Somebody mentioned a telling stat about UK football yesterday. That I heard it in the press room at Papa J’s is of no consequence.

It was said, and I have not verified it but it sounds true enough, that the Cats are 1-30 in their last 31 games against ranked opponents in their division of the SEC. And therein lies the reality of UK football. In a conference where it has been, is now once again and always will be the hoops monster, it is a pigskin also ran.

What is stunning is that Kentucky’s vast and loyal fan base is willing to acknowledge and accept this, hoping for the occasional break out season now and again. And enjoying trips to Nashville or Memphis each December for a winnable bowl date with some similarly situated school.

Acceptance is a good thing.

Now UK fans are going to have to accept that their starting QB, as average as Hartline might be, could be gone for awhile if not the whole season. Which means it’s Fidler and Cobb in the Wildcat, unless Rich Brooks goes against his every instinct and blows the redshirt of one of his heralded frosh phenoms. Be careful what you wish for, etc, etc.

Steve Spurrier got his mark it down W against the Cats yesterday by a nose, leaving the Wildcats with a 2-3 record. And, yet again, nip and tuck to meet the new standard of acceptability in college pigskin: Bowl Eligible. Four games are eminently winnable — Louisiana Monroe, Eastern Ky, Vandy and mistake prone Mississippi State. A less than stellar Georgia and improving Tennessee are more problematic, but could be conquered with a stalwart effort.

Which is one thing, silly mistakes notwithstanding, that Rich Brooks’s teams usually provide. They rarely don’t show up for a game.

One guy’s opinion is that Kentucky will have an added football game to look forward to around Christmas time. Hopefully, Cats fans won’t have to choose between attending that, or a game in Rupp in the sport that really matters.

– Seedy K