JOE COX: Wildcats Can’t Get Respect, Will Have To Earn It
So this is respect?
For the 8-3 Kentucky Wildcats, they finish their regular season, their second winning SEC season in the last four years (as opposed to zero in the preceding 40 years) against a 6-5 Louisville team, a Louisville team they’ve thumped in the last two meetings in this series. As an underdog?
Holy Lou Holtz, somebody is still not giving the Wildcats enough respect. Whether it’s the poll voters, where Kentucky’s 8-3 start has them unranked in the AP poll and barely ranked in the coaches’ poll, or the Vegas bookmakers who made UK a three-point underdog, or the fans who have occasionally struggled to embrace UK’s sixth consecutive bowl-bound team, Kentucky isn’t getting due respect.
Yes, Louisville can bring some challenges to the Wildcats. Dual-threat QB Malik Cunningham is as dangerous of a runner as Kentucky has faced this year and isn’t exactly small potatoes as a passer. The Cardinals have steadily improved over the course of Scott Satterfield’s third season. But many of the same complaints that are made about the Wildcats can be made about the Cardinals-- who exactly have they beaten?
Meanwhile, one of the hallmarks of Mark Stoops’ teams since 2016 is their dominant run as the in-state power. Yes, Louisville won the game between the schools in 2017, but Kentucky lapped the Cardinals, in coaching, in recruiting, and generally in on-field results. When was the last time Louisville had a big win over the Cats on the field or on the recruiting trail?
How did Kentucky do it? Having better players never hurts, and continuing in coaching has aided the Cats significantly. But largely, Kentucky has made its fortune on players and coaches with a chip on their shoulders. The torch has been passed from Snell to Allen to Bowden to Wan’Dale Robinson or Chris Rodriguez. When Kentucky beats a team, it’s automatically somehow that school’s worst year ever. LSU and Florida have switched coaches. It must just be inconceivable that Kentucky is legitimate.
U of L will find out on Saturday. It’s a good enough team to give UK some fits defensively, but at the end of the day, the Wildcats should have enough mojo to pick up win No. 9 and send the bowl bid to somewhere in Florida. Maybe that will help earn some respect.
Kentucky 34, Louisville 24
Around the SEC
Here are the picks for the rest of the league’s matchups:
Arkansas 35, Missouri 21
Georgia 42, Georgia Tech 3
Florida State 28, Florida 27
Alabama 42, Auburn 14
Tennessee 52, Vanderbilt 10
Texas A&M 31, LSU 24
Clemson 35, South Carolina 17
Joe Cox is contributing editor for KySportsStyle.com Magazine. He grew up in Letcher County and Bell County and has written or co-written nine books. His most recent, "A Fine Team Man: Jackie Robinson and the Lives He Changed," was released in February 2019 and can be ordered on Amazon or at many local bookstores. Joe is an attorney and lives in Logan County with his wife and children. You can reach him at jrcox004@gmail.com.
