A case of the Monday's News and Weekend Review

This weekend was cold, rainy, and windy. As a Kentucky fan, the land of sports didn't make things any better. Coming off a thumping to Florida a week earlier, Kentucky was hanging onto the thought of having high bowl game expectations and possibilities. The first drive of the game looked promising with Derrick Locke gaining 60 yards on the 60 yard drive to a 7-0 lead. But quickly, we learned that the Cats' turnover woes against Florida would not be the last verse of the turnover woe-is-me song. The Wildcats dropped 3 balls on the ground in the first half alone and ultimately lost 42-35.

Gone are those pipe dreams of a BCS bowl. Goodbye Outback Bowl. Sianara Gator. But before a 3-0 start, no one expected an Orange Bowl, no one expected a National Championship, no one expected a Florida vacation in January. However, every fan expected a 3-0 start.

Why the high expectations after an expected start? Well, it is like the pole vault. Once you make it past one level, you have to raise the bar. When you clear that bar, you set it higher. Why would you possibly settle for a 3-0 start when you have the chance at 4-0? Why do you think 3-1 is the best it can get when there's a chance at 11-1?  Why would you want to go to a bowl in Tennessee when you can go to Florida?... so the Kentucky fans raise the bar.

Those people that will jump on the hatred against the Cats are just that, haters. Have your little low bar, don't hold your team to high expectations, get excited when your team barely beats Arkansas State on ESPN 3 and in Arkansas, then throw some jabs at Kentucky for losing to an SEC team. It's all good. Get excited and say things like "we are getting better" because our league is in a down year... but please be sure to point out when your league's "up year" occurs. I'll be sure to retort with the SEC's number of National Championships and BCS Bowl games... and then put yours own display. Raise the bar for your team... and for your league.

Enough being bitter, Auburn is this week and we need the news:

•  Enes Kanter has been told by the NCAA that he must quit practicing until his eligibility has been resolved. This includes the sold out Midnight Madness. The Wildcats can apply for a waiver which would grant Kanter 45 more days to practice, but as of now, he has to go solo.

• Midnight Madness tickets went on sale Saturday and sold out in under one hour. The tent city is quickly becoming a tradition and grew to an estimated 520 campers this year.

• Tickets to Kentucky's matchup against Notre Dame in the SEC-Big East invitational being held in Freedom Hall, went on sale this morning. With a large Kentucky contingent in Louisville, the games Kentucky plays in Louisville are always a great opportunity to expand the brand and showcase the talent to the second largest Kentucky fan population in the state.

• This news is like hearing that an NFL team has the best run defense in the nation, just meaning that their passing defense is horrible so other teams don't bother running it. But looking positively, Ryan Tydlacka was named the National Punter of the Week... ugh, I'm not going to look at this as a slight against the Kentucky offense. I guess this just means that some possessions didn't end in turnovers.

• SportsThat has some awesome news that should come out later this week. Stay tuned for a HUGE announcement.

#FreeEnes