Saturday Opinion: What Happened to Football?

Spring football was almost forgotten in the Commonwealth amid the buzz of the thirty-two-million-dollar man coming to Lexington in John Calipari. Amidst our frenzied, glorious, return to basketball power without ever taking the court, Rich Brooks and his football Wildcats bring back one of the country's best defenses and an offense that has potential to flourish. For those of you who think junior quarterback Mike Hartline isn't cut out for the job, remember this, there is now a precedence for second year starters in their junior season to come from nowhere and take the Southeastern Conference by storm (see Andre Woodson, November 2006 in Lexington versus perennial power Georgia). If a perfect storm of events collide on September 26th when the Wildcats take the field against the defending national champion and seemingly assured number one team in the Florida Gators, basketball with be the furthest thing from the minds of Big Blue Nation. If this perfect storm blows into Lexington, the miracle of October 13th, 2007 when #17 Kentucky knocked off eventual BCS champion Louisiana State will be but a distant memory. To be able to beat college football's golden boy in Tim Tebow, to beat its great coach in Urban Meyer, to break free from nearly a quarter century's worth of heartaches, disappointments, failures, beatdowns, and breakdowns in the clutch against the current anointed power in college football would be the sweetest sweet tea in all the territory of the Southeastern Conference for Kentucky. To sip that sweetest tea just one time for Rich Brooks in seemingly the twilight of his days at UK would be so very sweet indeed. Now if we can only give the football team the time of day, for September comes before November. Even if this does not happen, football deserves our attention now, for a chance at some positive history lies in wait for this Kentucky team this season. More to come on this subject as we move closer to the start of football season.