If Operation Win means beating up on the MAC and Sun Belt, Kentucky is headed for a mission win.

 

If Operation Win means challenging for an SEC East title and high level bowl, then Kentucky hasn't even seen the middle of the battlefield.

 

Western Kentucky and Akron in no way gets Kentucky ready for Florida, Auburn, and South Carolina in the coming weeks.

 

If you want to keep reaching seven wins and making trips to Nashville and Memphis, then UK needs to keep seeking out MAC schools and D-II opponents.

 

If UK is indeed ready to challenge the SEC East and perhaps make it to bowls in Atlanta and Florida, or better, then its time to schedule up.

 

There is no reason UK can't follow up Louisville with a home and home with Missouri, West Virginia, Texas A&M, Clemson, or a Virginia Tech. All schools from a BCS conference.

 

In the four-year stretch that has seen UK win three of four bowls, their non-SEC opponents outside of Louisville have been Eastern Kentucky (twice), LA-Monroe (twice), Miami (Ohio), Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee, Norfolk State, Florida Atlantic, Kent State, Central Michigan, and Texas State.

 

Not a single BCS conference team in the bunch.

 

Outside of Louisville, the last non-SEC BCS opponent on the UK schedule (excluding bowl games) was Indiana in 2005.

 

Keep in mind that Kentucky borders the Mississippi Ricver on the west. The last time Kentucky played a non-conference opponent west of the Mississippi River was Jerry Claibourne's first game as UK head coach in 1982 -- a loss at Kansas State. Before that, they played Oklahoma in Norman in 1980.

 

Vanderbilt opened with Big 10 school Northwestern. Two weeks later, they won at Ole Miss in a game no one outside of Nashville gave them a chance to win.

 

Auburn has South Carolina next week. They beat ACC Clemson in OT tonight.

 

Tennessee got waxed by Pac 10 Oregon last week but responded well in the first half vs. Florida today.

 

I just think playing solid teams before the conference openers does nothing but help your team. Getting fat off the MAC translates into 65-2 losses at Florida.

 

If Kentucky fans are content with 7-5 and trips to Nashville, then the schedule is suitable. No complaints. This isn't mean for you.

 

If you think Kentucky is ready to be a player in the SEC, then this schedule isn't cutting it. Lose the phone numbers to the MAC schools and find at least one BCS school to play early every year.

I'm content with 7-5 seasons and Music City Bowl appearances. Keep in mind, not too long ago UK couldn't even smell a bowl game, and now we've gone to four straight. What you say is correct in theory, but right now UK doesn't have the personnel to win enough games to become bowl-eligible without scheduling teams like Akron and WKU. Maybe if UK continues having winning seasons and making/winning bowl games they will improve in their recruiting to the point of being able to do this, but I don't think the program is in a position to do this now.

Edited September 19, 201015 yr by jbwill2

The schedule is fine.

]I'm content with 7-5 seasons and Music City Bowl appearances.[/b] Keep in mind' date=' not too long ago UK couldn't even smell a bowl game, and now we've gone to four straight. What you say is correct in theory, but right now UK doesn't have the personnel to win enough games to become bowl-eligible without scheduling teams like Akron and WKU. Maybe if UK continues having winning seasons and making/winning bowl games they will improve in their recruiting to the point of being able to do this, but I don't think the program is in a position to do this now.[/quote']

 

UK is too and that's where they will keep going.

UK is too and that's where they will keep going.

So, I guess you think they should drop the WKU's and Akron's and replace them with the Oregon's and Nebraska's? If UK does this with the kind of players they are able to get right now, it will take some real "fuzzy math" in order for UK's schedule to add up to six winnable games in a season. I would rather have 7-5 seasons and mid-level bowl appearances than 4 or 5-win seasons and no bowl eligibility.

 

I think it's unfair and unreasonable for UK fans to expect the Wildcats to become national football powers. Their conference is just too difficult, the state of Kentucky produces too few quality college-level football players and the institution's focus is too heavily invested in the basketball program for the football program to be able to make the kind of jump from where they are to where a top-tier program is.

 

Remember, not even Bear Bryant was able to make UK a CONSISTENT national contender. He saw the writing on the wall and got out...

I wouldn't touch I mean as bad as Ole Miss is this year here is what I have to look forward too in terms of us getting killed. Boise State next year to go along with @Fresno State. A home and home with Texas in 12-13, then a series with Georgia Tech. I mean it all sounds fun but we are probably staring back to back 4 win seasons in the face with the Fresno road and Boise games next year.

Some BCS schools - like this year, Virginia Tech - add very little luster to the schedule.

 

That said, it's a shame KY fans have such limited aspirations (if 7-5 is OK) Louisville fans thought Howard was just being crazy when he arrived in Louisville all those years ago, but - although Louisville is certainly down right now - they've reached heights over the last decade that UK still aspires to.

 

UK has more than enough resources to compete consistently at a top-tier level. It won't be an overnight thing, and I think they are on the right path now.

 

The current schedule, however, doesn't help the Cats.

Here's another take on the schedule:

 

I'm a fan of both KY and Louisville. The KY-Akron game bored me yesterday, and I didn't bother listening to the vast majority of it. The Louisville game was thrilling, despite the fact Louisville lost. As a fan, you don't get me interested in buying a ticket to see Akron.

The schedule is fine.

 

I agree. It's no different than 90% of the other SEC teams.

This thread is ridiculous. UF plays no one. The rest of the SEC usually plays no one OOC, unless they have an instate rival. UK's schedule is on par with the SEC.

I have no problem with the schedule but f I had to see changes I would play teams like Memphis, Duke, Indiana, or Marshall. Those schools are still pretty much wins and would get the fan base a little more excited than a team like Akron.

I agree. It's no different than 90% of the other SEC teams.

This thread is ridiculous. UF plays no one. The rest of the SEC usually plays no one OOC, unless they have an instate rival. UK's schedule is on par with the SEC.

This year:

 

Alabama plays Penn State and Duke.

 

Auburn plays Clemson.

 

Florida plays South Florida and Florida State.

 

Georgia plays Colorado and Georgia Tech.

 

LSU plays North Carolina and Virginia Tech.

 

South Carolina plays Clemson.

 

Tennessee plays Oregon.

 

Vanderbilt plays Northwestern, Connecticut and Wake Forest.

 

Nearly half the SEC is playing more than one BCS team on its non-conference schedule.

This year:

 

Alabama plays Penn State and Duke.

 

Auburn plays Clemson.

 

Florida plays South Florida and Florida State.

 

Georgia plays Colorado and Georgia Tech.

 

LSU plays North Carolina and Virginia Tech.

 

South Carolina plays Clemson.

 

Tennessee plays Oregon.

 

Vanderbilt plays Northwestern, Connecticut and Wake Forest.

 

Nearly half the SEC is playing more than one BCS team on its non-conference schedule.

 

This year Alabama plays-San Jose St./Geogia St.

Arkansas plays-Tenn. Tech/Louisiana-Monroe/UTEP

Florida plays-Miami(Oh)/Appy St.

Auburn plays-Arkansas St./Louisiana-Monroe/Chattanooga

Georgia plays-Louisiana-Lafayette/Idaho St./

LSU plays-McNeese St./Louisiana-Monroe

Miss. St. plays-Alcorn St./Memphis/UAB

Tenn. plays-Tenn.-Martin/UAB/Memphis

Vandy plays-Uconn/Eastern Mich.

 

Doesn't look much different to me. Mark Story did a article on this very same thing in the Lexington-Herald. It was stated that UK's schedule is actually no different than the rest of the SEC.

This year Alabama plays-San Jose St./Geogia St.

Arkansas plays-Tenn. Tech/Louisiana-Monroe/UTEP

Florida plays-Miami(Oh)/Appy St.

Auburn plays-Arkansas St./Louisiana-Monroe/Chattanooga

Georgia plays-Louisiana-Lafayette/Idaho St./

LSU plays-McNeese St./Louisiana-Monroe

Miss. St. plays-Alcorn St./Memphis/UAB

Tenn. plays-Tenn.-Martin/UAB/Memphis

Vandy plays-Uconn/Eastern Mich.

 

Doesn't look much different to me. Mark Story did a article on this very same thing in the Lexington-Herald. It was stated that UK's schedule is actually no different than the rest of the SEC.

Scribe's point is that Kentucky would do well to challenge itself with another decent BCS opponent ... some of the SEC chooses to do exactly that. No one said that the rest of the league doesn't have any cupcake games on their schedules.

As long as the fans and the University are satisfied with heading to Nashville every year as a season-end reward, the schedule is just fine.

 

If and when it is decided that the bar should be set more than a few inches off the ground, the schedule needs to improve.