Bingo. You have zero to gain and lots to lose playing these games (e.g., two losses to Western, one to Ohio U, etc.) At least if you lose to a Big 10 team, you don't have to cancel the season, and the stadium will be full.
UAB replacement in 2016...
- Thread starter SoKyCats
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Bingo. You have zero to gain and lots to lose playing these games (e.g., two losses to Western, one to Ohio U, etc.) At least if you lose to a Big 10 team, you don't have to cancel the season, and the stadium will be full.
Yes, there is a huge amount of money at stake. And guess what, the ULL's of the world know this better than anyone.
That is why the price tag of buying a ULL to show up at your stadium with no return visit is getting incredibly expensive. Turns out the people in the MAC, Sun Belt, CUSA understand supply & demand....SEC schools need to buy 3 homegame opponents (and ACC, and B1G, and B12) but there are only a certain number of non Big 5 conference schools to go around.
On the flip side, instead UK could play another home & home in addition to UL and not pay one red cent. Do that, play 7 homegames a year, 4 SEC/1 big 5 OOC(keep all the money generated), and then only have to "purchase" 2 home opponents.
Something that everyone seems to be missing is that the 8 game home schedule this year is a 1 time thing...not the plan for the future so whoever they work in they can do a home and home on opposite years from the UL game. The goal is there will be 7 home games. IF and only if they have to schedule to FCS teams next year...again, it will be a one time thing. Next year ('16) they need an opening week home game because the UL game is away.
1 time thing? When was that announced, or proclaimed because I sure missed that? In order for it to be a 1 time thing then an OOC game not at Commonwealth will have to be scheduled for 2017, the next time UL comes a rolling in to Lexington.
Hope you are right that there are plans for something different & interesting in our future. but until it is actually announced I'm gonna unhappily assume our sched will remain the same - 1 or 2 1-AA opponents, 1 or 2 from MAC/Sun Belt/CUSA, and UL making up our 4 OOC's.
Hope you are right that there are plans for something different & interesting in our future. but until it is actually announced I'm gonna unhappily assume our sched will remain the same - 1 or 2 1-AA opponents, 1 or 2 from MAC/Sun Belt/CUSA, and UL making up our 4 OOC's.
When they announced the stadium renovations Mitch said that we would have 8 home games that year (this year) but that it was a one year aboratation. Go find the video from dog-and-pony-show where they make the stadium announcement and I'm pretty sure you will find it there.
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What's Jones bitching about? If he has a gripe take it up with Calipari and his penchant for scheduling people like the North Dakota School of Bartending and Welding at Rupp.
He wasn't complaining about the competition so much... He was voicing thought with his sidekick Ryan Lemond...
His point was that when UAB put a hole in the schedule the options we have aren't optimal. Do we schedule a win (Buffalo?) and yield to their potential demands (2for1?) or schedule a team that has a good chance walking away with a "W", and have to reciprocate an away game with them? I think MJ's point was, there is a lot to take into consideration, when filling the void of the UAB game, and because of where we are with UK football not an easy one to make. MJ's radio persona can be somewhat "fingernails on a chalkboard"... No offense to MJ, I'm sure his mother loves him, but sometimes..........
Perhaps there are other options, he mentioned that I missed...
"screws its head on straight" I am not sure I understand this at all. Screwing it's head on straight would include fewer league games not more. The SEC is on a suicide course as it is beating itself to a pulp with league games. More games would not only hurt the struggling teams like UK and Vandy but would pretty much rule out any SEC team competing for a national title. Playing a schedule full of other SEC level teams means you would have to be far and away dominant just to get out of regular season without a loss. Even if you do that you've lowered you strength of schedule by the rest of the league beating each other down.
It's much better to have fewer SEC games not more. Then the struggling teams would get a shot to get on their feet while the top level teams can go out of conference and beat up on the likes of Oregon and Ohio State. Lower their strength of schedule for a change instead of lowering yours. A smarter solution would be to lower it to 7 SEC games and require 2 power 5 teams instead of 8 SEC and 1 power 5. Better for the league as a whole to do that.
Disagree that more SEC games would rule out any SEC team competing for a national title.... but more conference games is the result of owning/having a major steak in TV ratings with the SECN. TV wants more, better games. All other conferences are going to or have gone to 9 game conference schedules. They will need the more competitive games to score RPI points with the playoff selection committee. Besides, if the P5 ever break away from the NCAA then all games will be between P5 teams.
Wow, could not possibly disagree with that take more. "SEC is on a suicide course as it is beating itself to a pulp with league games" WTF kind of take is that? SEC won 7 in a row, and very nearly 8 when Auburn lost in the last few seconds.
And . . "the top level teams can go out of conference and beat up on the likes of Oregon and Ohio State." Okey dokey then. Good luck with that.
Hope it isn't Buffalo. We wouldn't be able to tell the uniforms apart.
I understand those desiring a little variety in the schedule. However reality is that very few teams in the country could play 8 SEC games every year and do much better than Kentucky. The vast majority of teams would have a great deal of difficulty doing better than breaking even against 8 conference teams + a good ul team. We'd be crazy to do ANYTHING that would increase the difficulty of at least winning 6 games and becoming bowl eligible. Once we're bowl eligible, then we can take on a Power 5 conference also ran like some of those posters have mentioned.
As a season ticket holder for nearly 30 years, I too get a little bored with our schedule including playing the same conference teams over and over, but again, bowl eligibility has to be the primary objective. Since there is nothing we can do about the conference, it's necessary to keep ooc bunnies.
As a season ticket holder for nearly 30 years, I too get a little bored with our schedule including playing the same conference teams over and over, but again, bowl eligibility has to be the primary objective. Since there is nothing we can do about the conference, it's necessary to keep ooc bunnies.
Two things
- Playing 9 SEC games would mean more games against teams we play so infrequently. We haven't even played A&M yet.
- They could change the division makeups every few years while maintaining rivalries. E.g. SEC North of UK/MO/TN/V/AR/OM/AL with fixed South rival of say A&M.
2016 would be perfect timing to step up and play a power 5 team. We would hopefully have a 5th yr sr, 3 yr starter at QB, an experienced OL (with talent), and should return a ton of skill players (just need a productive TE). Judging by our teams that have had this same formula, we should be able to move the chains on any D. Giving us a great chance to get a big win.
I have high expectations for our D in 2016 also. I will just need to see some things on the field this year before I predict how good they'll be. Even with just an average D I would still be confident in beating many power 5 teams.
I have high expectations for our D in 2016 also. I will just need to see some things on the field this year before I predict how good they'll be. Even with just an average D I would still be confident in beating many power 5 teams.
"We haven't even played A&M yet."
Well, put me in the camp that says I'm not that anxious to start that rivalry. We FINALLY got a "recruiting room", we even got a big stadium upgrade. But while we got a LONG overdue stadium remodel at somewhat more than $100 million they got one for $450 million----while we REDUCED our seating by 6,000 they INCREASED their seating by 20,000 (now the largest in the SEC). While we finally got a decent recruiting class in 2013 with THREE times our normal four star commits (three, counting one JC) they signed FIFTEEN four stars. While we climbed to about 20th (then dropped last year) they have consistently averaged top ten. While we haven't signed a five star this century they signed THREE in 14, one in 15, and one already in 16.
And no one has ever accused A&M of being a "basketball" school. Or Texas of being a basketball state, although they have their share of top players. In 2010 the state of Texas had INFINITELY more four stars than Kentucky, about 45 (IIRC, plus a few five stars) while the whole state of Kentucky had ZERO (actually dividing any number by zero is not permitted, it gives you an indeterminate number, but you get the idea).
As many on here have stated, UK needs to learn to walk before we TRY to run with the big dogs----that is what happens when you neglect a program for decades. I would LOVE to play another Big 5 team in a bowl game, I would even enjoy playing a higher ranked one that paid more money, and right now the best way to do that is to play teams we can beat. A Bowl game is always a big event, and much needed for the extra practice and exposure.
I prefer to add our next tough game after the season is over-----until we do learn how to run..
For the 100th time - nobody, or certainly not me, is calling for an INCREASE in the difficulty of UK's schedule.
Some of you people need to realize that playing home/home with a bottom-level B5 conference team is really not an increase in schedule strength. If you follow the sport outside of just UK or just the SEC you will know that Louisiana Lafayette ain't a gimme, they are not a team who is taking a paycheck to come here & roll over. Neither was Western Kentucky, unfortunately. Just because those 2 are not in a B5 doesn't mean they are automatically easier of a W than Illinois or Indiana or Northwestern or Purdue or NC State.
Anyway, a 2-for-1 with Toledo sounds interesting. They have homegames from B5 teams in the past, Iowa St this year, Mizzou last yr. It is in a state that is vital to our recruiting. A trip up north to Toledo Ohio isnt exactly high on my list of interesting new destinations to travel and watch UK play football, but it would be a different experience than Papa Johns or Nashville.
Some of you people need to realize that playing home/home with a bottom-level B5 conference team is really not an increase in schedule strength. If you follow the sport outside of just UK or just the SEC you will know that Louisiana Lafayette ain't a gimme, they are not a team who is taking a paycheck to come here & roll over. Neither was Western Kentucky, unfortunately. Just because those 2 are not in a B5 doesn't mean they are automatically easier of a W than Illinois or Indiana or Northwestern or Purdue or NC State.
Anyway, a 2-for-1 with Toledo sounds interesting. They have homegames from B5 teams in the past, Iowa St this year, Mizzou last yr. It is in a state that is vital to our recruiting. A trip up north to Toledo Ohio isnt exactly high on my list of interesting new destinations to travel and watch UK play football, but it would be a different experience than Papa Johns or Nashville.
Along this line... I am hearing there is a good chance they will do away with the divisions in football like they have in basketball in the near future. Probably have 3 or 4 permanent opponents in order to maintain the league rivalries but then that will allow a faster rotation through the other teams.
The top 2 teams would then meet in the SEC championship game.
I'm not crazy about 2-and-1, but it beats the hell out of 1-and-1 with a P5 bottom-feeder, especially since it would help recruiting in Ohio.
I never did figure out why UK dropped Indiana. Kentucky picked up an extra home game every other year, but IU was an easy win over a Big Ten school(usually) and an easy drive to an away game for most fans. Still is a head scratcher.
