Seems I've not been that far off in my projections, but I'm still revising this post from about three weeks ago.  I was about 75% we'd lose last nights game - and in reality, we should have.  Thanks to the block and runback and inexplicable fumble by GS though, I was pleasantly surprised we won.  Sometimes that's how the ball bounces and, as the saying goes, "if ifs and buts were candy and nuts, (WVU) would have a Merry Christmas".  If I recall correctly, there was a game or two that we dominated all stats but still lost as well...  C'est Lavi.

WVU was a signature win and Luck doesn't play too much into the bowl projections/acceptance to my knowledge, but the losses to FIU and Marshall might significantly hurt us.  I think we may need to win out to be bowl eligible due to those two losses... Am I completely off base there?  We can win out, or we could almost as easily lose out, but I think we finish STRONG at 8/4 and 6/1.  BCS Bowl?  If we go, we could lose big, but it would be a good experience and some serious motivation for our young guys once they become upper seniors.  Here's to hoping Cinci loses two and we win out. 

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I mean, don't get me wrong, I can give as good as I get, but wait until we get crap on here before "trolling" over on opposing teams sites.  ESPECIALLY if we're getting on them for being the worst fans in all of sports or whatnot.

Not to be the morality/fanbase police, but still. 

On another note - and not on their boards, from a cbs article:

Bigtwelvesux November 5, 2011 4:53 pmHey WV perhaps you should stay in the BIG EAST.....You might have a chance at beating Temple!!

Defend our team HERE with as much vigor as many of you know I'm capable of, but don't go over to their sites and do it.  If it's one thing I hate more than a sore loser, it's a sore winner.  Amiright?

BEAT!

THE CUSE!

TO A PULP! - see what I did there?  I mean, stomp a mudhole in that derrier!  Ultimately, we can all ultimately blame Notre Dame for not committing in football, but essentially 'Cuse and Pitt really started the ball rolling and now ND isn't going to stick around either IMO.  They'll find a conference for all sports and any of the big conferences will gladly take them.  They may remain indi in football and keep their other sports here for the time being, but I doubt it very seriously.  Saw somewhere yesterday that they were in talks with the ACC.  Don't know if there was any truth in that at all, but with everyone else leaving and all the moves to bigger and stronger conferences, if they don't go next, they will go SOON! 

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OK, this is going to be my first attempt at a truly legitimate piece for THE Card Chronicle.  With any luck, it will be my 2nd or 3rd front page bump – HINT HINT, WINK WINK (while stomping my foot).

Before I go further into how I think we’ll be able to salvage this year, let’s talk about some of the Card Chronicle UL faithful and their negativity.  EVERYONE outside of our fan base was posting that we were going to take a step or two backwards this year.  In their pre-season football program, Athlon wrote an EARLY article about how we’d finish either last or next to last in the Big East.  Andrea Addleson(?) essentially didn’t and hasn’t had anything flowery to say about us.  Many of us knew we weren’t going to be very good this year and the list as to why all of this was the case goes on and on.  However, in our most recent losses, we were expected to lose by much more than we did, but the negativity has been such that we were expected to blow UNC and UC away and didn’t perform to standards.  The FIU (although they’re a better football team than a lot of people realize) and Marshall losses should not have happened IMO and I can understand some of the negativity from those two games.  What I cannot understand is the negativity and comments in the game thread from the UNC and UC games?  We outperformed expectations but the “I’m out” and “I’m disgusted” type comments were flowing left and right and honestly they’re quite disheartening.   If we didn’t underperform against FIU or MU, I don’t think we’d be seeing much of that during those two games either, but we are and IMO, it's akin to leaving the stands early.  I honestly think a lot of the overwhelming negativity is from flashes of brilliance our team has shown as well.  If we didn’t move the ball seemingly at will against UNC and UC in the first half, I don’t think people would have been losing their minds in the second halves of those games.  Why/how we could be so successful in the first halves and not score and/or completely implode in the second is almost beyond comprehension, but there are some theories which make sense (playing not to lose instead of playing to win is one that comes to mind).  If that is the only reason, I would hope that HCCS and/or the OC can come up with some solutions.  I would think that they wouldn’t be that stubborn – they are not unintelligent men!  

If you've kept up this far, thanks.  I think it gets better after the jump:

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And I know this is better suited for a fan shot, but it needs to get the attention of the powers that be IMO ASAP. 

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Is there anything that can be done to prevent "comments," from appearing on the "sbnation 'recent stories'" in the future?  Currently there is an article on "USC RB Marc Tyler Suspended After TMZ Comments, Various other indiscretions"...

Here's why:

My daily ritual - Sometimes several times a day - is to come to CC and once I've read the new stuff on the front page, I hit CTRL+F and search for "comments,".  It's the fastest way for me to sort through and find the latest and greatest comments on OPs that I've already read.  Searching for "comments" or "new" returns many more hits than necessary.  Once I finish with the front page, I then add "/stories/#" to the home URL(?) and repeat the above on the page number entered in place of #. 

Another solution - if possible - would be to put an asterisk on material with new comments.  Or something that will not normally appear within the body of the OP - or the "sbnation 'recent stories'".    

The one think I liked about the cbssports boards was the ease with which one could find the newer discussions.  

Of course I'm also game to try any other TTPs anyone uses to do the same thing without scrolling and looking.

CCPTB Thoughts?

I know one hit Churchill Downs and a funnel cloud was spotted over my Mom's House in the vicinity of Hurstbourne and Six-Mile Lane.  I've been told that there are gas leaks and one touched down in the J-Town Industrial Park.  Have friends that own/operate an electrical business out of there.  

Nothing much has been coming out of there, so it doesn't seem like there was really too much damage from what I've heard directly - at least that's what I'm praying since I have a friend that posted on facebook "screw the sirens, I'm going to bed".  Hopefully nobody slept through the sirens.  Anyway, was getting ready to try to do some research through news media, but I've been away from the house and computer 'til now and thought I'd check here too.  I hope and pray everyone is ok and that any necessary recovery is fast and inexpensive. 

I've got to REACH for some sort of explanation in order to cope with some of the recent news surrounding UofL Basketball.  Fuller's departure doesn't add up too much for the reasons David8577 stated in the comments to this thread here.  Ditto the recruits leaving, seemingly since Fuller is leaving - in some cases immediately after RP chats with them - said by many (why leave the program because a measly recruiter is leaving?!).  

Others have probably stated similar stuff elsewhere on the Chron - I'm still trying to get caught up after training where I couldn't access a computer or the Internet for several weeks, but anyway:

The circumstances behind the personnel leaving (namely fuller and the resulting recruits)  almost makes me wonder if CRP found out about some shady tactics utilized in their recruitment and decided to find an easy way out for all involved and in a method that would not punish any involved - if at all possible. In some cases RP or others were listed as recruiters of one player or the other and several have hinted that there is a method to the madness that is RP talking to kids and them leaving - hinting that RP was making room for some stronger commitments from some stronger players and needing to make those scholarships available to better athletes.  The latter just doesn't seem like the MO of RP.  While the "easy way out" explanation I just proposed almost seems to me like a plausible explanation when NOTHING else does, I know its still far fetched, but bear with me...  

If recruits were recruited by shady means do not play, there is no harm/no foul, correct?  If Fuller - or any of the others whose positions were vacated for that matter - is no longer employed and is guilty of unethical behavior while at UofL but is no longer employed and had little to no impact on the program at all, there is no harm/no foul, correct? If those recruited right the wrong somehow before playing, then no harm/no foul, correct?  This seems like an almost plausible explanation that if true might also cause no undue smudges/smears that would mar the Louisville brand.  I know it's a stretch and all, but I'm at a loss for any other explanation.  

I've recently learned RIC and all but if this "stretch" was actually similar to what might be going on, if none of the shadiness came to fruition, would UL be held accountable?  Would these actions be better than self reporting and dealing with the consequences - even if none of the players played in a UL uniform or if they did, corrected any wrongdoing before playing?  I don't know, but I'm trying to find some sort of explanation.  I know from experience that 17-19 y/o kids are EASILY influenced but can also grow up and mature exponentially in a year - or possibly less.  I'm not familiar at al with the intricacies or rules of recruiting either though - hence the "correct" questions.  This was just something that was making me go HMMM.  Would appreciate any clarification as well though too.

I know that this wasn't just the Cats and their fans being a little presumptuous, but it is still funny non the less.  Nothing like rubbing it in the faces of obnoxious cats fans who don't care enough about our team to troll our boards, but I'm not going to stoop so low as to post this on any big blue nation board - mainly 'cause I don't know about any other than by name and I definitely could essentially care less about the cats.  Doing so would also lower me to the % of fans of theirs that are the bad apples (and I know we have our share as well) that I just absolutely cannot stand.

and Mr. Dugans deserves honorable mention as well for our recruiting success.  There's Proof in the pudding.  

Some of you might have already seen this anyway, but I thought it warranted mentioning.  HCCS and his success with returning this program to national contention also obviously has a lot to do with this, but as the article points out, Mr. Hurt had just as much, if not more of his hand in this years successful recruiting class.  Maybe he was responsible for a lot of them being committed to the U and they just came because of their connections with him.  Lots of positive signs from this anyway IMO.  Nowhere to go but UP following HWSNBN, but the future is SOOOOO bright right about now.

UK RPI Breakdown from CBS Sports (as of this posting):

UL RPI Breakdown from CBS Sports (as of this posting): 

Make the jump if you wish -  I'll preface this with the fact that I know very little about RPI and SOS, so point out any errors you see fit to.  I know you all will anyway.

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Anyone know anything about what happened to it?  IDK if its the site, my work PCs, or my Mac... I cannot seem to get it to work and I loved it for recruiting purposes. 

Devon Blackmon - WOW he's fast and for some reason I was thinking he was coming here???  Appears he hasn't committed to anywhere yet...

words words words (to meet the 75 word limit).  That's about lame.  Guess my extra ramblings are almost as lame.  anyway, I'm going to go out and say it.  Cards win the BE in football this coming year. 

Make adjustments? - UK obviously did.  Ricky P got out-coached yesterday.  Plain and simple

Go Bigger? - SVT came in and I thought did pretty well and then ... NOTHING.  Bigger bodies to man up/defend Jones...

Go to a 2-3 zone?  It would've made it easier to collapse and double up on Jones while preventing the open look to Harrelson when UK was just spreading the floor out IMO from the half court sets.  That would have left some open threes, but it was obvious we were too small for Jones/Harrelson

continue to attempt to take it to the hole?  OK, Siva's stuff was getting tossed a lot, but keep taking it at them and get them in foul trouble.  

I had some other questions, but cannot think of them right now.  Still hurting.  GO CARDS!  

of UofLs past bowls?  Based on http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1177192/index.htm, which was brought to my attention by  CardsFan922 in another thread, I am wondering how much our past bowling has cost/profited the University of Louisville and how much whichever bowl we get to this year will cost/benefit the University of Louisville this year and if it's really worth it if it costs 7 figures (+-).

I know there are benefits to exposure and everything like that.  I also know that Mr. Jurric has to have more fiscal sense than that - or else the University President would have been looking for a new AD by now - and combined with Big East Bargaining power (I would hope and ASSUME), any bowl should be profitable for the participating university.  However, if memory serves, there were some pretty big names in that article that had significant red on their balance sheets after attending their respective bowl games.  Doesn't make sense to me, which is why there has been some anti-trust issues/suits brought.  Another reason to eliminate the BCS, but those are just my thoughts.  What are yours?

What's the difference between say www.ditchball.com, ditchball.com or accessing either from my cell?  I mean from my work computer if I access the site from the www address, it's more outdated (not up to date - still back to just before USF game).  the ditchball.com address usually had the most up to date from what I could tell, and my cell phone seemed to always have the most up to date informtion. 

Is it just a setting on the gov't computer that prevents information from coming in or what?  Is it maybe an issue with that site?  Any thoughts?  That site is the 2nd site I visit after I've checked everything I've wanted to check out here (caught up on my daily reading)

As a gambling man, I like the odds of 4th and inches and attempting to ice the game then and there.  Couldn't see the play unfold or anything (shitty connection at the hotel I was at).  Yes it was a gamble and I'd lay 3:1 odds that 50% of everyone who's bitching and moaning about the call after the fact (hindsight is 20/20) wanted us to go for it.  Again, hindsight is 20/20 and there's not a lot we can do about it now and there would be so many what-ifs that would come of going with the option to kick it.

1) We could've missed (granted Philpott has been pretty golden from inside 30 this year...), but we still could have.

2) We make the 3 pointer and USF makes a TD - they did put up 21 on the board (mostly from poor punting (and short fields - much what OT starting field position is...).  Then a lot of the same people would be cussing about not going for it on 4th and INCHES

3) We could've made the 1st down and still not converted a TD; give up a fumble or an INT...

etc. etc. etc.

All what-if and shoulda/woulda/coulda scenarios aside, watching all the videos from the players and coach following the loss you can see that this TEAM owns up to their shortcomings in this game.  HCCS isn't passing the buck or blaming anyone but himself and the same holds true for every one of the players who had something to say.  This is almost a 180 from what would happen under HWSNBN!  This TEAM is taking the onus for the loss and although they all seemed very downtrodden, I think this loss will help galvanize the team to perform even more miraculously (compared to last season) to win these next two.  It will be a TALL order against WVU for sure, but it's doable and RU should be in the bag. 

I said it before and I’ll say it again:  The fight and esprit de corps of these guys is huge.  HCCS is responsible for this.  We didn’t get it done Saturday, but I guarantee the seniors are going to be PUMPED for the WVU game and it will show.  These guys will go to war with each other and FOR each other.  I see this being a good turning point for the game and the rest of the season, but that’s just my $.02.

Crazygameofpoker, where you at? 

Cards appear to me (unprofessional and biased opinion) to be much stronger than projected...

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And most certainly shouldn't be fired. 

Anyone with any common sense would look at the Dieng situation and think - he's a shoe-in for eligibility... For Christ's sake, he'd probably qualify for eligibility into an Ivy League school.  The NCAA will have to look at this and see the error of their ways.  The kid supposedly speaks 5 different languages and scored a 31 on the ACT... I have an MBA and I think I only scored a 21 or 23 on the ACT.  To declare him academically ineligible based on missing some classes is ludicrous.  He obviously has the intelligence and determination to be able to tackle anything he sets his mind to...  I guarantee he'd get better grades than 90% of the college athletes in most any sport...  I mean seriously, if it's just because he didn't have enough English classes or not enough or high enough math classes, the NCAA definitely needs to take a serious look at itself and its admissions/eligibility requirements!

1) Preventing the defense from keying on Beaumont.  Splitting both on either side of the field and keeping whoever they're going to throw to on Adam's right since he apparently can't look left...

2) Taking care of passes that Pascley dropped - I'm sure he could have reeled in at least one of them.

3) Running fly patterns - if nothing else - if he doesn't know the routes current to this new regime...

4) Providing a jump ball opportunity in the end zone when we're in the red zone - our offensive play calling was too conservative and our red zone offense was LACKING!

Just my thoughts on the matter.  I know there's a reason he's a TE now and didn't really do too much for us last year, but after those drops by Pascley, he's got to be a better option.  Maybe we see this in the coming weeks depending on how hurt Bellamy is (ANY WORD YET?)...  Hindsight is 20/20, but still, IMO he has to be a better option than Pascley unless Pascley just had a VERY down day.

The more I SEE, HEAR, and SPEAK (type counts, right?) about HCCS and his affect on people, players, etc. the more I'm becoming a cult-like follower of the man.  The man can apparently do no evil and he is developing a cult-like following from Louisville fans in my opinion.  The attendance numbers he's garnering from appearance sand selling out the stadium with the product we're likely going to be putting on the field this year is nothing short of miraculous. 

Anyway, I work with a gentleman whose brother is an aspiring starting DT for the Cardinals.  I was trying to see if my coworker could provide any insight on Demar Dorsey or Jordan Campbell and I've asked him several times what his bro has to say about the state of the program, the former coach, and since the hiring of HCCS now, HCCS.

Players seem to love him and are buying into everything.  His brother has nothing but praise for Strong and confirms pretty much what everyone else is stating - that Strong works their tails off but they all revere him!  They're buying into everything Strong is selling too.  Sure, the initial buy-in was probably mainly because he comes from such a successful background.  From what I'm gathering though, I would say that has developed into more of a respect and admiration for Strong for the simple fact that he's a true leader of men.  He's willing to get out and into the trenches with the men, and genuinely cares for their success and welbeing.  Some of them are amazed by his physical prowess - he's apparently a beast (especially for a man his age) in the gym.  From what little I know about him, I would assume he wouldn't ask the guys to do anything he wouldn't do or hasn't done himself.  He's instilling all kinds of teamwork and camaraderie with the men and the hardships they have endured and will continue to endure will do nothing but add esprit de corps to the team.  This being said, and me being a betting man, I would bet the farm that 75% of these guys will go to war for each other and their coach.  The end result of these efforts to promote teamwork will HOPEFULLY surprise the hell out of us Card fans - at least those of us with realistic expectations.  For the fanatics out there with unrealistic expectations, hopefully this team meets or exceeds your outlook.  Unfortunately, a clear field general has yet to be clearly identified by Strong.  One thing is for sure:  these cards will have a lot more to fight for under Strong and will have the conditioning to last four quarters, keeping us in more games that we would have lost the last several years.

Many on his staff apparently JUMPED at the chance to work for Charlie.  I just read somewhere that one of his coaches said the move from Miami to Louisville to work for Strong was a "no-brainer".  Joker reportedly offered to work for him years ago, knowing that Strong would end up a head coach.  Unfortunately for Coach Strong, that is by all accounts too long overdue.  Fortunately for us Cardinal fans, it has come at the right time.  I defy any of you to find a better hire for this program based on what Strong has done for us to this point.

The fan base is onboard now too!  I've not been this excited for UofL Football since... well, since before KRAPthorpe took over the reins and I know I'm not alone!  I can't get enough of UofL Football and that has spilled over to excitement for UofL Basketball again too!  That being said, I'm still a realist and expect a mediocre season at best based on the size and talent of our guys that Coach inherited from that fraud Krapthorpe.  After the 2007-8 season, I was one of the ones saying that maybe we should give that loser a chance.  He kicked some players off and I was ticked at Petrino for bolting for "greener pastures", so I gave KRAP the benefit of the doubt too long, hoping his recruits and talent could turn things around. 

Professors probably love the man too since he is committed to getting the guys in class and passing - less headache and ethical dilemmas for the professors to mull over.

Any doubts about HCCS have been put to rest for the most part.  He has turned out to be a GREAT HIRE on all fronts so far and there is only one test remaining - his ability to operate as the HMFIC.  I'm planning on being amazed by his feats in this regard too though!

GO CARDS!!!!!