Bluegrass Roundtable, Nov. 4th: On All Football Happenings in Kentucky

Welcome to the first edition of Bluegrass Rountable.  Each week, I will sit down and talk with Bleacher Report members about sports in Kentucky.

This week Nathan Towles , community leader of Kentucky Basketball and contributor to Kentucky football joins me.

UK was the sole win of FBS teams in Kentucky last weekend, but they did it in hair-raising fashion over a mediocre Mississippi State team. How do you expect the rest of the season to go for the Cats?

Nathan: First, you have to give Coach Brooks a lot of credit for taking Kentucky to three straight bowl games. That hasn't been done since '49, '50 and '51. I think this win will help Kentucky with the rest of the season.

They will be running a two quarterback system the rest of the year. It will give the player with the hottest hand a chance to move the chains and put some points on the board. They can win out the rest of the year.

This weekend will be very hard, but can be done. Vandy is looking like, well Vandy. Then UT is ruins at this time. Fulmer doesn't care what happens the rest of the year, so Kentucky should go no worse then 2-1.

Louisville lost their second straight game to Syracuse, but this one was with an essential lame duck in Greg Robinson on the opposite sideline. Sky was the limit for Louisville after last week’s game against South Florida , but where do they sit now?

Jonathan: It’s now going to be a struggle for Louisville to win seven games.  The only chance the Cardinals have against Pittsburgh is if the Panthers ran out of gas in their multiple overtime game against Notre Dame.

Cincinnati soundly beat South Florida, who Louisville squeaked out a win against, and West Virginia is looking good now too. “Bowl or Bust” should be the motto for Steve Kragthorpe and the Cardinals. There’s no need to miss the postseason with this group of players.

Western Kentucky has yet to beat a Football Bowl Subdivision team in 2008, and after a loss to North Texas (now 1-9), what can we expect from the Hilltoppers to finish the year?

Jonathan: Western has been a solid disappointment in their first FBS season. I expected them to teeter on a winning season, but close losses to Florida Atlantic and North Texas has put that far out of the question. The goal for the remainder of 2008 can go down as trying to beat an FBS opponent, period.

If the right things fall into place, Louisville would face Kentucky in the Papa John’s.com Bowl.  How would the rematch play out?

Nathan: The way the two teams are playing right now, it would be a very interesting game. I do not believe that it would be another 27-2 Kentucky win. It would be a close game.

Jonathan: I have to disagree with you on that one. Louisville 's defense looked good against Kentucky, but consider the circumstances. Mike Hartline was starting his first game, but now Louisville would be forced to face Randall Cobb.

I'd expect more points on both sides, but The Cards can't hang with the Cats until they can figure out how to be consistent.

Nathan: That is true. However the Kentucky defense is very banged up. They are without three players that played in the first game. Cobb is better, but won't change the game that much.

Jonathan: I think Cobb adds a lot. Ron English can't stop a spread offense (proven at Michigan and now at Louisville ), and although Kentucky doesn't run the spread, they can't stop running quarterbacks or screen passes with a thin linebacking corps. My final prediction: 45-24.

Nathan: That is a very high score. I’m a huge Kentucky fan, but I just don't think they can score that many unless the defense and Mryon Pryor can score some touchdowns. My prediction: 30-24.

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