With a coach’s name like Joker Phillips, you know the Kentucky Wildcats are going to have a ton of players on the all name team (my favorite feature of the 77 in 77) and they don’t disappoint with DTs Mister Cobble and Donte Rumph. Both of which also star players. All of UK’s talent is on defense, for the most part. As their offense was EXTREMELY ATROCIOUS last season.
Remember this is a college basketball hotbed in a college football land. You won’t see 6 draft picks in the first two rounds like you did in hoops.By the way, have I ever mentioned just how unfortunate looking Anthony Davis really is?
On the opposite end of the Anthony Davis ugly stick, you have the Kentucky Wildcats cheerleaders. Here’s our photo gallery
And of course our Ashley Judd photo collection
2011 was: a step backward; they finished BELOW .500 after having some decent expectations. They finished with a pretty bad showing in rushing offense, total offense and scoring offense and pass offense. Otherwise, they were alright on the big O unit. “Kentucky rain keeps pouring down down down…as I go walking through the cold Kentucky rain.”
2012 will go smoothly if: The offense works after finding some stability at QB and OL. They also need to figure out who’s going to play LB for them, as so few one the roster have any experience.
2012 will be rough if: The defense can’t adjust all their new starters to the scheme that shuffles back between the 4-3 and 3-4, and the secondary ends up making way too many of the tackles again because the front seven gives up huge chunks of rush yardage.
BMOC: Cobble, Rumph, La’Rod King, Martavious Neloms
All-name team: Well they already have Mister Cobble, Donte Rumph and Joker Phillips. But don’t forget Cartier Rice “BLING BLING!”, TraVaughn Paschal, Shaquille Love (a villain in a fictional break dancing movie?) and Farrington Huguenin (a brand new teddy bear line). Obviously, there as deep as any team in the land at this position.
Bottom Line: There are a plenty of questions on both sides of the ball, so reaching a bowl is a probably not going to happen. Especially with this schedule. The SEC is going to be very rough to them.
Rankings Athlon- 75 Lindy’s- 61 Phil Steele- 96
All the 77s
#67 Southern Miss
#73 Kansas
#76 Minnesota
Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Chicago Tribune.com, Fox Sports, MSN, Walter Football and Yardbarker
A Fulbright scholar and MBA, Banks has appeared on live radio all over the world; and he’s a member of the Football Writers Association of America, U.S. Basketball Writers Association, and Society of Professional Journalists. The President of the United States follows him on Twitter (@Paul_M_BanksTSB) You should too