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SEC East: Kentucky trying to break 28-year losing streak to Florida in Lexington
Florida and Kentucky are two programs with similar trajectories at this point.
Both Jim McElwain and Mark Stoops rely heavily upon underclassmen-laden squads. Freshmen and sophomore litter the respective depth charts at many integral positions.
In McElwain's first year, he's attempting to embed a culture rooted in discipline, responsibility, toughness, and energy. He isn't afraid to rattle the proverbial cages, as evidenced by the Kelvin Taylor incident.
Stoops is on the cusp of resurrecting a dilapidated program. He's injected palpable excitement throughout the fan base. It's in large part due to steady improvement from a record-standpoint, and also success in recruiting. Kentucky went 2-10 in Stoops' first season at the helm. Last year, the Wildcats went 5-7. If 2015 is any indication, this team is primed for its first bowl appearance since 2010.
The lifeblood of any program sits in the realm of recruiting. While Kentucky doesn't offer an overly fertile base from which to recruit from, Stoops has effectively used his personal connections in both Florida and Ohio to cherry-pick good talent. There's a noticeable difference with his team athletically compared to when he first took the job.
This game is significant on a number of levels.
Florida wants to capitalize on the momentum of a 2-0 start. The quarterback play from Will Grier and Treon Harris has been decent. However, UK offers a step-up in competition. The starter (likely Grier) will be tested with unorthodox pressure packages and complicated schematic wrinkles. The return of defensive end Jason Hatcher should also help Stoops' defense considerably.
Kentucky hasn't beaten Florida since 1986. As Stoops said in his press conference on Monday, "They've been a great program for a long time and we really just concentrate on ourselves and getting better and doing the work and preparing to win the game. The streak really doesn't bother me. You know it doesn't bother me."
Kentucky's overall football history isn't as illustrious when compared to Florida's. In most years, Florida would out-athlete Kentucky. This doesn't appear to be quite the case in 2015. From a morale and perception standpoint, a win versus Florida would only expedite the Wildcats' mission in becoming a viable threat in the SEC East.
It also wouldn't hurt to see another triple-overtime thriller like we had a season ago.
Significant game:
South Carolina at Georgia ; 6:00 p.m. ET
It might not be realized by anyone outside of Athens or Columbia, but South Carolina has beaten Georgia four of the last five seasons. Steve Spurrier's teams always seem to get up for the challenge of playing the Bulldogs.
When looking at the face-value of this contest, the Gamecocks appear to be massive underdogs. Starting quarterback Connor Mitch is out with a shoulder injury. South Carolina also has been very inconsistent throughout its first two games. It's yet to put together a contest with two complete halves.
Couple that with the fact Georgia is a top-10 team playing at home, and Spurrier will have to work some magic in order to pull this one out.
Georgia can ill-afford a slip-up versus a team of South Carolina's ilk. Mark Richt's team has aspirations of playing in the College Football Playoff. A victory in this contest would give Georgia a second win in conference play.
Quick hits: Vanderbilt appears to get a reprieve this weekend, with Austin Peay coming to Nashville. If the Commodores somehow manage to lose this game, Derek Mason's hot-seat will be smoldering...Without Russell Hansbrough in the backfield, Mizzou hopes the trio of Tyler Hunt, Ish Witter and Morgan Steward can pick up the slack running the football versus Connecticut. Watching linebacker Kentrell Brothers rack up the tackles should be fun to watch. He leads the FBS in tackles through the first two weeks with 32...The late loss to Oklahoma will stick in the craw of Tennessee head coach Butch Jones for a long time. The question is, how will his young Vols respond versus Western Carolina? There certainly could be a bit of hangover to start the contest in Rocky Top.
