Does UL really deserve a top 25 ranking?
- Thread starter RogerIndy
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They have a good team and should do well with their schedule, they were ranked last year so I guess that helps. Not saying you but too many people get caught up in the rankings early in the season and it’s hard for anyone to know about most teams who play a bunch of scrubs. We’ll find out more about ours earlier than most on Sat but as of now my only concern about UL is at the end of Nov in Commonwealth.
They can do less than any team and be ranked, how, I don't know. It seems like the pollsters want them to be ranked, so they go ahead and rank them regardless of who they play.
Wouldn't it be fun to dash their playoff hopes if they are in consideration for that at the end of the year? Hopefully we have playoff hopes on the line too. Would make that game HUUUUGE!
Short answer, of course not. But their schedule is a damn breeze, AGAIN. But we will beat them AGAIN so they can be ranked whatever they want we are miles ahead of their program.
VA Tech was considered a dark horse to win their conference yet they lost to VANDY 🤣
Our schedule they go 6-6 this year
VA Tech was considered a dark horse to win their conference yet they lost to VANDY 🤣
Our schedule they go 6-6 this year
Games from 5 years ago are irrelevant in relation to this year.
They beat an FCS by 60. They looked good and did what they were supposed to do. They get the benefit of the doubt because they stacked wins last year. That's important to voters.
We beat a low level FBS team 31-0 in about a half. We looked good and did what we were supposed to do. Plus, we beat uofl last year.
I would say we should be ranked even with what's happened in week 1 in voter's eyes.
Unfortunately, next week, they play another poor opponent and will win by a ton. We will play an SEC school and should win.
Two wins against 2 FBS teams, 1 being SEC should push us up above a 2 win uofl against 2 bad opponents, but voters won't care.
A lot of voters use tradition or last year's results in early season voting. They also don't like to be wrong which is why some teams keep losing but remain in the polls.
They beat an FCS by 60. They looked good and did what they were supposed to do. They get the benefit of the doubt because they stacked wins last year. That's important to voters.
We beat a low level FBS team 31-0 in about a half. We looked good and did what we were supposed to do. Plus, we beat uofl last year.
I would say we should be ranked even with what's happened in week 1 in voter's eyes.
Unfortunately, next week, they play another poor opponent and will win by a ton. We will play an SEC school and should win.
Two wins against 2 FBS teams, 1 being SEC should push us up above a 2 win uofl against 2 bad opponents, but voters won't care.
A lot of voters use tradition or last year's results in early season voting. They also don't like to be wrong which is why some teams keep losing but remain in the polls.
They are definitely a top 25 team. Well coached- and the quarterback they got from Texas Tech will put up big numbers, provided that he can stay healthy- and he has never been able to avoid injury.
They play pretty much the equivalent of a FCS conference schedule so they should win a lot of games if they are good at all.
Last year was close. But of course they do! They slaughtered a power house Austin Peay team in Louisville Saturday!
Go Big Blue!
Brohm is a solid coach and they won't be any easier to beat this year than they were last year. I despise UofL, always have. But they've been digging their way out of the beatdown streak and eventually they will (obviously, as with any rivalry) beat us again. Just hope it isn't this year, or next, or the year after that, etc. Glad we get them in Commonwealth this season.
Top 25 not even 2 weeks in doesn't mean a whole lot.
It's essentially based largely on last season's finish, chalk projections of obvious top tier programs, and style points from week one.
Top of conference finish previous season + week one blowout + not enough data so early into season = top 25 team
They'll probably blow out Jackson St, sniff around top 20-15, but after that reality will set in. I'm not saying they have an SEC schedule, but they don't have a cake walk. Ga Tech who is no longer a gimme, and Notre Dame who is a legit play-off team, back-to-back. Then down the road later in the season they have Miami, BC, Clemson, and us.
That's at least 6 games that will be tough. Who knows with the way the ACC is trending, there may be another surprise team that pops up and knocks people off their perch.
Ideally, they'd be top 25 and in the ACC picture when we play them so it's a big game, gets a good prime time slot, and helps us make a case for good bowl or maybe play off after we beat them.
It's essentially based largely on last season's finish, chalk projections of obvious top tier programs, and style points from week one.
Top of conference finish previous season + week one blowout + not enough data so early into season = top 25 team
They'll probably blow out Jackson St, sniff around top 20-15, but after that reality will set in. I'm not saying they have an SEC schedule, but they don't have a cake walk. Ga Tech who is no longer a gimme, and Notre Dame who is a legit play-off team, back-to-back. Then down the road later in the season they have Miami, BC, Clemson, and us.
That's at least 6 games that will be tough. Who knows with the way the ACC is trending, there may be another surprise team that pops up and knocks people off their perch.
Ideally, they'd be top 25 and in the ACC picture when we play them so it's a big game, gets a good prime time slot, and helps us make a case for good bowl or maybe play off after we beat them.
I guess you forgot the game last year was tied with 2 1/2 minutes left in the game and UK won by 7. In 2022 UK won by 13 so the games have been getting closer. However the past games and even the rivalry have nothing to do with what is happening this year. Honestly most of us didn’t expect to make in the rankings this week. However a 2nd loss for FSU I would say helped us get into the rankings.
As far as our shcedule we still have to play @ Notre Dame & @ Clemson and then have Miami and Georgia Tech at home. All four teams are currently ranked with Notre Dame being in the top 10 and Miami could be top 10 by the time we play them. Clemson I expect to win their next few games and move back up in the rankings. Georgia Tech will probably also move up a couple spots by that game time.
Nobody should be ranked until after week 4. But it makes for good tv I guess. Rankings mean Jack any more. Show me the 25 best teams in America this week….is Louisville one because they beat a nobody team in week one? If that’s the criteria then rankings should be 1-75.
UL goes 5-7 with our schedule, and we go 10-2 with their’s.
Good thing is we get to see which team is better at the end of the season. UofL has come into this game with a better W/L record 3 of the last 4 meetings. Thanks in large part to their much easier schedule/conference.
The question of whether they deserve the ranking is meaningless. Different voters use different criteria to determine rankings. UofL current has enough votes to be ranked... so they deserve to be ranked. Are they a top-25 team... not to us, but we aren't exactly unbiased.
The question of whether they deserve the ranking is meaningless. Different voters use different criteria to determine rankings. UofL current has enough votes to be ranked... so they deserve to be ranked. Are they a top-25 team... not to us, but we aren't exactly unbiased.
Coaches and even sportswriters polls are just weird … you’ve got to figure that, all things being equal, the coaches are going to favor the best teams in their conference when they cast their vote. Same for sportswriters - all things being equal, they are going to vote for the teams in the region or conference they cover.
With the SEC having so many top teams like Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma, LSU, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, etcetera, the participating coaches and writers outside of the SEC are going to start the year by picking their favorite schools and also including some of the top SEC schools. This just means that UK starts the season without the respect it deserves and has to earn votes with performance on the field, winning big games like the one this week.
With the SEC having so many top teams like Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma, LSU, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, etcetera, the participating coaches and writers outside of the SEC are going to start the year by picking their favorite schools and also including some of the top SEC schools. This just means that UK starts the season without the respect it deserves and has to earn votes with performance on the field, winning big games like the one this week.
Okay I will play this game
UofL with UK’s schedule
vs USM- W
vs South Carolina-W
vs Georgia-L
vs Ohio- W
@ Ole Miss-L
vs Vandy-W
@ Florida-W ( I just don’t think they are very good)
vs Auburn- W since it a home game
@ Tenn-L
vs Murray-W
@ Texas-L
@UK-W (We Break the streak finally)
So that’s 8-4 but some games I am on the fence about so it could be 6-6 to 9-3. Not totally sold on Tenn but being the home team I gave them the win. Ole Miss I leaned more towards the loss but an upset is possible. Auburn is probably closest to a toss up but went with the win since we are the home team.
UK with UofLs schedule
vs Austin Peay-W
Vs Jacksonville St- W
vs Georgia Tech-W
@ Notre Dame-L
vs SMU-W
@ Virginia-W
vs Miami- L
@BC-L
@ Clemson-L
@ Stanford-W
vs Pitt-W
vs UofL-L
So I got UK at 7-5 but again some games I am really on the fence about and they could go either way. I think UK matches up better against ACC teams more so than SEC teams. Like I am not totally sold on GT & BC but BC has been a tough place for us to play. Clemson are they really that bad ? So some of those could flip so I will say anywhere from 7-5 to 10-2.
Need viewers for their games. It's always about money. No reason to think they're less disappointing than any of the previous 5 years. The problem is the conference doesn't have a clear cut front runner. They have to hype someone from the ACC in hopes they can get 2 teams into the playoff.
Media voting doesn't change much this early on. Most media will vote their teams up until they tank completely. UK has never had a loyal media backing
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Who cares? We shouldn't give the Cards fans the satisfaction we care. The only time I care is on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
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You are probably being a little generous to Louisville and a little tough on Kentucky, leaving aside the head to head game. I'm not betting on Louisville beating Auburn and I'm not thinking UK loses to Boston College.
I disagree with the direct match up, too, but, at least, that's no hypothetical game. We'll see exactly what happens.
Also UL picked a good year to finally play Clemson. They are not very good. In the hypothetical game, UK would win, and in the actual game, uavel might win too.
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It's funny that any team with a 5 game win streak against another team would consistently be not only an underdog in every game, but also ranked lower to start and end almost every year they beat the same team. If anyone was looking at the matchup of UK vs UL objectively, they wouldn't assume UL wins the game, much less that UL would do better with the same schedule as UK. It's just silly.
If UL played Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee EVERY YEAR plus either an Auburn, LSU, Bama, or Mississippi team or two, I doubt they'd have the high opinion of themselves they have, nor would they be playing in conf title games. NO ONE in this country with any brains (and without a dog in the hunt) believes an ACC schedule compares to an SEC schedule.
No one in THEIR CONFERENCE has a 5 game losing streak against a team that's finished outside of the top 25 rankings 4 out of the last 5 years. It's likely no one has a 5 game losing streak against UL within that conference, and if they did wouldn't believe for a minute that they'd be able to switch schedules with that team they lost to and have better results within their conference. It's ludicrous
They definitely aren't a top 25 team regardless of ranking, as usual. They would be one of the worst teams in the SEC or BIG.
Thank you for the comic relief. That was very funny.
Out of curiosity, which of the L's on UK's hypothetical schedule do you have as W's for UofL on your actual schedule. I think y'all will go 8-2 (L's at Notre Dame and at Clemson) before playing us..... and I don't think that your team is very good. It's just that your schedule (and conference) is so weak.
UL didnt pick to play Clemson this year or any other year. UL has played Clemson every year since being in the ACC except the Covid year of 2020 and last year when the conference dropped the divisions.
Okay I will play this game
UofL with UK’s schedule
vs USM- W
vs South Carolina -W
vs Georgia -L
vs Ohio - W
@ Ole Miss -L
vs Vandy -W
@ Florida- TOSS UP
vs Auburn - L
@ Tenn -L
vs Murray -W
@ Texas -L
vs UK - L
WIN 5
LOSE 6
1 TOSS UP
UK with UofLs schedule
vs Austin Peay -W
Vs Jacksonville S t- W
vs Georgia Tec h-W
@ Notre Dame -L
vs SMU -W
@ Virginia -W
vs Miami - L
@BC-W
@ Clemson- TOSS UP
@ Stanford -W
vs Pitt -W
vs UL -W
WIN 9
LOSE 2
1 TOSS UP
First…yes I’m proud of the SEC and elated to be part of it. That said, there are some obvious drawbacks to this affiliation…and we’re not alone in this boat.
The main issue is the schedule. The league is never down. Some years will see other teams at the top but the top will always be good. This means that we will never get an easy trip through the schedule like ACC and Big 12 teams will. It will always be a grind. It was tough before and the addition of Oklahoma and Texas don’t help. Getting to another 10 win season for us will be challenging to say the least.
But, relating back to this thread, it will be just as hard for us to be highly ranked and have a realistic shot at the playoffs. It’s gonna be tough for a 3 or 4 loss team to crack the top twelve and with our year-in-year-out schedule that is probably what we can expect. As stated, it’s hard to beat Bama, Georgia, LSU, Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee and others on a regular basis if you’re not a legacy powerhouse…which we are not.
So, I’m torn. I want us to be in the best conference in the country and I want us to contend for a playoff spot. Right now, I think it’s hard for both of these things to happen. I guess my point is, while we rightfully mock the ACC and Big 12, would we not fare better on the national stage and have a MUCH better chance at making the 12 team playoff if we were in one of those conferences?
These are the things that keep me awake at night.
It is certainly going to be interesting the first time that an 11-1 or 12-1 Big 12 or ACC team is vying with a 9-3 SEC or Big Ten team for one of those last at large spots. You and I both know that’s going to happen - probably this year. Which way does the committee go in that case?
As it applies to this year, that would mean you had two teams with one loss between them going into the respective Conference Title games...I don't really foresee that with the ACC. You'd have to have say a Miami run the table into the Title game and lose in it.
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