It's been a great day of sports on TV and I thoroughly wasted the day making sure my TV didn't move. (I watched it all day and it never moved.) Obviously, the day got a great start will our young Cats playing beyond their years in enduring and overcoming a great game by the Tarheels.

After the game, it was off to football. Three games to watch - LSU/Georgia, Wisconsin/Michigan State and Oklahoma State/Oklahoma. The first to confirm LSU is the baddest boy in the neighborhood, the second to see something close (boy, was it!) and the last to see a #3 team that wants to reach the Championship Game.

OSU's demolision of the preseason #1 Sooners was impressive. Granted, OU has fallen a long way from the preseason but the performance of OSU had me thinking: Wouldn't OSU against LSU be more entertaining than Bama against LSU? And maybe make the whole bowl season more interesting?

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While Joker and Co. ponder the starting quarterback for Saturday's game the storm rages. Bloggers are calling for Mr. Smith Goes to Commonwealth across the BBN. It seems that the only disagreement among the faithful is whether Smith should be named the starter before or after the "quarterback competition" this week in practice.

Actually, there are a few reasons for Joker to wait. He wants to plant a little seed of doubt in Ole Miss game planning, see how Newton is healing up and waiting for the HGH tests on Smith to get back from the lab.

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In one night Kentucky football went from something you want to lock in a closet to something you want to talk about. Have I gone off the deep end thinking UK has turned the corner and is going bowling? No, and I don't even want to think about how this season will finish out.

With a surprising performance (26 for 33, 174 yards) Max Smith has now given us football's most noteworthy debating argument - the quarterback controversy. And this one has a couple of interest twists. First Morgan Newton got injured and second, there is a weird win-lose(?) outcome to Joker's legacy.

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Welcome, my friends, to this year’s installment of Irrational Exuberance. Set aside anything resembling logic, sanity, reality, uncertainty, pessimism, skepticism and doubt. Below will be the real story of the upcoming campaign by the Kentucky Wildcat football team, the stuff of legends, what you tell your grandchildren. After all, fall is around the corner (finally!), teams are hyped to the point of residing on Mt. Olympus, fans are itchy for some games, Coaches are universally positive and ESPN is ready to make some money. So without further ado, we proceed with the prognostication:

First, a little background. - You think Kentucky "accidentally" stunk up the Compass Bowl, Miss State and Tennessee games, along with showing an abhorrence of tackling fundamentals, critical fumbles and lack of opportunistic play? NAHHHHH! All part of Joker’s master plan. He knows first year coaches in any sport are forgiven damn near anything (unless you’re Pitino, then you get a lifetime ride) and it’s easier to "rise" from a lower point. Last year set up this year’s run to greatness.

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Don't forget to catch the Green Bay/Cleveland game tonite at 7:30 on ESPN. We're likely to get a lot of Cobb since he's looking to be the #3 receiver on the depth chart. He's supposed to also be returning kick-offs and punts so he'll have plenty of chances to shine. Maybe they'll eventually put in a Wildcheese package.

Also we'll get to see Masthay still on the world champs team and Chris Matthews on the Browns. Masthay and Cobb look pretty good for making the Packers but Matthews is on the bubble at Cleveland.

Saturday was just the latest game where Randall Cobb took over a game, gave us a show and made the team competitive. Yes, its a team sport and there were several contributors on both sides of the ball but the cleated highlight reel continues to amaze.

I got to wondering just how much on the field impact he has had over the past two and a half years but was immediately limited by my cloudy memory. I'd like to know which games you think Cobb has been the deciding factor in either determining the outcome or in making the game competitive. To start with I'll throw out one in each category. First, we have last weekend's game with Auburn; not a victory but he has to figure in on making the game competitive. The defensive stops very likely would have been for naught without Cobb's offensive heroics. In the latter category I'll go with the '08 Arkansas game. Without Cobb, this would have been chalked up as a loss.

Help me recall some other games where the man was THE MAN.

It’s time once again to gaze into the crystal ball for the upcoming and long awaited football season. Even in Cat country there are a few (OK, very few of us) that actually think of football as our favorite sport. Especially now that Kentucky basketball has been rightfully restored to its prominent position; where’s the suspense in 30 win seasons? 

When you follow Kentucky football you get poor press coverage, gut-wrenching losses, occasional NCAA sanctions, embarrassing losing streaks, barely southern bowl games and no respect ... but, you also get HOPE. There is no more loyal football fan base than the Kentucky football fan base. Recently, Kentucky was ranked 14th in the nation in selling out their stadium - not too shabby for a "basketball school".

Give me the excitement of Saturdays in the fall. Tailgating (if you’re lucky enough to attend a game), College Game Day, x’s and o’s, HDTV, nachos, barbecue, beer and a whole day to enjoy 857 games on 50 channels (who won that Otterbein vs Wartburg game?).

But I digress, its time for my annual irrationally exuberant prognostication for this year’s Kentucky Wildcats.

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I culled a few football links from the last few days for those of us salivating about the upcoming season.

 

From Cris Lowe:

SEC position rankings: Linebackers 

(Nowhere to go but up!)

SEC position rankings: Defensive backs

(#10!? I'd put us more to the middle of the pack.)

 

The continuing theme of Kentucky as a bottom feeder brought to you by

1. Jeff Schultz (AJC)

2. Bleacher Report (FWIW - $0)

3. Scouts.com

4. SECsportsfan.com

Actually, I'm kind of glad the preseason opinions are so low. With so many "experts" expecting so little, teams will be taking us lightly and looking past us. Also, it would be good to see crows become an endangered species by the end of the year. Just what is the best way to cook a crow?

via t3.gstatic.com

maysvilleblue brought up the latest rumor of Cal going to the NBA - this time Chicago. That coupled with the news concerning the platinum parachute in the works for Cal has started to leave me a little unsettled. On the one hand, I firmly believe Cal is running a very clean program and there are no "surprises" but it's almost as if Cal is becoming bigger than the program.

Without a doubt a lot of this publicity is because it is Calipari. Any other coach going through this exact scenario wouldn't garner near the press as Cal and anything he does is looked at from 57 sides; with 56 sides being illegal, unethical, unseemly, shady, deceitful or dishonest.

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As we've gone through the NCAA Tourney (and what a great ride so far!) the name "Duke" occasionally rears it's ugly head. In fact, getting to the Elite 8 and looking ahead we see in another bracket that there is a team whose only redeeming quality is its ability to unite fanbases to a fever pitch of seething hatred. UK is not the only fanbase that reacts to that name, there are others with sane reasoning.

The comments through the recent threads have begun to polarize on the best path to write the history of that despised team. Should they simply exit now at the hands of their next opponent (or the next) and simply drag their overrated butts back home or should they continue a collision course into the jaws of the Cat Machine.

I just wanted to put it to the ASOB faithful. Which do you think is better - "the earlier exit the better" school of hatred or the let Kentucky do the honors of returning them to their lair of oddity? (I'm sure hamster-face is already worried about us.)

 We'll let this poll go until a little before tip-off tomorrow. By then it may be a moot point if Purdue has their way.

Poll

Which would be better:

32%

I'm tired of hearing their name, get them out of the tourney ASAP!

20 votes

67%

Let them have false hope long enough so Kentucky can have the pleasure to eliminate them.

41 votes

61 votes | Poll has closed

Now that we've seen our Cats dismantle the #16 seed East Tennessee State team its time to check out other teams tonite. Of particular interest will be the upcoming game with our Saturday opponent - either Wake Forest or Texas.

By now the Big East, Vandy and some other select teams have left gaping holes in many of our brackets. Take heart, our tourney winner showed up tonite and did us proud. This thread is for those fans that simply can't watch a single game to satisfy their basketball addiction and must follow the ups and downs of the whole tournament.

Talk about Kentucky, our future opponents, our past or whatever game the CBS roulette wheel happens to air in your neck of the woods.

Just thought I'd start up a thread for those of us glued to basketball, any basketball. Several good games going on this evening and rather that clog up the latest front page thread it might be useful to have a basketball addict open thread for the evening.

Comments for our games, tomorrow's game against the Vols, SEC or NCAA tourney, other games or whatever. Just anything for college basketball. (Sorry Tru if this is against the rules.)

 

I was going to put my comments about the MCB game in the responses on Tru’s Rear View Mirror thread but thought it might get a little long so it is posted here for easier bypassing. I just got home from the game and a day long reflection of the game while driving home. Also I’ve read through the game thread and other threads concerning the game and Brook’s "80% gone" announcement.

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Posters and the like are not allowed into the stadium but I'm planing on being around the 309-310 concourse at halftime. Trying to find some way to make a sign so anyone from ASOB can meet to get some names and faces put together. This should be a good game, I just hope the team is a little more pumped up than the fan base. I know I am. Job #1 - Stop Spiller. GO CATS!!

This is it. The hated Vols trespass on Commonwealth turf in an effort to extend our frustration against them. Enough is enough. Past games count nothing toward tonite's game and the battle whould be epic. Add Kentucky's home field advantage to the stats and the two teams come out close to even. Brooks has shown the ability to get the Cats pumped at crucial times and this is about as crucial as it gets. Second place in the SEC, break the streak, quality bowl, revenge, expectations - all factors pointing to what could prove to be a game for the ages.

Forget the breakdown of offense, defense, special teams and coaches - lets PLAY BALL. My prediction is Kentucky 24, Tennessee - 10. I see a highly charged game being played with too much emotion, turnovers and defense rule the day. Really do we care how the game is played? Just win it. Plunk down your guess for braggin' rights and no one is allowed to submit a guess with Tennessee coming out on top.

Pffffft!

via i48.photobucket.com

We're most likely bowl bound and now playing for prestige with two games to go in the season. Today we line up between the hedges against a Uga-less Georgia team operating without their best receiver, A.J. Green. Cobb is questionable with a shoulder injury but is such a competitor he'll insist on playing as much as possible. The game could turn into a wrestling match of running game vs running game which points to line play. Kentucky's front line (avg 307) will try to control Owens and Weston at the line and keep the linebackers, mainly Curran and Dent, at bay. Newton will have to keep an eye out for blitzing Houston from one side and Curran from the other in passing situations. Georgia's front line (avg 305) will be trying to open the holes for the running game that recently has featured Caleb King and Washaun Ealey. The depth of Georgia in impressive - lots of receivers and running backs able to step in but they are committed to Joe Cox at quarterback. 

The experts have Georgia favored by 9.5 and the under/over set at 51 points. Being the irrational fan that I am, I'll go with a close one for Kentucky at 20 - 17 to spoil Senior Day in Athens. What's your guess?