Football rivalry diminishes because of Louisville’s play

There was once upon a time when Louisville and UK fans trash talked about their rivalry game like it was the only game that mattered that season.

So far, I haven’t heard hardly a peep.

That’s what happens when one coach is a complete flop (Steve Kragthrope). The Cardinals have a Lexington native as their quarterback and still can’t rally the fan base.

Last year’s season opener between the two teams was quiet going in.

This year, it’s all crickets. All because UK is favored to win by nearly two touchdowns at home.

But in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter who is favored to win, whether it’s the media perception, the fans’ or the Vegas oddmakers.

This game rarely stays true to those perceptions, which sometimes makes for a good game and sometimes makes for an ugly 27-2 win.

There’s nothing exciting about Louisville quarterback and Lexington native Justin Burke. His return to playing time after sitting out a transfer year was awful.

You won’t find 10 honest UK fans who are in love with Mike Hartline as a “game-winning” quarterback either.

The running backs? Sure, Victor Anderson has talent. UK has talented running backs, too. But neither team can expect to hand off 40 times and win.

The sad fact is, UK no longer has a true rival in football. Louisville has gone from Orange Bowl Champions to Big East losers. The Cats can’t beat Tennessee, and Vanderbilt is hardly a real rival.

But that’s how UK fans should want it. It means the Louisville game is a ‘W’ for sure, and in a league like the Southeastern Conference, that’s important, right?

The Cats need every nonconference win they can get. This year, Louisville fills that role as well as Eastern Kentucky.

Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe UK fans want a legitimate rivalry with their in-state foe; an up-and-down game like Florida State and Miami, Florida and Georgia, or Michigan and Ohio State (usually).

Maybe the Louisville game is just another soft nonconference game for fans to tailgate to. They walk in the stadium with a good buzz and walk out cheering around victory.

That’s all I expect to happen come Saturday. UK isn’t yet an offensive powerhouse, but the defense is solid enough to shut down the Cardinals.

Of course, maybe Louisville will provide the same shocker UK did two years ago.

Maybe Louisville will use the game as the same type of springboard UK did.

But only if UK is already worried about becoming Gator bait.

Kenny Colston is a journalism senior. E-mail kcolston@kykernel.com.