SEC shake-up could bode well for UK football
October 22, 2013
By Alex Forkner
Where were you when the sky started falling and Gators and Bulldogs and Gamecocks rained down from above, when Tigers ascended to the heavens, but not the Tigers you’d expect?
This past weekend was one of the strangest to ever take place in the Southeast Conference, featuring upsets galore and a shake-up in the league standings that no one could have predicted.
Even though UK didn’t play this weekend, instead sitting at home watching the carnage unfold, could this changing of the guard bode well for the program’s future?
UK head coach Mark Stoops sure seems to think so.
“You look at it and say, anything can happen in this league,” Stoops said. “I think it’s such a tough, physical league, and if you don’t come ready to play, anything can happen. I think with the injuries that happen throughout this league because of the physicality, I think that changes things week to week, as well.”
Injuries did play a big part in several of the surprise upsets on Saturday. The University of Florida and University of Georgia, most notably, are hobbled beyond relief, having lost multiple important players for the rest of the season.
But consider the University of Missouri, who lost its starting quarterback James Franklin to a shoulder injury two weeks ago and still managed to rough up the Gators in a 36-17 victory. That win has propelled the Tigers to an improbably two-game lead in the SEC East, and they can practically wrap up a trip to Atlanta for the SEC championship game by beating the University of South Carolina this weekend.
What this new pecking order means is there’s ground to be made up, that there isn’t such a monopoly on the top rung of the ladder anymore. The Cats have historically been the ones on the ground, holding that ladder and looking up at the posteriors of powerful programs.
Now, it seems, is the time for UK to tip the ladder right over.
“I think it’s a sign of where we need to be in this league,” Stoops said. “I think to be a good, consistent winner you have to be physical, and yeah, I think it comes from time in that weight room and having some more guys, and we need to continue to work on that, and we need our older guys to step up and improve as well.”
Step number one for UK is to bolster its roster with more talent and experience. A Top-10 rated recruiting class can do wonders for a stockpile of talent, and this year’s youngsters are next season’s veterans.
A win over Mississippi State University on primetime national television would go a long way for recruiting purposes, that “daily chore” for Stoops and his staff that is so important for success. Beating the Bulldogs and looking cool doing it will attract more stud high school players to Lexington next fall.
“We’re doing everything we can to put us in a position to win this game, and I feel like our players are in a good place, and they’re going to be energized and excited to play,” Stoops said.
The Cats aren’t likely to get in on the upset action this season (but do have a chance to play Freddy Krueger to Mizzou’s dream season on Nov. 9), but that doesn’t mean they can’t get a head start on joining the fun next season.
