The team will likely need as many “easy” games as possible through the rigors of the SEC games. I wouldn’t mind if Brookips mingle these games more into the middle of the season in the years to come. A non-con game every third game might help with recovering after SEC battles and take away some of the trap game feeling of the non-cons.

(Thanks Ken Tru for starting to get us in the football mode, I feel positive about this season – if we can function at quarterback)

… if failing to go 4-0 NC means that our bowl hopes will be extinguished, it just indicates that we are nothing more than a paper tiger and making no progress at all toward becoming even a middle of the road team in the SEC.

I reject such talk, but to be honest, that doesn’t make it incorrect. If we can’t win 3 or more games in the SEC this year, I would argue that this season will be a huge disappointment regardless of what happens in the non-conference section of the schedule.

… and we are close enough to others (UT and USC) to possibly pull upsets there.

I will be bitterly disappointed if UK doesn’t win at least 3 SEC games this year. I will be unhappy if they win less than four. Enough of this 2-win crap in conference. If we are no better than that, the argument that we don’t deserve a bowl game is hard to refute. Cobbling together six wins out of an FCS team, 2 weak and one mediocre NC FBS teams, and two SEC wins as a path to a bowl is a fair strategy when we were rebuilding, but it’s time now that we show some real progress to being competitive in the SEC. UT and Auburn will be weaker than normal — one of those two games needs to be a victory.

We need to beat Vanderbilt and Mississippi State and find a way to break UT’s streak, and pull an upset elsewhere.

Will I take another 5+ Bowl game? Yeah, but not gladly.

… real good point. UK is a trap game for Georgia this year, and we need to stick it to the Red and Black. But beating them between the hedges is a very, very tough task for this young team, and we will likely be beaten up ourselves.

If the Q-back situation developes early enough,I think Tru is going to be fairly happy. If not, a lot of people are going to be looking for rocks to throw. I believe we are on the cusp of mediocrity and are headed toward several good years. The improvement in our depth and speed has made us so much more competitive. I am ready for an 8 win season. Will take 7 though.

… I called for this “toughening up” merely by replacing an FCS team with an FBS team. That FBS team doesn’t have to be Ohio State or the left-coast USC, for heaven’s sake. We could schedule another mid-major like Bowling Green or even Western Kentucky. So I don’t get your complaint there. UK shouldn’t be playing FCS teams, in my opinion. Tennessee has never fallen into this silly trap, and I think we should be the next school to refuse to do it.

We don’t really have any “locks” on this schedule past perhaps EKU and Miami. Louisiana-Monroe could upset us if their QB works out, and Louisville is certainly good enough to beat us, even if we are a significantly stronger team on paper. We aren’t a lock to beat anyone in the SEC, not even Vanderbilt. It is possible UK could win only 3 games this season if everything breaks against us.

I would not advocate dropping the non-BCS teams. There are two reasons for this — UK is not, and probably never will be absent a shocking change in the composition of the SEC, in a position to challenge for the national title or even the SEC title. We need to keep scheduling mid-majors for most of our NC games to ensure a decent shot at a bowl, at least until we prove that we can consistently win more than 2 games in the SEC. We could perhaps replace one with a BCS school, but going “all BCS” is asking too much of this program in in my opinion. We are never going to be Florida, or Georgia, or Alabama, or even Auburn. That is reality.

On the other hand, scheduling FCS opponents makes us look bad. It makes the whole SEC look bad, and I expect most SEC schools to stop doing it as soon as next year. We just need to face that reality.

… I failed to notice TT on Georgia’s schedule this year. Good point.

I do expect pressure from the league’s head office to force most FCS teams out of the SEC schedules in the next couple of years, though.

are right about having the upper hand on those teams. I am afraid though that our biggest weakness this year is what we are giving credit for being improved, and that’s our QB. Hartline is a great kid, and he is smart, so I hope those two things overcome the natural abilities he lacks.

If UK ever becomes a true middle of the road SEC team, I would consider it a major success.

Seriously, if you don’t think that UK beating U of L matters to Kragthorpe’s career, especially now, I’m going to be forced to accuse you of being clue-challenged in a major way.

Rivalry games matter, a lot — particularly in football where the meaning of single games is greatly exacerbated due to the relative paucity of them. Losing three in a row to any rival is going to get you drubbed by the fans and, given Kragthorpe’s failure to meet fan expectations so far will put tremendous pressure on Jurich to replace him.

And why, may I ask, should I “get over myself?” It’s just an opinion. I’m not bashing the Cardinals, and I actually think that Kragthorpe is a good guy (although I’m not convinced he is a particularly good coach). I just happen to believe that Jurich will be under intense pressure to change if Kragthorpe loses again to UK, and I don’t think he can fend off the peasants with pitchforks if that happens, unless the Cardinals some serious noise in the Big East, which I also consider unlikely.

But I could be wrong, and frankly, don’t care if I am. I detested Bobby Petrino (and still do), but I actually liked Howard Schnellenberger (and still do) as well as John L. Smith when they were here.

from everything I have read this year from both pro and con UL sites, it appears as though the Cards may be lucky to get 3-4 wins this year even with a victory over UK, which most experts agree is no small feat for UL this year. You guys had a real good run for a while, but the momentum seems to have been lost…..I hate to say it but some experts are even picking a major slide for Bball as well. One site even has them outside the Big East title hunt. I know its hard to hear, because we have been hearing it for the past couple of years, but dont discount Kragthorpe being on the hot seat with a third loss to UK…..big time. straitpinkie.com gave Kragthorpe a less then 30% chance of staying if he does not get at least 4 wins and beats UK. I know it is all speculation at this point, but you have to admit it is more than a slight possibility.

Based on your post it looks like we agree.