Another week is over, and another #1 ranked team goes down. 2 weeks ago, South Carolina shocked the College Football by ending Alabama's 19 game win streak, as well as their multiple weeks at #1.
Then last week, the first BCS rankings of the year were released, and surprisingly, the Oklahoma Sooners took over the top spot, shocking just about everyone. Then came ESPN's Game Day at Missouri, and just as swiftly as the Sooners were crowned #1, the Tigers brought them back to earth.
That left the door open for Oregon, right? Nope. How 'bout Boise State? Nada. The Horned Frogs? Uh Uh. The Auburn Tigers leaped-frog everyone to become the newest team at the top of the BCS Standings.
As a part time writer for this Blog site, unfortunately, I am not eligible to vote. If I were, my top 5 would look like this:
1) Oregon
2) Boise State
3) Auburn
4) TCU
5) Michigan State
Why Oregon at #1, you ask? While their strength of schedule isn't on par with Auburn's at this point, who else has been as dominate as the Ducks? They aren't just beating teams, they are smushing them. And this is all with a QB who spent last year on the bench behind Jeremiah Masoli.
As for #2, I still think Boise deserves to be up there. They have beaten every team put in front of them for 2+ years, and that's the whole point of this isn't it? I also think they get the nod over Auburn because the Tigers almost blew a big lead against UK.
Speaking of UK, they were primed and ready to ride that wave of momentum after defeating So. Carolina last week. A down Georgia team was coming to Commonwealth Stadium on Homecoming Day, and Randall "Whiner" Cobb had retracted his tweets about UK fans, so the stars were aligned for another big SEC victory. Right?
WRONG. Somebody forgot to tell Mark Richt that he was on the hot seat, or that Washaun Ealey was only a 5'11" 215-pound Sophomore, or that Randall freakin' Cobb was on the other team. 4 Turnovers later, Georgia stormed out of Lexington with a 44-31 victory, sending the Mildcats to 4-4 on the season, but only 1-4 in the SEC.
(Interesting how UK fans were so excited about beating South Carolina that they neglect the fact that the Gamecocks turned the ball over 4 times. Then against Georgia, the Cats give the ball away 4 times and point to this as the only reason for losing. Double standard anyone?)
Up next for UK is the Bulldogs of Mississippi State, on the road. So, by about midnight on Halloween Eve while Boogiewoogie, Monster Mash and Ryan Shooter are dressed in costumes, UK will be under .500 on the season, and a putrid 1-5 in the SEC. Make sure there's enough beer to go around amigos.
Fear not Cat fans, basketball season is right around the corner. #Where'sEnes #Where'sEnes #Where'sEnes #Where'sEnes
As for U of L, they welcomed the UConn Huskies to town with revenge on the mind. Under Kragthorpe, the Cards went 0-3 against the Huskies, and that includes the infamous "Fake Fair Catch" play pulled off perfectly by Larry Taylor in 2007. Additionally, UConn was mentioned by some as the pre-season favorite to win the Big East. Lastly, UConn had the #3 ranked rusher in Jordan Todman, who was averaging over 150 yards per game.
Well, someone forgot to tell Charlie Strong and the Cardinals "D". Not only did the Cards hold Todman to under 100 yards rushing, they pitched their second shutout of the season, and second in the last 3 weeks. Say what you want UK fans, but 2 shutouts in one season is reason to celebrate no matter who you play. And it's not like Memphis and UConn are Jacksonville State, or Charleston Southern either. If it's sooooo easy to do Mildcats, put your money where your mouth is and do it against the mighty Buccaneers of Charleston Southern (2-5 ovr; 0-3 Big South).
Another big reason to celebrate a second shutout: 4-8 last year. While Charlie Strong has brought in a few guys who are making impacts this year, the majority of contributors were there under the Kragthorpe regime. Adam Froman is controlling the offense, Doug Beaumont is finally reaching the End Zone, and Johnny Patrick has as many INT's this year as he's had in his whole Cardinal career.
In addition to the guys mentioned above, by far the biggest transformation of the Charlie Strong era is with Bilal Powell. Powell topped the 1,000 yard mark on the season on Saturday, and with the D keeping Todman in check, Bilal has now moved into #3 ranked rusher in the NATION. Saturday also marked the 5th time out of 7 games this season that Powell has been over 100 yards rushing, topping 200 yards twice.
The best part about Powell? He's confident, quiet, and deflects praise to his teammates. He doesn't lash out at the fans, refs, O-Line, coaches, or anyone else. He keeps his mouth shut and puts his hard hat on and goes to work every day.
The only negatives from Saturday's victory over UConn? Drive-killing penalties and lack of execution in the Red Zone. While it was nice to see Philpott bounce back from the Cincy game and hit 4 of 4 FG's, the Cards can't expect to beat Pitt, WVU, or South Florida without scoring TD's there. As far as penalties, U of L corrected those mistakes by going penalty-free in the 2nd Half.
With Powell's rushing, the Defense getting stronger, and Froman continuing to mature as a passer, I'm very optimistic for the Cardinal future, this season and beyond. Up next for the Cards is a road trip to Heinz Field to take on current Big East leader Pitt Panthers. At this point, the Cards control their Bowl Destiny, and anything can happen once those pads are on.
GO CARDS and BEAT PITT!!!
#WheresEnes is still waiting on the NCAA while #INELSallie, #INELColeman and #INELDieng are all practicing on passing classes. And yes, I know Dieng's situation is pretty lame, but he is still Inel.
ReplyDeleteJust another typical elitist Card fan deflecting his teams flaws to UK.
Iunderstand you'd like to compare opponents. "And it's not like Memphis and UConn are Jacksonville State, or Charleston Southern either." But would you like to tell me who won head to head for the last 4 years? Thanks for playing pal. As far as excuses go... my favorite of yours so far -- "We had Coach Kragthorpe." -- Classic line. Congrats you beat UConn, would you and the rest of the Cardinal football team care to come over to my house to watch UK actually play in a bowl game?
ReplyDeleteAnd as far as your Jacksonville State comment. They are currently ranked higher than the almighty Cardinals in the Sagrin Rankings. God, you almost make this tooooooo easy.
ReplyDeleteUofL national champs, Powell Heisman, Big East conference of the decade and Charlie Strong Coach of the Century next season. Book it.
ReplyDeleteOne last thing: I also think it is funny that you are judging Auburn's #1 ranking because they barely beat UK. By that logic you would also assume that Louisville is one of the worst teams in the country due to the fact that they were beaten by UK in their own home.
ReplyDeleteAnother example of an elitist UofL fan making ridiculous statements based on his hatred of Kentucky.
Wow, go figure: the Tag Team of Ryan Shooter and Boogiewoogie are all over my post, commenting only about UK basketball and U of L football. No comment on that big fat egg that your Cats laid on Saturday? How about that downright scary performance that will follow in Starkville on Saturday? When UK loses, what will Cobb complain about then?
ReplyDeleteTo the Shooter: Yes, UK has won head to head the last 4 years. They are a better team this year, were last year, as the year before that. I can admit that much. I will NOT give you 2007, as a botched defensive play gave UK the miracle victory that night. Anyone who says differently is obviously a UK homer.
To Boogiewoogie: I never claimed that U of L would win the National Championship with Charlie Strong, nor would Powell win the Heisman, but you keep mentioning it. Unless you are a blue-tinted UK homer, you can clearly see that Strong has made a HUGE difference in the Cardinals this year. Get a couple of his recruiting classes in here, and I think the sky's the limit. Can you say the same for the Joker?
And lastly, the NCAA finally made the right decision and declared Dieng eligible. The kid could have literally run circles around UK's team last year in the Scholastic Department, so it's about time he was cleared. I mean, it's not like he was a freakin' paid Professional who's trying to skirt the system.
Good luck this weekend Pussy Cats, you're going to need!
Oh, and as a follow up. UK football was said to have turned the corner, had a smooth transition from Brooks and Phillips, and the schedule was laid out for a successful season.
ReplyDeleteAfter 8 games, do you consider 1-4 in the conference as a success?
What are the reasons they aren't getting it done against the likes of Ole Miss, Georgia, and a down Florida? Can they get off the schneid and FINALLY beat UT this year?
Where to start?
ReplyDeleteA). I wrote an entire post on UK's loss on Saturday including a joke post in which I made fun of the DUI's as well as the Cards.
B). I have made many current statements about how I like Charlie Strong and I think the football team is doing much better than expected. I said as much when I picked them to win the game in my Friday post.
C). Why did you even bring up last year's UK basketball team? Patrick Patterson graduated in three years, John Wall had a 3.4 GPA and three other players graduated including Ramon Harris, Mark Krebs and Perry Stevenson. Orton's dumb move of dropping out, which I and every UK fan was critical of, was the main reason for the GPA being what it was.
And I guess you also failed to realize (or just ignore as most UofL fans do when it comes to facts) that our current point guard carried a 4.3 GPA in high school, is an expert on Shakespeare and could graduate from college in 2 years because of all of the college credit courses he took in high school.
And I guess you are telling me that Samardo Samuels, Edgar Sosa, Terrence Jennings and Jerry Smith were academic giants?
And can you show me the investigation or the allegations of last year's UK players being paid at any juncture of the season? Didn't think so, because there aren't any.
D). As for the football team, yes I am disappointed and yes I think the next step still has not been reached. But Joker Phillips is a first year coach in the SEC, not in the Big East. I am not making any excuses because UK has been in every game they played this year besides the Florida game and had a chance to win against Auburn, Ole Miss and Georgia.
As for Cobb whining: UofL football fans have been whining about him ever since he has stepped on the field. The Cards still can't figure out how to stop him. 3-0 as a Cat against the Cards.
As for the comment about 2007: are you serious? Was every UK touchdown before that a breakdown in the defense too, or maybe UofL just flat got beat? I guess that was Kragthorpe's fault.