Memorial Day weekend is almost here. That means Labor Day weekend can’t be that far away, which means college football isn’t that far away.
With that in mind, it’s time to play our summer game when it comes to college football topics, with an emphasis on Kentucky football.
Are we in? Or are we out?
Kentucky will be better in 2023 — In
Mark Stoops’ club didn’t nosedive last season, but there was slippage. UK was 3-5 in the SEC, 7-6 overall. Even without Will Levis and Chris Rodriguez, Stoops owns a better roster for the upcoming campaign. More depth. Better vibe. We’ll see if that translates to the won-lost record.
UK has an easier schedule — Out
The first three games should be layups. But after losing at home to South Carolina and Vanderbilt last season, the Cats visit Columbia and Nashville this fall. They also play Georgia at Georgia. Alabama visits Kroger Field. And UK ends the regular season at Louisville.
UK’s new-look offensive line — In
Moving the athletic Jager Burton to center, plus transfer portal imports help. Northern Illinois transfer Marques Cox should hold down left tackle. Returning Kenneth Horsey and Eli Cox to their more natural guard positions is a plus. More continuity with second-year offensive line coach Zach Yenser.
Kirby Smart over Nick Saban — Out
Smart is the SEC’s hottest coach. The head Bulldog has rewarded his alma mater with back-to-back national titles at Georgia. Saban has seven title rings in his jewelry box, however. The Alabama coach may be 71 years old, but he’s due for a comeback.
Liam Coen’s return — In
Capital letters required. We had high hopes for the Rich Scangarello hire, but the former 49ers assistant couldn’t replicate what the former Rams assistant did in 2021. Coen’s return appeared to give the offense an attitude adjustment in the spring.
Brad White is getting his due — Out
Kentucky’s 40-year-old defensive coordinator has produced top 25 total defenses in three of his four years as play-caller. He’s produced top 15 scoring defenses two of the four. Last season, Kentucky finished 12th in yards per game, 11th in points per game. Yet White rarely appears in those lists of assistant coaches ready to be a head coach. Change needed.
Devin Leary — In
Kentucky’s new quarterback is different than Kentucky’s old quarterback. Leary isn’t as big as Will Levis. His arm strength doesn’t match Levis. Leary has more touch on his throws, however. He also arrives with much more experience from North Carolina State than Levis accumulated at Penn State.
Additional conference realignment — Out
Enough already. We don’t need 20-team megaconferences. We don’t need USC and UCLA in the Big Ten or Texas and Oklahoma in the SEC. Bigger is not always better. Unless we’re talking money, of course. And college sports is all about the money.
Jeff Brohm at Louisville — In
Stoops joked that he hated to see Brohm return to his alma mater. That’s no joke. For one thing, Stoops considers Brohm a friend. For another, Stoops knows that Brohm is a terrific coach. The former U of L quarterback has used the transfer portal to rejuvenate the Cardinals’ roster. Louisville could be a surprise team in the ACC.
CFP expansion — Out
Old man shouting at a cloud here. When the College Football Playoff expands to 12 teams in 2024-25, some teams could play as many as 17 games. Twelve in the regular season. One conference championship game. As many as four CFP games. Remember that when you hear administrators talk player safety.
Rule changes — In
Only inside the final two minutes of each half will the clock stop after the offense makes a first down. We’re all-in on that rule change. Anything to make these four-hour marathons just a tiny bit shorter.
SEC football exclusively on ESPN — Out
I for one will miss the 3:30 p.m. Saturday games on CBS. The “major” network provided a different perspective with a professional broadcast. Minority opinion: I’ll miss analyst Gary Danielson.
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