The House of Blue

Part of me wants UK to schedule the best teams every year. The other part realizes, until we get the athletes stock piled and actually get some 4 star players in here that will actually contribute we won't be able to, realistically.

I love the UL game. Granted it has helped their program more than ours but I love the rivalry. It is without question my favorite game of the year. There is nothing that has brought me more joy in the last few years to see UL crash and burn and for UK to beat them four times in a row (should be five this year). UL is improving and the series will probably start to even out until Cholley leaves.

I think the rest of the nonconference schedule is weak but that's the way 99% of the teams in our conference and the rest of the country do it. We have nothing to gain by adding another powerhouse team to our schedule.

Absolutely. If we remove UL for Virginia or Missou or UNC, etc fine. But, why would any sane person add another BCS school to our schedule when were winning 6-7 games per year? Our football program would regress if we did that. We'd get more beat up than we already do and end up doing even worse in the conference.

Hey, if we had a big east schedule I'd be all for it. No one ever gets on UL for having a cupcake OOCS and they have a cupcake conference. I hate that we play the same people every year and that our OOCS is weak and wish we could play some other teams. But, when you are locked into an 8 game SEC schedule and the SEC is as brutal as it is whatcha gonna do?

That's why I'm glad the SEC is mediocre in B ball so we can go play the UNC's, Dukes, Mich states, etc. Look at UL's OOCS in basketball, its pathetic, because the Big East is too tough to do too much else.

IMO, not if they get beat handily. If they play well, yes. I think they should continue to schedule patsy non-cons to strengthen the bowl opportunity. Let them beat Tennessee and maybe Florida at least once before they start talking about making the schedule harder.

I like the rivalry with UL as well, but like footballcat said, it benefits them more than us. I think we would benefit by playing some of the ACC teams. I'm not promoting we stack the deck, but as some point, you have to take that leap and trust how far your program has come. I wouldn't go to an Oregon or an Ohio State just yet, but maybe one day. ACC exposure would really make UK more familiar to the kids in NC, VA, FL, SC, GA, etc...

How about Boise State? They have stated they would travel anywhere to play a BCS game. Would be great to get them in Commonwealth on a Saturday night in September. Probably national TV the way the talking heads build them up,

With one minor exception, though. Florida has FSU, but most of those aren't locked in to an annual non-conference rivalry like UK is with UofL. They have greater flexibility IMO.

I don't want to give them impression that I think playing a tougher OOC opponent in addition to UofL is a good idea. I don't. I think fans would have to sacrifice a bit if they wanted to see that happen.

I just saw on ESPN the other day a topic that said, "Boise State Overrated?" They are more established than before, but I'm not sure how much respect they have just yet.

Jeff, how would the fans have to sacrifice to get a better opponent?

I'd dump UaVel in a heartbeat. Leave Turtleneck and Cholly stewing in their own juices trying to find someone to help fill up the Pizza Pit. I'd rather have a home & home against someone like UCF, USF, FAU/FIU, Miami in Florida where we seem to be trying to recruit more. An ACC school like Wake, GT or UVA. Maybe even someone like a UCLA somewhere down the road. All of those would be interesting (as well as winnable) matchups.

I agree about USM & IU, although we do seem to be looking at more Indiana kids than we used to. I'd rather we found someone in Jawja or Florida to replace UaVel with.

1. It's stupid to make the schedule more difficult when we have to play an 8 game SEC schedule.

2. I like the UL series but it needs to be moved to the LAST game of the year like the real rivalries are.

3. I wouldn't mind having the UL series be every other year if it meant having a new rivalry to replace it on the odd year like say Cinci, WVU, GT, UNC, NCState, duke, UCF, Houston, TT, Purdue, Missouri, The caveat there is that when we have UL at home then we would play that team on the road and vice versa.

4. Need to petition the SEC and get a schedule change in the SEC. It's stupid to always play TN the last game of the year and UF early in the year. Why the crap can't UF ever come to UK late in the year when it's freezing?

5. ALL of our OOC games should be based on two prinicples, #1 potential W and #2 recruiting area

This is a tough issue because over the last 5 years, UK has played the weakest composite schedule, per Sagarin Strength of Schedule measures, of all the SEC teams. Vandy's schedule is tougher. So is Ole Miss's, indeed all of the other SEC teams have played stronger schedules.

The overall weakness of UK's non-conference schedule is further magnified by the typically very tough SEC East schedule each year.

This is a major factor in my continuing concern about how far this football program has really come in recent years.

As for the Louisville game, I have opposed it philosophically since the inception of the annual basketball game in the 1980s, and since the addition of the football game. The game does not benefit UK Football or Basketball, and both UK programs could replace the Louisville game with an opponent that would be more significant and provide the programs better exposure for recruiting and national attention. I opposed this game in the 1980s. I have opposed it ever since. I oppose it today. I will oppose it tomorrow and forever long as it persists.