Expectations: Kentucky Wildcats Football

I used to hate Rich Brooks.

Not physical hate, but sports hate. And man was it intense.

I was definitely one of the drivers of the "Run Rich Brooks Out of Town" bandwagon.

I searched and searched for a "Ditch Rich" bumper sticker, so I could show the world my disdain toward the hire of "PaPaw" by fellow ex-Oregonian Mitch Barnhart. I couldn't find one, which was probably a good thing, because now I would have been forced to remove it from my car.

Rich Brooks has done a great job turning this program around and altering expectations in the Bluegrass. And expectations has always been the downfall of the football team.

Not big expectations mind you, but just the prevailing thought that every game was a loss waiting to happen. For me, and for many other Kentucky fans I presume, football season was just something to occupy our time until the hoops season started.

At some point during this cycle I started to really care about the success of the team. I think this change probably occurred during the Hal Mumme/Tim Couch/Air Raid days.

There were just enough sparkles of hope that maybe, just maybe, Kentucky might actually have a chance to be one better programs in the Southeastern conference.

But then time and time again reality would kick the Commonwealth Stadium diehards right in the face.

In 1997, Hal Mumme followed Bill Curry and his stellar 26-52 seven-year Kentucky record and in his first season the team went 5-6. Year two saw Couch lead the 'Cats to a 7-5 record followed by a loss to Penn State in the Outback Bowl.

Tim Couch was then selected first overall by the Cleveland Browns in the 1999 NFL Draft. Hope sparkles and glimmers throughout Big Blue Nation.

Kentucky had finally made a great hire in the pass happy Mumme, who followed up with a record of 6-6 and another postseason loss, this time to Syracuse in the Music City Bowl.

Wildcat fans were optimistic, albeit cautionary, hoping the slight dip was due the early departure of Couch. Things would surely take off now with Dusty Bonner under center and the coming of Jared Lorenzen in the 2000 season.

Shortly thereafter, the big thump heard around the Lexington area was the sound of the hammer wielded by the NCAA smashing sanctions onto the Wildcat program.

Multiple violations landed Kentucky on probation and forced Mumme and his staff out of town.

Guy Morriss then inherited the team, went 2-9 in 2001, then followed with a decent 7-5 season, but alas no bowl because of the NCAA sanctions.  Just when the future was starting to look a little brighter, Morriss accepted an offer to return home to Texas as the head coach of Baylor University.

Enter Rich Brooks, ex-Oregon Ducks and St. Louis Rams head coach whom Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart coaxed out of retirement to lead the Wildcats from the depths of probation and back to respectability.

Fast forward three years, Brooks had an overall record of 9-25, 4-20 in the SEC. Fans were screaming for him to be fired. Every time Brooks or Barnhart were questioned in regards to the future of the program, the response was always for the fans to show patience, his recruits were here now and maturing, and good times were soon coming.

2006 saw the program truly turn a corner. The 'Cats finished 7-5 with a victory over the favored Clemson Tigers in the Music City Bowl in Nashville by a score of 28-20.

Along comes the magical start to the 2007 season. Sitting at 2-0, the third game ended with a last second win over then No. 8 Louisville. After going 2-1 over their next 3 games came a program changing three overtime epic victory over the L.S.U. Tigers. (Eventual National Champs might I add.)

The Kentucky Wildcats were actually ranked No.8 in the next week's AP poll. ESPN College Gameday also broadcasted live the following week from Lexington for a game versus the Florida Gators that Kentucky lost. The high point of my football fandom had officially been reached.

Brooks and company stumbled a little down the stretch, finishing 8-5, but ended with another Music City Bowl victory over Bobby Bowden's Florida State Seminoles.

2008 saw the 'Cats take a small step backwards, finishing 7-6. However, the season did conclude with another postseason victory, this time over Skip Holtz's favored East Carolina team in the Liberty Bowl.

Rich Brooks had won three consecutive bowl games. Something no other head coach in the history of the Wildcats program had accomplished, including Bear Bryant.

So now the expectations have been raised, even if just slightly.  On January 18, 2007, offensive coordinator Joker Phillips was named head coach in waiting, supposedly easing the transition period when "PaPaw" finally calls it a career.

My hope is that Brooks and Phillips continue to raise perceptions and expectations. Now that Kentucky had started down the right path, I don't want to become satisfied with 7-5, 7-6, and 8-5 like in years past when losing records were acceptable.

I want to expect the Wildcats to compete for championships, both conference and national.

Kentucky currently owns the second longest non-conference winning streak in the country behind L.S.U. at 14 games. Now they can work on ending the 24 and 22 year losing streaks to Tennessee and Florida, respectively. Ending those two nightmares would be one of the best gifts the staff could ever give Wildcat fans.

Please, Rich and Joker, continue what you have been doing and raise the bar even higher. Don't let us become used to being bridesmaids when for so many years we weren't even invited to the wedding.