Cats Fan in the Ville

Really tough to predict this one. At times, Leary and the offense look crisp and efficient. But the pass drops and stupid penalties kill the next drive. If the offense can get out of its own way, they can be a tough out. The defense is also going to be tested with Florida’s receivers. I think the run game is going to be a tough sled to pull for either team. Florida will have more talent and depth- but not by much. At least on this year’s roster as it pertains to the two deep. Fans will show up and are super jacked for this game, so there should be a nice home field advantage provided the Gators don’t pull out to any significant early lead. Hate this game is at noon, but it is what it is. I’ll be pleasantly surprised if the Cats notch a win here.

I think Florida shows real progress this season. You’ve seen my respect for the Gators year in and year out- it’s only a matter of time with the recruiting improvement and the need to keep stability within the coaching staff. I don’t care about streaks and past matchups- this is going to be a fun game. I’m glad the game is in Lexington for whatever advantage that may provide. But any knowledgeable fan will recognize the depth and talent on the roster in Gainesville. I don’t know that Martz is the QB to create a special season, but he’s proven that he’s much better than advertised with a new coach and talent to throw to. The Cats will be ready to go and I think this is going to be a defensive game and the team with fewer costly mistakes could likely win. I was impressed with how they handled the Vols and the Cats will have to play a complete game (which they haven’t yet) to win this…. #BBN

Thank you for stirring the pot…. Let me translate this as an objective fan. Yes, Stoops having some success against a Blue Blood like Florida has bolstered his standing with the boosters and administration. That is true. No rational Kentucky fan feels like the Cats control this series after a very brief period of success. A more rational point of view would say Kentucky has become competitive against quality football programs. That’s what it is and nothing more. They beat LSU convincingly a couple seasons ago. They split games against State. They have been fortunate enough to have some success against Mizzou, USC, Vandy- and that’s not guaranteed. Ever. Ask Vandy and the Chickens who had W’s against the Cats last year. It’s a tough conference w a lot of proud programs who won’t cede an inch. I love that the Cats are going to play teams tough. And some years they can find 9-10 wins and fans can celebrate. I love our Cats. Hope for a good game Saturday against the Gators and everyone leaves Commonwealth stadium injury free.

I said it before the season and I’ll say it now- Florida is better than what they’re getting. Mertz is doing exactly what they need him to do. IF we beat the Gators, it will be a quality win. I never take a team with that much talent on the roster for granted.

^^^

Colorado has won a single game against a team that was destroyed by Georgia in the natty and really never should have made it to the playoffs. While it's a big improvement for that program, saying two mid level teams is bigger than Texas and Bama is not close to accurate. I love the ole ball coach, but he's just stirring the pot.

I honestly don't have a problem with the MAC schools. That conference has a pretty good football tradition.

The way I read the comments about Milton were encouraging. I thought he looked pretty good and will obviously have room to grow with experience. The same with Leary.

The last two SC victories over KY were over a WR playing QB and a kid who had never taken a snap. I’m much more worried about FL than playing the game hens.

There is one game Florida is just not talented enough to win this season and that’s the Dawgs. That can change in the next 3-4 years tho…. Fans will be fans and that’s ok. But I can tell you that there’s not a coach in the SEC that’s overlooking Florida. Prediction for the Utah game- it will be close and Florida may even lose as they get the new pieces in place, but if Napier lets the talent and speed do what they can do they could also win by 2 touchdowns.

The one game that I’m confident in winning is the UofL game. With the schedule they have , they may be a top 10 team by the end of the year. But outside of the ND game, they will not face a bigger or faster team than Kentucky. Ray Davis will carry the day with 200+ yards and Louisville will struggle to move the ball at all. L’s Down all game.

This is ludicrous... Florida is not finishing 4-8 and they will beat some good teams this year. While not yet in a position to compete for an SEC title, they have cleaned house and are on pace for a good recruiting class next year. Do you want to set the program back another couple of years? Then yep, fire the coach for 7-5.

I never see much love for Mizzou on here, but what is pretty telling is they have a pretty good record against SEC competition that goes somewhat under the radar... I look at the mix of projections, and while it doesn't feel right, it could be close to on point. Kentucky has had some gifts over the years that literally have had significant impact on the game outcome. I for one was impressed with the Mizzou defense last year. If they make some gains on the offensive side of the ball, they'll win some games they aren't supposed to this year...

Look, I think Kentucky is going to have a good team this year with a lot of balance. The offense should be decent and I look for the defense to maybe be the best Stoops has had in his time in Lexington. Having said that, when I look at the schedule, it's going to be a tough year. Taking a loss against a team that has more talent is one thing. To lose a game like in Oxford last year, or Vandy at home is where I am frustrated. I don't take any games for granted or look for an automatic win beyond the non-conference games. They will lose to Bama and Georgia. That's ok- be competitive, get a few breaks and maybe be in a position in the 4th quarter to make something happen. But when I look at Florida, Tennessee, Mizzou, SC, State and even Vandy- you've got an opportunity to win but also lose those ball games.

I think Vandy is a W. Add in the other 2 non conference cupcakes and that’s 3 wins that are a given. Mizzou is also a likely win. I think they beat TN (that’s my Gator leaning long shot). But in reality it’s a toss up. As are SC and KY. It’s really hard to predict the conference once you drill down beyond Georgia, Bama and LSU. Florida had plenty of talent, an experienced QB, very solid running game and decent speed and depth. I’m no coach, but I think under steadier leadership they have enough talent to be dangerous to anyone they line up against.

Look, the offensive line at Kentucky is only benefitting from playing the first team defensive line. The defense is going to be good- if history follows suit, probably top 2-3 in the SEC. So they're not going to face a front seven much better than they will within their own roster. Walker is an All-SEC caliber tackle and will give any offensive line they face a whole bunch of headaches... This doesn't bother me at all.

I think the Gators fare better this season than most predict. Napier had to put in a lot of work as compared to a scenario like LSU. Not taking away what's happened in Baton Rouge, but there were just more issues with the roster to address making it a longer process. Year two should see improvement in Gainesville. While I hope Kentucky beats them in Lexington, I don't take that for granted and know it will be a good game. I think the only games on the Gator schedule that are going to be extremely hard to win are the Dawgs and Bayou Bengals. Other than that, there's not a game that will shock me if Florida wins.

Well the offense needed two things for improvement- a talented QB and an offense line that could actually block. From all indicators, it appears that they have achieved both of those. So I think they can put up points against TN. My question is scheming for the Vol offense. Kentucky's defense was top 2 or 3 in the league last year and they couldn't stop the Vol offense AT ALL... Brad White has had a lot of time to figure that out. Let's hope there's a better game plan in place in October! Believe me, I'd love to beat TN- probably more than any other game on the schedule (Louisville is right there as well). But they have to prove that to fans first. And a win against a GOOD TN team is different than when they're reeling with coaching turmoil, etc... Beat this particular TN team, and I'll know we won a big time football game.

The problem with these mathematical models is there is very little room for objectivity (which I guess is the point). I have no idea what to think about the Vols this season. They could go from a playoff contender to losing a couple games they shouldn't. But as it pertains to the Cats/Vol matchup, Kentucky doesn't often come out on the winning side of the equation. I hope history doesn't continue to repeat itself and the Cats pull this one out, but it would be hard to put money on it.

That Florida game is going to be a fun one to watch... I don't think the Gators are getting nearly enough pre-season credit. While he may not be at the level of some former Gator QB's, I think Mertz is going to benefit from the athleticism of the wide outs and running backs that he never had at Wisconsin. On top of that, there is plenty of talent up and down the Gator roster. I think this is a year that Florida surpasses expectations. I wish them well in every game except the one in Lexington...

I couldn’t agree more! It takes a really long time to turn around a historically bad program. Not that Kentucky is a top tier team in the SEC, but having them be competitive and on par with teams like Ole Miss, Arkansas, etc has been pretty exciting. Still lots of work to do, but being in the conversation and putting physical teams on the field is part of changing the narrative. I remember having really good seats when Payton Manning came to Lexington and from that vantage point I could see how much bigger their linemen were than Kentucky on both sides of the ball…. Pretty sobering.

I’m going to say he’ll have a better season that Milton.

There are some Vol fans that get ruffled if Kentucky is mentioned in any positive capacity.

Pains me to say it, buy HCJH should be ranked higher than that...

To be fair, Georgia will get whatever QB they really want. If they had gone all in on this kid and made him their priority, he wasn't coming to Kentucky. But Kentucky recruiting is in a decent place and has gotten better over the past 4-5 years- and this should be the start of a good class.

Just watching the fan highlights gets me so jacked up to watch games... there's just nothing like college football. In the SEC, if you lose a game you're depressed for an entire week. In the Big10, you're mad until you wake up the next day. In the Pac12, you forgot who played by the time you get to your car in the parking lot. Go Cats!!

I’ve always been hyped for the 3:30 CBS game. It’s almost like a playoff game every week with the music intro, etc…. Danielson is just part of that “Fall in the South” feeling that you get when you know every fan base is watching. I think ABC/ESPN will understand how important that time slot is and do a good job but I’m a fan of tradition and he will be missed.

Agree with the uncertainty to Leary. To your point, the back half will be tough. I think the ceiling is 9-3. And those 3 losses could come from anywhere among GA, Bama, TN, SC, State, FL or Mizzou. I think the floor is 7-5. This could be the most interesting season for the conference outside of Georgia. I think overall there will be better football but the league will grind away some good teams.

Let his career play out and then have the discussion. He may well end up being the best coach of all time. Don't see a reason he would ever leave UGA, and with his relative youth, he will likely add multiple titles before it's all said and done. It's a tougher job in today's climate to keep his program on the straight and narrow with the 24 hour news cycle, social media, cell phones, etc.... And with that, scandals could overturn the apple cart pretty quickly. Not saying it will, but he's at a disadvantage that wasn't around from an exposure perspective even 15 years ago. And I hope that's not the case- I respect the Georgia program and their coach.

Milton and Leary are two completely different kinds of quarterbacks, so it's never going to be easy to compare the two outside of standard metrics. If I were a Vol fan, I'd be anxious, but also excited by what Milton may do this year. As an outsider, I think you'll see flashes of brilliance and cases where you scratch your head. It will be hard for him to live up to Hooker, but JH is a very smart coach with a nose for what will make the offense successful even if it means pivoting somewhat to Milton's strengths. Saturdays Down South will be upon us soon enough!