Strong QBs and accommodating schedules are two reasons why.
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is known for fried chicken, horse racing, coal mining, and college basketball. College football isn’t on that list.
Consider the plight of UK. Despite being a founding member of the football-crazy Southeastern Conference, the Wildcats haven’t had a winning conference record since 1977.
A couple weeks ago I made my predictions for the SEC East and projected the Wildcats to go 9-3 with a 6-2 mark in SEC play. While that would be a very good season in Lexington, it wouldn’t come close to matching the vibe in either Bowling Green or Louisville. That’s because the Western Kentucky and Louisville have legitimate chances to post undefeated seasons.
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Even though Jeff Brohm left Bowling Green to take over a struggling Purdue program, the Hilltoppers are once again a favorite to bring home the C-USA title.
One reason is at QB. Taking the snaps behind center is redshirt senior Mike White.
White had an impressive junior campaign as he filled the shoes of standout dual-threat quarterback Brandon Doughty. White completed 280-of-416 passes for 4,363 yards with 37 touchdowns and tossing just seven interceptions. The Hilltoppers offense ranked first in the nation with 45.5 points per game.
The rushing unit took a major hit with the loss of Anthony Wales (1,621 rushing yards; 27 touchdowns). The same applies to the receiving core with the departures of Taywan Taylor and Nicholas Norris (combined 3,048 receiving yards and 31 touchdowns in ’16). However, expect Western Kentucky to rebuild with hometown talent. Marquez Trigg and Nacarius Fant are from Glasgow and Bowling Green, respectively.
Western Kentucky almost ran the table before, but a giant always stood in the way. Last season it was Alabama. But the schedule is in WKU’s favor this year. Yes, the Hilltoppers will play two Power Five opponents, but those foes are stumbling Illinois and inconsistent Vanderbilt. WKU can beat both of those teams.
WKU’s conference road schedule looks manageable, and the team’s home slate includes main competition–Louisiana Tech, Florida Atlantic, and Middle Tennessee State.
PREDICTION: The Hilltoppers will have a perfect record. Expect WKU to have scares against Illinois and Louisiana Tech in September, and then Vanderbilt and Middle Tennessee State in November. But Western will win all of those games. They’ll win their third consecutive conference championship by beating LTech in the C-USA Championship Game. WKU will then receive an invitation to a BCS bowl. Western Michigan was the darling of the college football world last year, so why not the Hilltoppers this year? Instead of “Row The Boat,” how about “Wave That Towel”?
Louisville Cardinals
Coach Bobby Petrino and his Cardinals absolutely dismantled Florida State, 63-20, when they hosted the Seminoles last September. It appeared then that nobody would be able to stop the Cardinals.
But a visit to Deshaun Watson and Clemson in “Death Valley” proved to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. The 42-36 loss took the wind out of Cards’ sails. Later, UL almost lost to Duke at home and Virginia on the road; lost by 26 points at Houston and 41-38 at home to 27-point underdog Kentucky; and got whipped by LSU, 29-9, in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl.
The season was like a Sour Patch Kid candy in reverse (first sweet, then sour). But that was last year. This year Louisville fans have every reason to be excited.
The Cardinals are ranked 17th in the preseason poll. The return of Lamar Jackson is the main reason why. The junior completed 230-of-409 passes for 3,543 yards and 30 touchdowns and rushed for 1,571 yards and 21 touchdowns on his way to capturing the Heisman Trophy.
But it’s not all sunshine and roses in Derby City. RB Brandon Radcliff and WRs James Quick and Jamari Staples are gone along with eight other starters. The O-line struggled mightily last year, allowing Jackson to be sacked a whopping 47 times. But this team has the roster to overcome those losses.
The key will be how the Cards do in three games. The Cardinals welcome Clemson to town on September 16 and will travel to Raleigh on October 5 to face the rising NC State Wolfpack. Finally, a couple of weeks later the Cards will go to Tallahassee to square off against Florida State—a team that is chomping at the bit to play the Cardinals.
Overall, it’s an inviting schedule. One reason is that the Cardinals won’t leave the Bluegrass State in November. They’ll host Virginia and Syracuse before traveling to Lexington for a revenge game against Kentucky.
PREDICTION: Rallying behind Jackson, the Cardinals will have an undefeated regular season. They’ll then win the ACC Championship and proceed to the College Football Playoff, where they will be eliminated in the national semifinals.
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Cameron Brown is a WKU undergraduate majoring in journalism and secondary education (history) with a minor in broadcasting. Contact Cameron at cameronbrown647@yahoo.com.
