's no reason to compare UK's schedule to all the "good to great" SEC programs, because UK is not part of that tier. So I don't know why you're doing that. You guys aren't good historically... how the Alabama and LSU's of the world schedule has no correlation to what UK needs to be doing, because they are on another level, and they get those tough wins in the SEC.
Kentucky plays in the EAST, that schedule isn't outrageous. Mississippi St is a good/not great team, we will see for ourselves if Auburn is great or not. Tennessee was 7-6 last year, Florida isn't nowhere near what they were when we defeated the 11-1 gators, Vandy is a poor mans UK. I can't wait until November, thing is by then the UK fans won't be posting here.
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