UAB replacement in 2016...

[JHB4UK]

We tried to get Army, but they signed instead to play Ohio State.

Why does this lie keep getting repeated? Look at my first post in this thread and the linked article, this is a falsehood put out there by Marc Hill to excuse his incompetence for finding a replacement for UAB long LONG after everyone else who had to replace UAB has done so.

http://www.landgrantholyland.com/2015/1/29/7948403/army-ohio-state-2016-future-football-schedule

"Unless currently scheduled games are moved, the soonest the two squads could face each other would be the 2017 season, where Ohio State is also scheduled to host Oklahoma and UNLV. The Buckeyes also have an opening in 2018 (Oregon State, at TCU), and 2019 (TCU, Cincinnati)."

There was no deal for UK to play Army in '16 that got swiped up by mean ole Ohio State. Did. Not. Exist.

 

[buster3.0]

Frankly, I'm sick of the weak-ass out of conference schedules of most teams in college football--one of several reasons I dropped my season tickets a few years back. I know "everyone is doing it" and I can appreciate the need to maximize revenues, BUT it's a complete ripoff to the fans who, for the most part, pay hard-earned money for their tickets. Same is true, and to an even greater degree, for college basketball.

I date back to the era when we played one tune-up game in football and maybe a couple for basketball. Now, when I have to Google an opponent to figure out who they are, where they're located, etc., which is what one has to do for well over half of our OOC basketball games,then the game is usually not worth tuning in! In football it isn't much better.

I know what you mean. It makes much of September football worthless and unwatchable. It sucks when you have waited all year for football season to start and you have to suffer through these scrimmages in the beggining of the year before the real competition starts. At least there are some real games out there in september to watch on TV. Just not too many.

 

[KingsportKat]

I know what you mean. It makes much of September football worthless and unwatchable. It sucks when you have waited all year for football season to start and you have to suffer through these scrimmages in the beggining of the year before the real competition starts. At least there are some real games out there in september to watch on TV. Just not too many.

Have you looked at our September schedule? After the "scrimmage" with UL-Lafayette, we play at South Carolina, then home games with Florida and Missouri. Would you prefer 4 SEC games out of 4?

 

[fuzz77]

Why does this lie keep getting repeated? Look at my first post in this thread and the linked article, this is a falsehood put out there by Marc Hill to excuse his incompetence for finding a replacement for UAB long LONG after everyone else who had to replace UAB has done so.

http://www.landgrantholyland.com/2015/1/29/7948403/army-ohio-state-2016-future-football-schedule

"Unless currently scheduled games are moved, the soonest the two squads could face each other would be the 2017 season, where Ohio State is also scheduled to host Oklahoma and UNLV. The Buckeyes also have an opening in 2018 (Oregon State, at TCU), and 2019 (TCU, Cincinnati)."

There was no deal for UK to play Army in '16 that got swiped up by mean ole Ohio State. Did. Not. Exist.

They said that they "tried", not that they ever had Army signed. Unless you know that they didn't talk to Army I'm not sure why you are claiming that anyone "lied"?
They talked to Army and had an agrement in principle. Before they could get the agreement signed Ohio State basically out-bid UK. Wow, the school with a $140 million athletics budget was able to outbid a school with a $100 million athletics budget. No lies, just a statement of facts.

UK was to play them opening weekend when EVERYONE is playing. Others had an easier time replacing the game becase after the opening weekend, teams have open dates. UK's options are to pay someone to get out of their current contract plus pay them to come play or move their open date to the first weekend and then play possibly 12 weeks in a row. It's always easy to be a critic when you don't have any responsibility or solutions to offer.

 

[Levibooty]

We used to play Rutgers quite a bit. I think one more OOC game on the schedule with a moderately higher level of competitiveness would be an improvement we could absorb and even benefit from. I also like the idea of playing one of Illinois, IU, or Northwestern, I believe by the time we play these teams we will be a much stronger program and could benefit from playing some of these higher quality programs as far as recruiting that region is concerned.

 

[JHB4UK]

They said that they "tried", not that they ever had Army signed. Unless you know that they didn't talk to Army I'm not sure why you are claiming that anyone "lied"?
They talked to Army and had an agrement in principle. Before they could get the agreement signed Ohio State basically out-bid UK. Wow, the school with a $140 million athletics budget was able to outbid a school with a $100 million athletics budget. No lies, just a statement of facts.

Statement of fact? provide the link showing Ohio State & Army have a scheduled game for 2016 with a signed contract then. Should be easily if it is a "statement of facts"

Or, bother to READ the link I just provided, or even the section i pulled & quoted and put in bold showing that the 2 schools were talking but no game is scheduled AND NO GAME CAN BE SCHEDULED UNTIL AFTER 2017.

And to keep repeating myself, I both don't understand and am disturbed that officials in the UK athletic department feel the need to talk about such a close UAB scheduling miss. Get ish done, like every other school that had UAB on their slates, stop making false easily disproved excuses.

At this rate really excited to see both Murray State & EKU on the 2016 home OOC schedule.

 

[jpbky2]

It's not as easy as just going down the list of division I schools and seeing who has an open date and calling them up and say let's play. Pretty much everybody has their schedule finished for 2016. For UK to get a division I-A school to play here several things have to line up. Some school has to buy someone out of a contract. Most schools are going to want Kentucky to go to their place in a home and home scenario and UK really doesn't want to do that. You are perfectly correct that Army is not on Ohio State's 2016 schedule. I never said they were. The problem arises in that Ohio State has an agreement to play Army at a later date and that agreement prevented Army of getting out of a game to play Kentucky in 2016. Ideally, Kentucky wants a division I-A school they can beat, doesn't want a return game and can play on the date they were going to play UAB. In order for that to happen, a lot of dominos have to fall in the right way. They pretty much have an opponent worked out for that right now and I assume it will be announced in the upcoming months.

 

[Loose Rhythm]

We will be better and deeper in '16 and '17. It's time to find a mid major, and not 1AA or directional LA or MO. Marshall, Cincinnati, Indiana, Illinois, Navy, Memphis, get WKU back on .......driving distance and decent fan base preferred....

 

[loucatfan]

We will be better and deeper in '16 and '17. It's time to find a mid major, and not 1AA or directional LA or MO. Marshall, Cincinnati, Indiana, Illinois, Navy, Memphis, get WKU back on .......driving distance and decent fan base preferred....

IU would be great but that means a home and home and that is not what we want for that game. Need to have seven or eight home games to pay for the improved stadium.


Bring on WKU again. They may be poor guests again and beat us but what the heck. If we can't beat them by this time the season isn't going to go well anyway.

 

[JHB4UK]

IU would be great but that means a home and home and that is not what we want for that game. Need to have seven or eight home games to pay for the improved stadium.

Of course we need to have 7 homegames. That can easily be done while still adding a quality Big 5 conference OOC game. Check with UK's ticket office, having 3 nobody horrible opponents as homegames is a tough ticket to sell to fans this year even with an improved outlook on the team & a redone stadium. The formula is easy, 1 quality OOC at home + 2 beatable ones + 4 SEC = 7 games at home per year.

Odd years: 4 SEC homegames, 4 SEC roadgames, UL at home, new Big 5 OOC game on road, 2 rumdum's at home = 7/5

Even years: 4 SEC homegames, 4 SEC roadgames, UL on road, new Big 5 OOC game at home, 2 rumdum's at home = 7/5

Hate to drag back this topic, still frustrated by it. This morning it was announced that UL is playing Purdue in Indianapolis to start the 2017 season. Why we couldn't have gotten that deal with Purdue, or play another similar B1g opponent in Paul Brown Stadium is beyond me. Mark my words, unfortunately it is much more likely UK will schedule 2 games against 1-AA teams in the future rather than pursue something challenging & entertaining.

 

[Tskware]

^
It is a complete joke, could not agree more.

 

[Beavis606]

We used to play P5 ooc opponents all the time and what did it get us? Except for 76 and 77, nothing. We can upgrade the schedule when we upgrade our strength. To do it before that is ignorant.

 

[The_Godfather]

We used to play P5 ooc opponents all the time and what did it get us? Except for 76 and 77, nothing. We can upgrade the schedule when we upgrade our strength. To do it before that is ignorant.

We also used to play only 6 conference games.

The entire notion that UK needs to improve their non-conference schedule is pure lunacy. The OVERALL schedule is more than difficult enough and features a ton of high quality home games.

Unless UK gets some extra benefit for degree of difficulty, there is zero incentive to upgrade their schedule.

 

[JHB4UK]

Who is saying upgrade or improve? There isnt much touching difference talent wise from the Ragin Cajuns we open the season with and programs like Purdue, Northwestern, Virginia, NC State. Or the WKU team who beat us the last 2 yrs we played in that wonderfully conceived series? (dripping with friggin sarcasm).

What a name opponent from another Big 5 team would give is better TV slots than SEC 12 noon. And some different locations to travel too for fans who go to road games. And more interest from recruits, press from B1g territory if UK played one of them would be a good thing. And more attractive tickets by purchasing fans. As I said, rumor is UK is having trouble selling out with what you guys want - 8 homegames, 3 of them against nobody OOC's.

But only wishful thinking on my part. Really looking forward to BOTH Murray State & EKU in Commonwealth during the same season in the not too distant future!!

 

[WildCard]

..Mark my words, unfortunately it is much more likely UK will schedule 2 games against 1-AA teams in the future rather than pursue something challenging & entertaining.

THAT is just not going to happen. Playing 2 FCS teams would mean going .500 in the remaining 10 games would be necessary to get to 6 "bowl qualifying" wins (only 1 FCS win can be counted). Even with 1 OOC "rumdum" included that would mean winning 4 of the 9 against SEC + UofL to get the minimum 6 qualifying wins. And somehow I don't think a 5-7 team with 2 wins against FCS teams is going to qualify for the exception for a 5-7 team to play in the post season.

Peace

 

[Beavis606]

1. Those programs are better. A couple of them have won or challenged for their conference titles recently.
2. Playing one of them reduces a home game. Directional schools don't require home-and-home. P teams do unless it's a Kickoff Classic type game.

 

[Tskware]

We used to play P5 ooc opponents all the time and what did it get us? Except for 76 and 77, nothing. We can upgrade the schedule when we upgrade our strength. To do it before that is ignorant.

Yes, and in the 30 or so years since we dumbed down our schedule in the mid 80s after Claiborne took over, and then REALLY dumbed it down after we went to 12 games . . . what has that got us? I must have been asleep during all those championship seasons, big bowl wins, great NFL draft weekends, and all Americans we have produced.

 

[Beavis606]

Yes, and in the 30 or so years since we dumbed down our schedule in the mid 80s after Claiborne took over, and then REALLY dumbed it down after we went to 12 games . . . what has that got us? I must have been asleep during all those championship seasons, big bowl wins, great NFL draft weekends, and all Americans we have produced.

Yeah, because it would have been soooooo much better if we'd have been getting killed by Oklahoma, Penn State, Virginia Tech, etc.we used to play, instead of beating MAC and FCS schools.

 

[The_Godfather]

Who is saying upgrade or improve? There isnt much touching difference talent wise from the Ragin Cajuns we open the season with and programs like Purdue, Northwestern, Virginia, NC State. Or the WKU team who beat us the last 2 yrs we played in that wonderfully conceived series? (dripping with friggin sarcasm).

What a name opponent from another Big 5 team would give is better TV slots than SEC 12 noon. And some different locations to travel too for fans who go to road games. And more interest from recruits, press from B1g territory if UK played one of them would be a good thing. And more attractive tickets by purchasing fans. As I said, rumor is UK is having trouble selling out with what you guys want - 8 homegames, 3 of them against nobody OOC's.

But only wishful thinking on my part. Really looking forward to BOTH Murray State & EKU in Commonwealth during the same season in the not too distant future!!

You mean, UK is having trouble selling out games for teams like Auburn, Florida, Tennessee and Louisville? If only we could add Purdue. (dripping with friggin sarcasm).

UK's struggle for season ticket sales has little to do with having a poor home schedule and more to do with UK football fans being cynical dating back to the Joker fiasco. They aren't coming back in droves until UK does something substantial on the field.

The bottom line is that making a bowl game would be infinitely more impactful than getting a win over a non-descript Big 5 conference team who nobody would give a rat's ass about beating. The risk is increased while the reward is tiny.

 

[JHB4UK]

THAT is just not going to happen. Playing 2 FCS teams would mean going .500 in the remaining 10 games would be necessary to get to 6 "bowl qualifying" wins (only 1 FCS win can be counted). Even with 1 OOC "rumdum" included that would mean winning 4 of the 9 against SEC + UofL to get the minimum 6 qualifying wins. And somehow I don't think a 5-7 team with 2 wins against FCS teams is going to qualify for the exception for a 5-7 team to play in the post season.

Afraid it is going to happen. Barnhart himself stated it as very possible last year, when discussing how expensive it was getting to "buy" homegames against AAC/CUSA/Sun Belt/MAC.

2. Playing one of them reduces a home game. Directional schools don't require home-and-home. P teams do unless it's a Kickoff Classic type game.

Yeah, that's kind of the point. UK can't sell out an 8-game home slate with 3 tomato can's. They would do better financially with the model I outlined, yearly 7 game home schedule of 4 SEC + 1 quality OOC + 2 rumdum's.

 

[Tskware]

Yeah, because it would have been soooooo much better if we'd have been getting killed by Oklahoma, Penn State, Virginia Tech, etc.we used to play, instead of beating MAC and FCS schools.

Setting aside the obvious retorts that we beat Va Tech and Penn State at least a few times, and that we along with Vandy remain the perennial cellar dweller of our conference no matter how we dumb down the schedule . . . that is a false choice and you know it.

No one said schedule a home and home with Ohio State and Michigan State. But adding ONE game a year against a regional team where the fans can travel (getting some much needed entertainment value for the ever increasing ticket prices we are being asked to pay) and that we can and should beat at least half the time, e.g., Northwestern, Illinois, IU, Purdue, UC, Pitt, is not too much to ask. If we can't scratch out two wins over cupcakes, plus break even in the SEC + UL + some regional mid major, we are really kidding ourselves anyway that we our program is improving.

 

[Beavis606]

^ So you want to give up a win every other year just so you can watch a below-average P5 team come to CWS or go on a road trip to somewhere terrible like Purdue? Never mind that the win you are giving up probably keeps you home at bowl time.

I'll say it again. Why would you even think about upgrading the schedule until the program is in better shape?

 

[Tskware]

Never mind that the win you are giving up probably keeps you home at bowl time.

I'll say it again. Why would you even think about upgrading the schedule until the program is in better shape?

In case you haven't noticed, we have been home at bowl time a whole lot more often than not since the 1980s, when we started the scheduling method. We have been waiting for about 30 years now for all these easy wins to build our program. Clearly, it has not worked. OTOH, we could have been playing and maybe beating some other mid majors, raising our profile and building up at least some regional respect, instead of scrimmaging the dregs of the MAC, Sun Belt and OVC in front of 20,000 empty seats at CWS and a sleepy crowd that does bother to show up.

Lets just drop it and agree to disagree.

P.S. Just noticed your very cool Sturgill Simpson reference in your signature/avatar.

 

[jnewc2]

Since the situation with UAB has left a hole in UK's schedule for the 2016 season, I was wondering just how many options the Cats had to avoid playing a second FCS school (which is something they need to avoid at all costs). So i know this may not be entirely up-to-date, but i used fbschedules.com to look at FBS teams that may have an open slot in their 2016 schedule….just food for thought if you will..

ACC
Boston College
Miami
North Carolina
Syracuse

AAC
UCONN

BIG12
Kansas State
Texas Tech

CUSA
Middle Tennessee State

IND.
BYU
Army

PAC12
Stanford

Sun Belt
Louisiana-Monroe


According to this website, the only non-conf. game UK has inked, is UL. Keeping in mind that they will pick up an FCS game, what two teams would you like to see them pick up out of this list…(keep in mind some of these teams would require a home/home deal).

I myself would like to see us take the approach that programs like Tennessee and Louisville are taking and schedule an OOC that will get us some national attention (like playing a Miami, Oklahoma etc). What about playing a neutral site season opener (against a traditional P5 team) at an NFL stadium? I don't think we should be afraid of playing those games. If nothing else it will push this program to get better. How much good does it do us to play the Middle Tennessee's and WKU's of the world? I'm not saying we need to stack the entire OOC schedule with nothing but P5 opponents, but replacing one of our current OOC opponents with a P5 traditional power would be good for this program in the long run. I know our fans would much rather see a home-and-home with Oklahoma or Miami.

I know the general mindset has been "well what if a tough OOC game keeps us from getting to 6 wins? The SEC schedule is already tough enough" Well who cares? If our mindset is worrying about a tough OOC keeping us from a .500 record then we have bigger fish to fry to begin with. It would be different if we were competing for a national championship and a tough OOC opponent might keep us from playing in the CFB playoff.

 

[SanAntonioCat]

UK will very likely improve the OOC scheduling when the roster is suitable for being up to better competition. That time is coming and likely soon.

 

[Poetax]

Yes, and in the 30 or so years since we dumbed down our schedule in the mid 80s after Claiborne took over, and then REALLY dumbed it down after we went to 12 games . . . what has that got us? I must have been asleep during all those championship seasons, big bowl wins, great NFL draft weekends, and all Americans we have produced.

Tsk, I understand the concept of what you are saying but if we had played a tougher schedule then what we did, we would only have more losses. And then we would have lost the fans even before Joker. Believe me, most on here who wants us to play a Northwestern or Purdue, won't put up with us losing to them. We have got to get the roster up to where SEC teams don't destroy us.

 

[ram1955]

Anyone saying we need to add another power 5 conference school is simply missing the FACT that even with 4 so called ooc cupcakes, we still have one of the most difficult schedules in the country EVERY year. I do understand how some variety would be nice. I propose the following:
Keep 4 ooc guaranteed wins.
Schedule one game each year with either ul, IU, UC, Marshall, or WVU, etc.... on a rotating basis. We'd get to see 5 different teams at least twice each decade.

 

[Beavis606]

P.S. Just noticed your very cool Sturgill Simpson reference in your signature/avatar.

If you want it you can have the crown.

 

[JHB4UK]

Keep 4 ooc guaranteed wins.
Schedule one game each year with either ul, IU, UC, Marshall, or WVU, etc.... on a rotating basis. We'd get to see 5 different teams at least twice each decade.

Scheduling doesnt work like that, it is done years in advance. And you can't play an OOC team once a year, where is the game gonna be played do you propose, all in Commonwealth? Pretty sure every team you listed is gonna have a problem with that.

Plus it is pretty evident ESPN is encouraging/forcing with its TV money to have this big Thanksgiving weekend of SEC vs ACC games, UK-UL, Geo-GT, USCjr-Clem, Fl-FSU. As much as I and many other UK fans dislike it it looks like ending the season with UL is a permanent part of our schedule.

 

[Tskware]

If you want it you can have the crown.

No thank you, would rather go to Panbowl.

 

[Roe07]

I say we bring in a high mid major like Wyoming, San Diego State, East Carolina, Memphis, and MTSU, or at least play another power conference team of similar stature such as a Colorado, Minnesota, Kansas, California, etc, etc. Any of those games would be much better than watching Kentucky lay waste to the Norfolk States of the world.

 

[teamcanada]

Playing 4 weak out of conference teams and winning 2 SEC games to get to some crappy bowl is no way to build a program.

 

[The_Godfather]

Playing 4 weak out of conference teams and winning 2 SEC games to get to some crappy bowl is no way to build a program.

So, UofL is now a "weak out of conference team"?

 

[Tskware]

So, UofL is now a "weak out of conference team"?

No, they are damn good most years, but his point is well taken, we have tried to build the program by beating patsies for 30 years, Claiborne started us down that road, which I didn't like then, and like even less now. Especially since we have basically gone nowhere for decades.

 

[Zakk Wyldcat]

The 4th OoC game will take care of itself in a few years when the SEC screws its head on straight and goes to 9 conference games. At that point you'll have either 5 SEC/2 OoC home games or 4 SEC/3 OoC home games. In the meantime, I'm with those who'd like to see some non-MAC/FCS opponents on the home slate.

 

[ram1955]

Scheduling doesnt work like that, it is done years in advance. And you can't play an OOC team once a year, where is the game gonna be played do you propose, all in Commonwealth? Pretty sure every team you listed is gonna have a problem with that.

Plus it is pretty evident ESPN is encouraging/forcing with its TV money to have this big Thanksgiving weekend of SEC vs ACC games, UK-UL, Geo-GT, USCjr-Clem, Fl-FSU. As much as I and many other UK fans dislike it it looks like ending the season with UL is a permanent part of our schedule.

We now play ul home and home. My proposal has us playing ul 1 time at home and 1 time at pjs during each ten year period. Same with IU, UC, Marshall and WVU. Don't see why that would not work.

 

[Beavis606]

^ It won't work because the SEC and ACC are determined for UK and UL to play the last game of the regular season each year.

 

[PRPcoach]

There is a lot of wrong in this thread. Getting wins is paramount as an SEC member. We don't have the luxury of having "wins" in our conference schedule (sans Vandy). Why on God's green earth would we schedule another P5 team after UofL (top 25 team) and our SEC gauntlet? Sometimes you need a breather game, time to get 3rd teamers reps in a game and gain some confidence. This isn't basketball.

 

[JHB4UK]

Why on God's green earth would we schedule another P5 team after UofL (top 25 team) and our SEC gauntlet?

Answer, you wouldn't....UL is now our ending game in Thanksgiving. Another P5 opponent would be played in September. Again, I get it, we arent a superpower 10 win a year team (yet). But I'm not advocating adding Ohio State or Florida State! Hell the teams I suggest won't make our schedule any tougher than it already is, but would make it more attractive to fans & tv.

We open the season folks against a Ragin Cajun team that has gone 9-4 the last 4 years in a row. You telling me that instead playing Purdue or Northwestern or Illinois on the road would so much more challenging, less chance of a win? But I tell you what playing ULL will get us......the 12 noon SEC network TV slot (yawn), zero talk and analysis from college football commentators leading up to the game during the week, and empty seats in our new improved stadium.

 

[Perrin75]

The difference is that ULL will play in Commonwealth for cash and then go away. Purdue, Northwestern and Illinois will want a home and home. And Kentucky isn't going to just give away a home game when they don't have to. There is simply too much money at stake. And unless we get an invite to one of the big money kickoff games in Atlanta and Dallas we aren't going to play at a neutral site. And the only way we are getting an invite there is to win more games.