TheTimesTribune.com, Corbin, KY

Sports Editorials

Related Photos

Discussion

July 1, 2009

College football season is getting closer

Larry Winterland

If you are really quiet and listen very carefully, you can hear the sound in the back ground — hear it?

It’s the sound of July.

It’s the sound of shoulder pads slapping, helmets crashing, and pigskins flying.

It sounds great doesn’t it?

Over the course of the next few weeks, I will be in and out of my football induced coma, counting down the days to two-a-days.  

I feel like a fish out of water.

It wasn’t always like this. Over the past three years or so, football came first.

Everything in the state went back to normal on April 1.

John Calipari was hired as the head basketball coach and since then Kentucky has become a basketball state once again.

Does anyone remember that the football team has won three straight bowl games?

If Billy Clyde Gillispie was still here, the focus would be on opening weekend in Cincinnati. Instead the No. 1 recruiting class is taking all the buzz away from what could be a historic football season.

If this football season is historic for the University of Kentucky, it won’t be easy. The SEC is the class of college football. The schedule isn’t very kind to Rich Brooks’ squad.

The harder SEC games are at home.

The games that we call “winnable” are on the road.

Kentucky will not be playing for an SEC title, but the Wildcats should make their fourth straight bowl appearance.

And while I am at it, let me tell you how the rest of the season unfolds as I see it.

Quarterback Mike Hartline will be just effective enough to keep the highly-ranked freshmen recruits on the bench. The receivers, who are a year better, will make the plays they couldn’t last season for the starting quarterback.

If Hartline manages the game just right, the defense will be good enough to keep Kentucky in football games.

If Kentucky wants to get to that fourth straight bowl appearance, they better only lose one game between October 11 and November 7. This means the Wildcats better win all their games in November during that stretch and pull an upset on the road in either South Carolina or Auburn.

I have said it once and I will say it again, 11 straight weeks of football isn’t going to be easy for Kentucky, I don’t care how many easy games there are on the schedule.

But I don’t think this is the year Kentucky ends the streaks against Florida, Tennessee, or South Carolina. At the end of the day, it’s still Steve Spurrier, the national champions, and Tennessee.

What I think will be fun to watch is Lane Kiffin wonder clueless on the sidelines as the minor NCAA violations pile up.

At the end of the year, Kentucky should have at least six wins, if not seven. And for the fourth straight year, we should be making plans to watch football after Christmas.

I just wonder if it will have the same effect because after all, the basketball Wildcats did have the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation.

Text Only
Sports Editorials
  • 0331 Fear Les Diamond Ratings.jpg Fear 'Les' Diamond Ratings

    North Laurel enters region tournament play as one of the hottest teams not only in the 13th Region, but the entire state. The No. 10 state-ranked Lady Jaguars are winners of 17 straight while allowing only four runs during their last 10 games.

    May 29, 2012 1 Photo

  • Les Dixon Interesting week ahead for local teams

    Believe it or not, in just two days the postseason will begin for our baseball and softball teams in the Tri-County and with that said, it’s time for me to pull out my old trusty crystal ball and give my two cents worth on what to expect once postseason play begins.

    May 21, 2012 1 Photo

  • 0331 Fear Les Diamond Ratings.jpg Fear 'Les' Diamond Ratings

    The Lady Jaguars are winners of 14 straight, but if they hadn’t turned in a solid showing against McCreary Central, I was close to moving them to the No. 2 spot.

    May 17, 2012 1 Photo

  • Les Dixon Mitchell might be back on the sidelines sooner than later

    It’s been two days since former Lynn Camp coach David Mitchell was informed he was fired and from what I’m hearing, it might not be long at all before Mitchell is back on the sideline coaching.

    May 16, 2012 1 Photo

  • Tim Branstetter So who will UK replace with Indiana and North Carolina?

    I sure hate to see Kentucky drop Indiana and North Carolina from its schedule. I love to watch Kentucky play those two storied programs, and I really don’t know how you could replace them on the schedule.

    May 9, 2012 1 Photo

  • Tim Branstetter Kudos to Chris Hart

    I would like to give out a Big Time Timmy Gem to Corbin softball coach Chris Hart for getting his 100th career win.

    May 8, 2012 1 Photo

  • Tim Branstetter Big Blue fantasy draft

    After hearing a little debate about which team is better between the 1996 Wildcats and the 2012 Wildcats I decided to do a draft with my buddy and Times-Tribune assistant editor, Brad Hall.

    May 7, 2012 1 Photo

  • Les Dixon I’ve got lots to ramble about

    It’s been more than a week since I last rambled about sports and with that said, I’m not going to waste anyone’s time, so let’s get to it.

    May 7, 2012 1 Photo

  • 0331 Fear Les Diamond Ratings.jpg Fear 'Les' Diamond Ratings

    The Lady Jaguars are hitting on all cylinders right now. North Laurel has positioned itself as the team to beat in the 13th Region after defeating cross-town rival South Laurel this past week, 2-0.

    May 3, 2012 1 Photo

  • Tim Branstetter Coaching kids isn’t easy, but it’s a lot of fun

    Last weekend was one of the greatest sports moments of my life.I couldn’t be more proud of my 6th grade travel basketball team, Southeast Elite, for winning the Smoky Mountain Classic in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.

    May 1, 2012 1 Photo