How will the UK football team do in 2015?

[kwebbvols2344]

Do Kentucky fans feel that they will beat us? Just like last year lol.

 

[SEC-GoalTenda]

*NeverMind*

 

[paradox89]

My gf is a huge UK fan, so I keep up a little bit with their football program and pull for them unless they're playing UT (flame away if necessary) . But UK is recruiting at a high level...for UK that is. They're still near the bottom in SEC recruiting rankings but I believe they have a top 25/30 class nationally with a few 4*'s. They've really been taking advantage of Ohio recruits choosing not to play in the big ten which is huge for them as it's hard for UK to pull a lot of blue chips from the recruiting hotbeds of the south (FL, GA, Carolinas, Memphis and Nashville metro). They did miss on a huge in-state 5* rb that was possibly the best football recruit to ever seriously consider UK or come out of KY, but they still have a solid class. However, I don't see them ever being a power in the SEC, but they have more talent than they've had in a long time, if ever. UK's reasonable football expectations should be to be a bowl team most years and have an occasional 7/8 win season if they keep recruiting like they have been.

In 2015, they def have the potential and schedule to be bowl eligible and possibly even win 7 reg season games. They'd have to beat Louisville, Miss St (who loses a bunch of starters btw), and one of USCe, Fla, or Missouri with Fla being the most likely (although they might have a little fla curse going on as well after seeing how last year's UK-UF game played out).

UK is def a team on an upward trend, but I don't see them having anywhere near the potential that we have at UT for a number of reasons (better players/recruiting, facilities, football fanbase, lack of tradition/prestige). Theyll be an interesting team to watch though to see if stoops can finally being them out of the cellar.

 

[LouderVol]

did Matt Elam play? i thought he was overrated but seemed like he would be a good player for UK. and continuing on that line of thinking, did UK have to play many of their freshmen from their good recruiting class last year, or did they get to develop? I don't follow them enough to know one way or the other. but it would be interesting to see what those guys could do for UK. I honestly see them as #5 or 6 in the east year in year out with pushes into 3-4 every once in a while. mostly i see them as a spoiler for other teams.

 

[paradox89]

I don't think Matt Elam got a ton of playing time this year although I believe he played in most of their games this year, and he got a tackle in the Tennessee game iirc. Given his weight, I think stoops realized he was going to be a project for a year or two. However I don't see him ever playing up to his 5* rating (per 247 composite)...4* maybe but if you were to compare film of either K-Mac or Shy to Elam, he def doesn't look like a 4 or 5 star player...not to me at least, plus he was going up against inferior competition (KY hs football is not too good).

 

[OrangeBalls]

My gf is a huge UK fan, so I keep up a little bit with their football program and pull for them unless they're playing UT (flame away if necessary) . But UK is recruiting at a high level...for UK that is. They're still near the bottom in SEC recruiting rankings but I believe they have a top 25/30 class nationally with a few 4*'s. They've really been taking advantage of Ohio recruits choosing not to play in the big ten which is huge for them as it's hard for UK to pull a lot of blue chips from the recruiting hotbeds of the south (FL, GA, Carolinas, Memphis and Nashville metro). They did miss on a huge in-state 5* rb that was possibly the best football recruit to ever seriously consider UK or come out of KY, but they still have a solid class. However, I don't see them ever being a power in the SEC, but they have more talent than they've had in a long time, if ever. UK's reasonable football expectations should be to be a bowl team most years and have an occasional 7/8 win season if they keep recruiting like they have been.

In 2015, they def have the potential and schedule to be bowl eligible and possibly even win 7 reg season games. They'd have to beat Louisville, Miss St (who loses a bunch of starters btw), and one of USCe, Fla, or Missouri with Fla being the most likely (although they might have a little fla curse going on as well after seeing how last year's UK-UF game played out).

UK is def a team on an upward trend, but I don't see them having anywhere near the potential that we have at UT for a number of reasons (better players/recruiting, facilities, football fanbase, lack of tradition/prestige). Theyll be an interesting team to watch though to see if stoops can finally being them out of the cellar.

That is reasonable and I don't disagree. My contention is that they'll have to beat Louisville to make it easier on them to get to a bowl because SEC wins will be few and far between other than with Vandy. However, as long as Petrino is there, I think they'll lose that game more than win. So, they'll have to find 3 SEC wins. They should beat Vandy next year. The problem with beating Miss St is they play them on the road. They also get So Car and UGA on the road. They do get Mizzou, UT and Fla at home. If Dobbs gets hurt, UT could probably lose to almost anyone outside of Vandy. They will still be a young and fairly inexperienced team because their upper classmen are still small in numbers.

7-8 wins should be doable in another year. They did it under Brooks. They might even squeak in a 9 win season. They'd have to have some things go their way, but Vandy did it and Miss St and Ole Miss (who are traditionally 2nd tier in the SEC) had one of their better years. However, I never see them winning the SEC East unless Fla, UGA, So Car, UT and Mizzou are going through some upheaval or have a number of injuries.

 

[McCat]

Louisville is do-able. Petrino has not replaced the players that Strong has recruited and a good deal of the elite players are leaving.

 

[McCat]

This is exactly correct. Conditioning is still getting there.

I don't think Matt Elam got a ton of playing time this year although I believe he played in most of their games this year, and he got a tackle in the Tennessee game iirc. Given his weight, I think stoops realized he was going to be a project for a year or two. However I don't see him ever playing up to his 5* rating (per 247 composite)...4* maybe but if you were to compare film of either K-Mac or Shy to Elam, he def doesn't look like a 4 or 5 star player...not to me at least, plus he was going up against inferior competition (KY hs football is not too good).

 

[UT_Dutchman]

Was Iowa that good?

They made it to a bowl game!

 

[LittleCat]

How do y'all think Kentucky will do in the 2015 football season? I think they go 4-8 and finish 6th.

I think we'll win anywhere from 4 to 7.

UL-Lafayette Should be an easy win.
South Carolina Away game and will tell a lot about the team. Toss up game. I'll say loss.
Florida Loss. Like UT fans say, UF can never be an easy game, no matter how good or bad UF is.
Missouri L. Mizzou always overachieves.
Eastern Kentucky Easy win.
Auburn Loss.
Miss State Loss.
Tennessee Loss. UT is improving like UK, but at a much faster pace. Hopefully UK won't embarrass itself again.
Georgia Win. I'll call this the surprise upset of the season.
Vanderbilt Win. UK sucks still, but Vandy sucks more.
UNC-Charlotte Easy win.
Louisville Loss. We should have won last year. Will be a huge game to end the year, and hopefully not be the bowl factor or not it was this season.

5 wins again will probably buy Stoops some more time. We are still redshirting people and figuring depth out. QB will be up for grabs again. Towles struggled as the season progressed, so I hope we can see Barker give him a run for the starting job. Reese Phillips also has a shot, he is a lot better than advertised.

 

[Otis07]

2 or 3 wins......depends of whether Vanderbilt fields a team.....the only buzz Kentucky football will achieve at the renovated stadium is if they are giving away JIM BEAM