A Split Football Fanbase is on the Horizon (BTI's Rants and Rambling)

If I had told you in 2012 that Mark Stoops would have a 5-2 football team, ranked in the top 20, with a win in Gainesville already accomplished and a quarterback headed to the 1st round of the NFL Draft, you’d have to think 2 things: first, I am drunk. And second, this fanbase would be as supportive and behind a coach as we’ve ever been in our history. But unfortunately, that is not how sports and fandom work. Mark Stoops has given UK fans the slightest taste of the good life in college football. A couple of 10-win seasons, historical wins, and NFL players are all positives. But fans are never satisfied. Alabama football fans aren’t satisfied. So we never will either.

Ultimately, fans will sway back and forth during a season. After the win over Florida, 100% fan approval. A slight dip after Ole Miss and then a massive drop after South Carolina. Now we’re back up again after Mississippi State. It’s the natural ups and downs of a football season. But I see a storm brewing on the horizon if the season plays out like it most likely will (by odds). The remaining schedule poses two significant challenges: Tennessee and Georgia. The remainder of the games Kentucky will be favored in. That means an 8-4 regular season is the most likely finish for the Cats.

THE POSITIVE SPIN

So what would 8-4 mean? Well, That would still rank as one of the 10 best football seasons in modern school history. It would be Stoops’ third-best team. And it would likely mean another attractive bowl opponent, although not on New Year’s Day. It would mean continuing domination over your chief rival. It would mean Will Levis remains a Top 10 pick in the summer draft.

Additionally, the program would remain in the upper half of the league, further solidifying their place as an SEC program that you can’t overlook. And for those who have been fans longer than others, you know that Kentucky always cratered after good seasons. Stoops doesn’t follow up great seasons with bad ones. He keeps the program on solid footing and an 8-4 season would do that.

THE NEGATIVE SPIN

It would also mean a 1-game dip in the record from 2021 and likely a worse record than the majority of fans had predicted before the season. It would mean not being particularly close to getting to Atlanta. At best, you could argue Kentucky stayed steady in 2022 but you certainly couldn’t argue the program moved forward this season. And with a lower-ranked recruiting class potentially coming in 2023, those pessimistic fans have some ammo to wonder if the Cats have plateaued.

If the Cats steal one against UT or UGA and finish 9-3, then I think all fans should call the season a great success. And if they drop those 2 games and an additional game and finish 7-5, then I think nearly everybody would call the season a disappointment. The KSR crew put their predictions together before the season and everybody picked 9-3 or 10-2. If the Cats finish 8-4, I wonder how we all would frame the season? Because I am certain that some on staff would still spin it as a positive finish. And some would not.

THE IMPENDING STORM

Ultimately, the split in the fanbase following an 8-4 season comes down to what kind of fan are you. Some fans have a big-picture perspective on things and use where the program has historically been to appreciate as many 8-4 seasons as Stoops can conjure. They remember all of the 1-10 and 2-10 and winless SEC seasons. They are also probably the fans who don’t think Kentucky can make it to Atlanta considering the natural disadvantages that will never go away.

And the other kind of fan has a more narrow view of things. They see the types of wins Stoops has produced over the last 5 years and wonder what is next. They see the improved talent, the improved facilities, and the enthusiasm that Stoops produces and want the program to be as big as possible. SEC Championship, National Championship, Super Bowl Champions. All of these things are on the table for UK football. Honestly, this is the type of fan that Stoops created and wants. He’s not happy being 2nd or 3rd in the SEC East. He wants it all and these fans want it all.

If you are Matt Jones looking for good summer radio, then 8-4 is the ticket. Fans will have strong arguments on both sides about where the UK program is and where it is going. This fanbase has shown an ability to get at each other’s throats for a variety of topics and I think this could be the next battle. Should we be fighting each other? Of course not. But the reality is pinning down this UK football program is so very hard right now. And if the results for the remainder of the season go as expected, then a small storm could be brewing.