Friday night, the SEC delivered its promised two additional conference football games. Kentucky received a gem. And a lump of coal.
Mississippi is welcome news. The Rebels finished 4-8 a year ago. They have a new head coach in Lane Kiffin. And in these chaotic coronavirus times, new coaches with new systems are behind the eight ball. One more thing In UK's favor: Ole Miss has to come to Kroger Field.
Alabama is a pandemic problem, however. This is because, well, it's Alabama. There's Nick Saban and his six national titles. There's the Crimson Tide's traditional array of enviable talent. And there's history. Kentucky has beaten the Crimson Tide just twice in football _ 1922 and 1997. Lexington was host to both those victories. UK has never beaten Bama in Bama. Under the SEC's direction, the Cats must travel to Tuscaloosa at a date to be determined.
Oh well, you win some, you lose some, right? If you go by the preseason projections, it's a wash. UK should be favored over a visiting Ole Miss. It will be the underdog at Alabama. Add it up and it's a projected win and a projected loss added to the conference slate in an odd season of nothing but a conference slate.
It could have been worse. Ask Arkansas. Poor Sam Pittman, the Razorbacks' new head coach. Georgia and Florida were tossed in his lap. No big deal, just the two teams most likely to battle for the SEC East title. In his Fayetteville debut, Pittman must face six of the top 13 teams in USA Today's preseason coaches poll _ No. 3 Alabama, No. 4 Georgia, No. 5 LSU, No. 8 Florida, No. 11 Auburn and No. 13 Texas A&M. Plus, Arkansas was 2-10 last season.
"We now own the most challenging schedule in the history of college football," Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek said.
Missouri's task is nearly as tough. Poor Eli Drinkwitz, Mizzou's new head coach. The SEC added Alabama and LSU to his welcome basket. LSU is merely the defending national champ. Alabama has won the national title five of the last 11 years. But then, who's counting? Chances are in Columbia, they won't be counting many victories.
Rocky Top's not thrilled, either. Texas A&M and Auburn were added to Tennessee's schedule. So Jeremy Pruitt gets those two, plus Alabama, Georgia and Florida. If the Vols are going to capitalize on their strong 2019 finish, they're going to have to do it the hard way.
Back to the Cats. Though we don't know the dates, we do know the setup. Home games: Georgia, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss and Mississippi State. Away games: Florida, Missouri, Tennessee, Alabama and Auburn.
Chances are UK is favored in every home game but Georgia. A 4-1 home record would be nice. But in order to scale the wall that is a .500 conference mark, the Cats will need at least two road wins. Tough sledding there. Missouri could be one. The Cats have beaten the Tigers five straight. Tennessee could be the other, except for the fact the Wildcats haven't won in Knoxville since 1984.
Here's the good news: Over the past four years, Mark Stoops is 16-16 in conference play. You have to go back to Bear Bryant to find a UK coach with comparable conference success in a four-year period. Stoops has 15 starters returning. Four are on the offensive line. Seven are on a defense that began 2019 as a question mark and ended ranked 20th in total yards allowed.
This will be Stoops' eighth season at the helm. He has recruited well. He has developed those recruits. He won 10 games just two years ago. He has produced high-round NFL Draft picks. And he has been to four straight bowl games, winning the last two. Not a bad resume.
There are no guarantees, of course, especially not during a pandemic. But Kentucky football is at a point where it should be competitive with just about anyone in the SEC, no matter the conditions, the schedule, or what the league office dishes out. Even against Alabama.
