Best way to know you're a bottom-feeder program? When you start talking about "almosts" as signs of improvements...

 

:thumb: Maybe middle of the pack but certainly no more.

Its not the overall record. Its losing games you should win.

 

There was ONE good win this year (SC). And Ole Miss was a bad loss.

 

They shouldn't have lost all 3 games against Ole Miss, UGA, and UT this year. Not a great year. Now if this is the down year in an overall growing trend, its not a big deal, but if the growth stops, its trouble.

I believe this will be the 5th bowl in a row for the Cats.

The status quo is infinitely better than the way UK was in the early part of the 2000s and for much of the 90s.

I agree with Clyde 100%! Maybe even 10 years ago making it to a bowl game 4 years in a row actually meant something! I can see making it to a lower tier bowl for the first time in a while being a big deal! But not 4 years in a row with no improvement in your record! When you have a couple of low mid-majors or DII on your schedule you are supposed to beat them anyway, their is no improvement on the record, ever!

 

Making a bowl every year at 6-6, or 7-6 isn't cutting it, where is the improvement? It doesn't mean as much these days when 50% of teams are making it to bowls, as I said 10 years ago and beyond it may be a big deal, but the only reason they make the bowls now is there are so many of them!

 

I can't believe someone mentioned about we almost beat someone.

I agree with Clyde 100%! Maybe even 10 years ago making it to a bowl game 4 years in a row actually meant something! I can see making it to a lower tier bowl for the first time in a while being a big deal! But not 4 years in a row with no improvement in your record! When you have a couple of low mid-majors or DII on your schedule you are supposed to beat them anyway, their is no improvement on the record, ever!

 

Making a bowl every year at 6-6, or 7-6 isn't cutting it, where is the improvement? It doesn't mean as much these days when 50% of teams are making it to bowls, as I said 10 years ago and beyond it may be a big deal, but the only reason they make the bowls now is there are so many of them!

 

I can't believe someone mentioned about we almost beat someone.

 

Agree-two wins in the conference, and I don't care who they were against, is nothing worth celebrating.

Utterly amazing. I start a thread suggesting UK play up and most of the thread is satisfied with going 7-5 and 6-6 and just reaching a bowl.

 

I read this thread and 7-5 and 6-6 aren't good enough anymore.

 

Which is it?

If you can't be .500 in your conference than you have no business going to a bowl. UK is a lower tier SEC team and it is not ever going to change. They are who they are..

Regarding the "almost" wins... I understand that we should not be satisfied with them. But how can you not see them as better then being blown out like we have in the past? At least we are competitive now. I know that's not anything to celebrate, but it is taking a step further. You have to be able to play with teams before you can make the jump to beating them consistently. I think the close wins are good for the program, not as a moral victory... But because they mean we are one step closer. The key is to not stay stagnant at being competitive. I am not happy with a 6-6 season, and I never will be. But, I recognize the fact that some of the losses were games we very easily could have (and probably should have) won. This was definitely not the case in the not-so-distant past. Now it's time to continue improving, and those close losses will become close wins. Then we're sitting at 8-4 or 9-3. We've taken great strides. Now it's time to take the one that really matters.

Regarding the "almost" wins... I understand that we should not be satisfied with them. But how can you not see them as better then being blown out like we have in the past? At least we are competitive now. I know that's not anything to celebrate, but it is taking a step further. You have to be able to play with teams before you can make the jump to beating them consistently. I think the close wins are good for the program, not as a moral victory... But because they mean we are one step closer. The key is to not stay stagnant at being competitive. I am not happy with a 6-6 season, and I never will be. But, I recognize the fact that some of the losses were games we very easily could have (and probably should have) won. This was definitely not the case in the not-so-distant past. Now it's time to continue improving, and those close losses will become close wins. Then we're sitting at 8-4 or 9-3. We've taken great strides. Now it's time to take the one that really matters.

 

Did they not get blown out by a bad Florida team?

Did they not get blown out by a bad Florida team?

 

But they absolutely should have beaten Ole Miss and had Auburn on the ropes too. So I see the point BleedBlue is making.

If you look at the big football schools in all the conferences they all have 3 crap teams as you call them on their schedules.

 

4 if you count UK.

Just to be clear, there's no middle ground here, right? You're either satisfied with mediocrity or fed up with mediocrity?

 

There's no way a person could possibly want to see UK break through, yet at the same time not be ready to fire the coach because they go 6-6 and make a bowl.

 

 

7-5

8-5

6-6

7-6

7-6

9-3

 

Should the coach of that team have been on the hot seat coming into this season?

Utterly amazing. I start a thread suggesting UK play up and most of the thread is satisfied with going 7-5 and 6-6 and just reaching a bowl.

 

I read this thread and 7-5 and 6-6 aren't good enough anymore.

 

Which is it?

 

Play up OOC. Develop natural rivalries against the likes of Indiana, Illinois, Marshall, any number of possibilities. Prepare yourself - just a bit - for the rigors of the SEC schedule.

 

To be satisfied at 6-6 against this year's schedule (we made it to another bowl) when there are so many bowls that there almost aren't enough .500 teams to fill them - is living in a fool's paradise.

Kentucky's six wins this year were against Louisville, Western, Akron, South Carolina, Charleston Southern, and Vandy.

 

Out of those six, South Carolina is the only quality win. You could argue Louisville with what Strong has done to finish the season, but when this game was played, Kentucky should have won.

 

 

Lost games to Ole Miss, Miss St. Georgia, and Tennessee that should have easily been won. Not going to say they should have beat Auburn, even though they had a chance too.

 

 

 

 

Kentucky is a better team this year than what their W-L record shows. The way they started so many games getting down early ultimately sealed their fate in most of those shoulda been wins. But, should have been and could have been doesn't count and ultimately leads to Kentucky being the same mediocre team they have been. Don't get me wrong, by making a 5th straight bowl game, Kentucky fans are fortunate to see a team in football that can actually compete and make it to bowls. However, there comes a time when you have to improve upon your last improvement. This season could have easily been 9-3 or even 10-2 and representing the east in the SEC championship. Now who would have ever thought that? Instead, its an even worst bowl than the previous four (more than likely) and not really much of a hope for next year aside from another 6-6, 7-5 season before a bowl. I feel Kentucky fans have every right to want more out of their team, especially when they know they are capable of producing much better results than what they did this year.