Is the Vandy game a make or break game for Stoops?

[kyjohn]

Can't see him coming back with only 3 wins. He needs a fourth win and Vandy is his best bet.

Vandy canot be considered a given.They have a pretty decent defense and gave Florida all they could handle,had the "Cocks" beat,then blew it,and they seem to have Stoops number.
Here's hoping the Cats get the win,but with Stoops on the side line,i wouldn't bet the house on it.

 

[willievic]

All due respect, this isn't the right question. Losing to Vandy wouldn't necessarily mean 3 wins. No matter how many Stoops wins, he is doing it with a 2nd string quarterback. A juco quarterback, 7 sophomores, and 2 freshmen are starting. The punter is a true freshman. Our quarterback and middle linebacker never played in an SEC game before last month. Despite everything, Stoops holds a 3-game winning streak over South Carolina. You sound anxious to spend other people's money. If Stoops is fired after 2016, Kentucky owes him $12 million, and then another $5 million to his staff. The athletics director is unlikely to blow $17 million to get rid of Stoops with 19 incumbent starters due back in 2017. Yes, it could happen, but the team and recruiting class would have to fall apart in November. If I was Barnhart, I would be closely watching this next recruiting class. I'm not talking about Jedrick Wills. Wills is gone. There is no Wills. I'm talking about overall talent and balance in the class. Signing a bunch of defensive backs isn't enough. But if it looks like Stoops will add Danny Clark, a tackle, and a couple more solid defensive linemen, then you don't fire Stoops and disrupt that class. In June, I predicted 4-5 wins. Since then, I haven't seen anything to change my mind. The most likely outcome for this year will be more tweaking of Stoops' staff, and I think Eliot is in some trouble now.

If the fans quit coming, the buyout will be cheap compared to getting the fans to buy season tickets. Most fans only have so much money to spend on tickets, and most of them have heard the same old story for years, about this coach is going to be a winner.
Ask Joker what happens when the fans quit coming.

OLD STOLL FIELD GUY!

 

[kyjohn]

You lose to Vandy, you are out of Bowl contention going into the bye week.

The bye week happens to feature Big Blue Madness for a basketball team that has title aspirations...which will be a big pick me up for the down fan base.

A loss will kill all momentum for the team in the bye week and for the fan base. The stadium will be empty for the rest of the year. You probably go on to finish 3-9 ending with a 70 point blowout against Louisville who will be in playoff contention.

It is make or break...if Vandy ends up being a loss he will be fired.

Like what you have to say,but with the contract Stoops has,it's going to be difficult for Mitch to let him go.Plus given that UK has the forever excuse,"we are a very young team",Stoops has another year.

 

[SanAntonioCat_rivals376502]

I like Stoops and everything he has done off the field but he has to go if we win 4 or less games. Prefer him gone with 5 but can see a $12 million argument to keep him.

Reality is Louisville has raised the bar and exposed the excuses used for Kentucky not being able to win in football. If they can get the players so can we. SEC too tough? The East has been weak for a few years and the ACC now has high level teams.

Louisville is in the college football playoff discussion and Kentucky is fighting an uphill battle for a bowl game. We microwave fans have a right to expect more.

Good luck.

 

[law1127]

Zakk Wlydcat has revealed the startling statistics,that demonstrate the absolute sorry state of UK football! Depressing and disgraceful !

 

[Callinstraight]

Maybe so, but should we really be talking that we are on Vandy's level after 4 years? Disappointing, yet reality.

Help me out: why should we be higher than Vandy's level after 4 years? What's the significance of 4 years?

 

[megablue]

He's playing for 5 wins at the least. Like it or not, it just feels like it's setting up that 5 will be enough. That said, i think 4 and he is gone

I have the same feeling, but still think we can win six (6) games. We will have to play very well on both sides of the ball, of course.

 

[megablue]

Actually the doormat of "Power 5" conferences. Did some research: UK's last 9 win season was 1984. Since then, EVERY current Power 5 school other than Kentucky and Indiana has had at least one 9+ win season and 95% have had more than one. And, yes, that includes Duke and Vanderbilt.

That's a very discouraging post, but thanks for the share. It provides real perspective.
Question: What year did we begin playing twelve (12) games?

 

[Chuckinden]

Losing to Vandy would have the same ramifications as losing to Southern Miss did. Just shouldn't happen in year 4 if Stoops Troops are progressing. Lose that game and Stoops will have to pull off a huge upset in the next few weeks to keep his job.

 

[Lonesome Hippopotamus]

Help me out: why should we be higher than Vandy's level after 4 years? What's the significance of 4 years?

Love the screen name.

I think 4 years, because that is how many years Stoops and Co. has been recruiting at a pretty decently high level (at least for UK). Vandy isn't exactly a great football school. I would have thought by now we could look at them as a fairly easy win by now.

 

[Rockford]

John4UK says Vandy "cannot be considered a given"

He is correct. Pretty sure we are 42-42 all time vs Vandy. That is not a given.

Stoops is 1-2, correct?

Not many (any) UK coaches can/would survive losing to Vandy 75% (1-3) of the time. It is a big game.

If we go
3 wins... $12M is no barrier to fire
5 wins... $12M big barrier, too big. Stoops survives
6 wins... Fire who? Why?

But 4 wins..... dunno. $12M is a whole lot. It's the $12M question. Will be plenty on both sides.

 

[skcatfan]

Stoops can't afford a loss at home to Vandy at this point. Last season we had no business losing that game especially since it cost us a bowl bid. A loss this year will not only make a bowl game pretty much impossible but will probably also cost him his job. A 4-8 record would be a miracle probably if he can't beat Vandy. I've been all for giving Stoops time to get the program turned around but this season was set up to be at least a 6 win season. Anything less than that should be considered a disappointment. And 4 wins or less would be a disaster.

 

[morgousky]

Why would he keep a big portion of the fanbase if he gets to 5 wins? We have been there done that. Boring. No bowl, sitting at home like losers for the 3rd straight season at 5-7. Big whoop, I doubt many have much faith even with 5 wins IMO when you look at a tougher schedule next season

6 wins is also failure. I see nothing good about a 6 win season. Adding that extra game just allows the pumpers and Barnhart fans to set a low bar and play an "I told ya so" game. 6 win bowl games are were made for conferences and networks to make more revenue, its not a sign of success.

 

[morgousky]

John4UK says Vandy "cannot be considered a given"

He is correct. Pretty sure we are 42-42 all time vs Vandy. That is not a given.

Stoops is 1-2, correct?

Not many (any) UK coaches can/would survive losing to Vandy 75% (1-3) of the time. It is a big game.

If we go
3 wins... $12M is no barrier to fire
5 wins... $12M big barrier, too big. Stoops survives
6 wins... Fire who? Why?

But 4 wins..... dunno. $12M is a whole lot. It's the $12M question. Will be plenty on both sides.

12 million is not a lot in this current climate. I'll just keep repeating myself. UK has 12 million in spades when it comes to football. Barnhart is literally fooling everyone.

 

[BigBlueTuckian]

John4UK says Vandy "cannot be considered a given"

He is correct. Pretty sure we are 42-42 all time vs Vandy. That is not a given.

Stoops is 1-2, correct?

Not many (any) UK coaches can/would survive losing to Vandy 75% (1-3) of the time. It is a big game.

If we go
3 wins... $12M is no barrier to fire
5 wins... $12M big barrier, too big. Stoops survives
6 wins... Fire who? Why?

But 4 wins..... dunno. $12M is a whole lot. It's the $12M question. Will be plenty on both sides.

Problem isn't just that $12 million figure, it's any buyouts on assistant coaches, and the stigma that "UK will fire you in the face of a $12 million buyout."

Any incoming coach worth his salt will either demand a bigger buyout (think $18 million and above) or a higher salary than Stoops. They won't come here to coach UK out of the goodness of their heart. If they see that Mitch fired Stoops with that big of a buyout, they will hit us harder in the pocketbook.

Any way you slice it we will end up paying more than just $12 million.

Can we afford that on top of all the debt we incurred for the stadium and the practice facility?

 

[Goingfor9]

If we lose to vandy he's gone the next day.

 

[rabidcatfan]

A loss to Vandy seals his fate I think, because even if we beat Austin Peay, we are looking at only a 3 win season and that is unacceptable in his fourth year, with how he's recruited and how much money the school has invested in facilities and quality position coaches, etc. I know he's lost key position players to transfer, etc., but that is something that every program deals with. You recruit to replace in football and can't put all of your eggs in one basket. Trust me, Mark Stoops knows the hammer is going to fall if we lose Saturday.

 

[308955]

6 wins is also failure. I see nothing good about a 6 win season. Adding that extra game just allows the pumpers and Barnhart fans to set a low bar and play an "I told ya so" game. 6 win bowl games are were made for conferences and networks to make more revenue, its not a sign of success.

While I think a loss to Vanderbilt should seal his fate, this is getting carried away. If this team somehow wins 6 games it will, likely, require going .500 in the conference. Doing so with over 20 freshmen and sophomores on the two deep should not result in dismissal. If anything, it should actually provide a little hope. Odds are long that this becomes an issue, though.

 

[CatsPaws270]

While I think a loss to Vanderbilt should seal his fate, this is getting carried away. If this team somehow wins 6 games it will, likely, require going .500 in the conference. Doing so with over 20 freshmen and sophomores on the two deep should not result in dismissal. If anything, it should actually provide a little hope. Odds are long that this becomes an issue, though.

Going 4-4, .500 in conference would be a big deal and there is no way you can fire a coach at UK for having a .500 conference season considering how rare it is for that to happen at UK.

 

[Mojocat_rivals48469]

12 million is not a lot in this current climate. I'll just keep repeating myself. UK has 12 million in spades when it comes to football. Barnhart is literally fooling everyone.

nah. it's a zero sum deal. someone else in the athletics department - or maybe the school itself, since we're one of the few schools where athletics contributes money to the school rather than the other way around - will have to go without. So, that's the question - which sport or group that was supposed to get $12 million won't now that we have to give it to Stoops. Actually, don't think it's a lump sum, so it wouldn't be all 12 million at once - say it's $4 million this year. So, again, who now doesn't have $4 million that was supposed to get it. I know this is a football board, and most posters here don't care about anything else. But that's not an answer.

 

[JHB4UK]

(insert this weeks opponent) is the most important game in the Mark Stoops era!!!! said before every opponent for the last 2 years. It is just tiring, because ain't a one of us on this site that matters about deciding Mark Stoops career being made or broken. How many times was Southern Miss called a must-win during the 9 months of offseason? could not have lost that one in a more spirit breaking manner. yet he's still there. definitely killed some fans eyeballs watching & asses sitting in Commonwealth, but did nothing to his job status.

So, its make or break week! Wahoo! Has to beat Vandy, OR ELSE!

Until it is over....

then it is make or break week (2 weeks due to bye, ugh!!) for Miss St!

next....

Beat Mizzou or he is finished!

then comes.....

Gotta upset a beatable Georgia at home or I'm DUN with Stoops!!!

 

[UKWinsAgainYep]

6 wins is also failure. I see nothing good about a 6 win season. Adding that extra game just allows the pumpers and Barnhart fans to set a low bar and play an "I told ya so" game. 6 win bowl games are were made for conferences and networks to make more revenue, its not a sign of success.

dumb post.

6 wins this season and we have real momentum for the football program. It will help tremendously with recruiting to show we are on an upward trajectory and will also mean Stoops is a better head coach.

 

[morgousky]

dumb post.

6 wins this season and we have real momentum for the football program. It will help tremendously with recruiting to show we are on an upward trajectory and will also mean Stoops is a better head coach.

.500 isn't doing anything except prolonging the inevitable. A winning season is a sign of success.

 

[ukgolfnut36]

If we cant beat Vandy with a coach who is in his 4 year its time to look for a new Coach,we got every thing in place but a good coaching staee

 

[Catfan in Tn.]

Seems like someone is asking this question every game.

 

[SanAntonioCat_rivals376502]

If we lose to vandy he's gone the next day.

Thanks for the dumbest post of the day. Congratulations and here's a season pass to our NCAA champion rifle team matches.

 

[TBCat]

Vandy is not make or break. Even beating Vandy does nothing for you. You still have to Miss State as well so that Missouri can become the make or break game. Of course if he loses to Vandy it will be broke but there's no option for this game by itself to make him.