Mark Stoops And Expectations

Mark Stoops, head coach at The University of Kentucky, has been doing a fantastic job rebuilding the program. When he arrived, Joker Phillips had just run into the James Franklin buzz saw. Vanderbilt and Kentucky have always battled to stay relevant. Normally, one of them will win six, seven, or maybe even eight games, while the other serves as the conference doormat. In the mid 2000s, Kentucky made it to four straight bowl games under Rich Brooks. During that same time, Bobby Johnson only took Vanderbilt Commodores to one bowl game. At the turn of the decade, however, the circumstances flipped. In his three years at Kentucky, Joker Phillips was only able to take the Wildcats to a bowl game once, while James Franklin took the Commodores to a bowl game all three years he was coach, including back-to-back nine-win seasons. In 2012, the year before Stoops arrived, Kentucky won only two games, while Vanderbilt won five conference games, a bowl game, and landed in the top 25 ranking. The momentum had definitely flipped in Vanderbilt’s favor.

So in walks Mark Stoops, a great assistant coach, but a first time head coach. He takes over a program that is the laughingstock of the SEC. His first season doesn’t go well on the field, but off the field, he starts building a recruiting class that cracks the top 35. Then in his second recruiting class, he cracks the top 25. Couple that with the fact the Wildcats started off the season 5-1 last year (before losing the last six games of the season), and expectations are growing for this 2015 Kentucky team. In fact, many fans think if Kentucky doesn’t win six games and make a bowl, this season will be a bust.

But no one is handed six wins in the SEC. You have to earn them. So let’s map out how Kentucky will win six games:

• You have to beat Louisiana, Eastern Kentucky, and Charlotte. If you are upset by any of these three teams, your chances of a six-win season are significantly diminished
• Revenge against Louisville would be so sweet, and it would alleviate the pressure to win three SEC games.
• Beat Vandy at Vandy. This is your only “guaranteed win” conference game this season.
• And then you have to pull off the upset conference win. The two best opportunities for that sixth win come against South Carolina, a program you have beaten in the recent past, and Florida, at home, in a revenge match for last year’s heartbreaker in The Swamp. A possible steal could also be the home Missouri game, as the Tigers may be caught in a trap game, looking past Kentucky in anticipation of the next three games on their schedule against South Carolina, Florida, and Georgia.

So there you have it. Six wins is a distinct possibility, but Kentucky has little room for error. Luckily, for the Wildcats, it feels like the tide in the never-ending Vanderbilt struggle has swung back in Kentucky’s favor. Beat Vanderbilt, continue with solid recruiting classes, and Kentucky can avoid returning to form as the conference doormat. It is harder now for Kentucky to make it to a bowl game with the rise of cross-divisional opponent Mississippi State and the addition of the Missouri Tigers. But as long as Kentucky doesn’t regress this year, the future looks promising for this football program.