Monday Quickies: Earning Respect Edition

Good morning Ladies and Gents. We all woke up to the Kentucky Wildcats being ranked 17th in the AP and Coaches Poll. We also learned that they opened up as a one and a half point favorite over the visiting South Carolina Gamecocks.

The win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs certainly opened some eyes for those that cover college football. It feels like a long time coming that the Cats take their place in the conversation in college football as a team to be reckoned with instead of a punchline.

Now the question is how will Kentucky handle the success. The disrespect isn’t there. They’ve been praised all weekend long. Part of being successful is being able to sustain that success.

It does seem like this team has the right attitude and that they will not take anything for granted. Preparation this week is going to be crucial.

Tweets of the Day

Quickies

New Year's Day Bowl projection for Cats? | Lexington Herald Leader- It wasn’t that long ago that many of the experts had the Cats missing out on a bowl altogether. But with the win over the Bulldogs the Cats have the opportunity to do something the program hasn’t done in my lifetime.

Cats enter top 25, end decade long drought | Courier-Journal- The last time the Cats were in the top 25, Rich Brooks was the coach and Andre Woodson was the QB. There have been times in the Stoops Era in which they have been on the edge of a ranking. Now it feels like the sky is the limit.

Brandin Echols commits to Kentucky | Cats Pause- The JUCO cornerback made it official the day after the Cats took care of Mississippi State. With the veterans in the secondary looking to exit UK at the end of the season, this was a big position of need.

One thing we learned about Kentucky | Saturdays Down South- This ain’t your Daddy’s Cats is right. Kentucky has a different attitude. They don’t know that they aren’t supposed to be winning SEC games in dominant fashion.

What we learned about South Carolina vs. Vanderbilt | Garnett and Black Attack- The Gamecocks picked themselves up off of the mat after getting trounced by Georgia. They destroyed Vandy in Nashville and they’re looking for revenge against Kentucky.

Volleyball opens SEC play with a win | UK Athletics- The #20 volleyball team went on the road and beat Tennessee 3-1 in Knoxville. That’s the way to do it, ladies!

Rick Pitino is still crying over mess he made | Courier-Journal- The Rick Pitino Pity Tour is still rolling on strong.

Tiger Woods is back | ESPN- Tiger Woods is back on the winning side of things as he went into the Tour Championship with the lead on Sunday and left the winner. He’s been propelled to #2 in the world and all of the doubters are scrambling.

49ers fear torn ACL for QB | CBS- The promise of Jimmy Garoppolo may be on hold as the quarterback suffered an injury over the weeknd. The 49ers fear a torn ACL which would put him out for the rest of the season.