Cal strikes a nerve with Stoops

Calipari seemed touchy he was no longer the unquestioned BMOC and stirred-up a hornet nest.

Stoops went on to say that Kentucky football "wasn't born on third base."

"We understand history," he said. "That's great. I embrace it and love it, the history of our basketball. I'm proud of it. I love it. I didn't have that history. We're creating it."

Ouch!

 

So The Cats finally win a game against the Gators and had a couple of consecutive winning seasons and are no longer a basketball school. Right.

 

I think what's crazy to me (and someone can correct me if I am wrong or ignorant in saying this...my football knowledge isn't great!) is that we now live in a time where Kentucky's football coach can feel confident firing shots at the basketball coach. I think even 5 years ago it would be crazy to think of the UK Football coach feeling confident enough to publicly go at the basketball coach. Yes, I know Calipari started this, but still--I think not long ago you would be shocked to here even in this situation that the football coach would feel emboldened enough to fire shots at the basketball coach.

Plus--it's crazy to see how many Kentucky fans are supporting Stoops, whereas forever there was so much support for Calipari no matter what he did, good or bad.

This is full credit to stoops who really has done an incredible job, and also shows the force that football is.

 

From the Kentucky fan prospective F John Calipari!!!
Most fans support Stoops because HE has built the football program into something we look forward to watching where Calipari has turned UK basketball into a merry go round rent a team with little to show for it. We are tired of all of Calipari’s BS!

I am a much bigger UK football fan then basketball and it’s all because of Calipari who I have wanted gone for 7 years.
Don’t mess with Stoops!!

 

Calipari should have been fired after 2015. He has been a disappointment in a big way.

 

Stoops is damn right and will be supported by most if not all!

 

We have lost the basketball school moniker because of Calipari. We haven’t won anything lately to support that claim.

Our football team will be better than our basketball team again this year!

 

Once upon a time Bear Bryant was a pretty good football coach for UK.

 

Yep - basketball has done its thing. It's consistently good. Football, otoh, has taken a major step forward and Stoops deserves kudos for that. He's trying to build a program in the foothills among national giants and he's doing about as good as could be hoped for in the bluegrass state. Personally, I can't wait to get back to kicking their asses in football and hoops both.

 

Exactly…. We can support football well just like basketball

 

Of course, now basically all major college sports follows the “Calipari model” in one way or another (maybe not always AAU sneaker shenanigans, but NIL deals and rent-a-teams from the Portal).

 

Now this may be too much projection (or hope), but it seems like Stoops took the shot because he could because...Cal isn't a deity anymore. He has always been a carnival barker first and he is doing what he has to do to keep the folks interested in the freak show inside. I do hope they get tired of his act and move on.

The other thing that is likely is that Stoops was a step up from base gratitude for giving him a job in the SEC. He has the Stoops gene. But what he has done, as good a job as he has, is unfinished in plenty of ways. And so with the Cal fatigue, he can "negotiate" a better position for the football program or he can "negotiate" a better gig elsewhere and he is bringing attention to his resume. I don't think he will get to UGa level but I can see the potential for Auburn or Arkansas level.

We shall see.

 

Agreed..except for the part about Cal. LOTS of folks find him arrogant and annoying. Stoops deserves accolades.

 

being "right" is not always the right place to be. Stoops was wrong for taking it public, he's drawing negative attention to the in-fighting at pUKe.

 

Im actually OK with it. Stoops needed to defend his players, staff, and program. Calipari can leave anytime. He has stayed way, way too long

 

Calipari dissed Stoops hard. I'd be pissed if I were a UK fan.

 

The best they had in my life time where anyone alive actually saw the coach on the field was Fran Curci. That's your benchmark. Had a championship team but got into some NCAA hot water toward the end.

 

Nor does he mind breaking your starting quarterback's leg, and then having his linebacker try and break your back up quarterback's ankle.

Not a Stoops fan.

I hope we absolutely smash the all of a sudden cocky cats.