This should be the end of the Mark Stoops era, plus SEC Week 6 predictions

Well, fellow Kentucky football fans, the end of the Mark Stoops era in Lexington might finally be nigh at the door.

I’ll be the first to say that I have been a staunch supporter of the Stoops regime. Coach brought stability and eventually victories that we hadn’t experienced in many years. 

We should all, as fans, be thankful for his efforts. 

The team improved. The facilities got better. The talent base becomes more diverse. All positive things. 

But like any relationship, there comes a time when it runs its course, either by choice or by force. 

We are there now with Stoops. 

It’s time for a change. Thirteen years is a long time in coaching, especially in the cauldron of coaching in the SEC. 

While programs increase in strength or find the combination that finally works, it seems like at Kentucky, we are in that netherland when growth has stopped, and slippage has become visible. 

The discipline that became a Stoops hallmark has disappeared. The focus on excellence that made Kentucky football relevant has become nonexistent. 

The root causes of this extend beyond simple play-calling and wins and losses. It’s more of a philosophy that didn’t change as the teams around Kentucky did. 

For many years, the SEC prided itself on power football led by stud tailbacks to carry the ball and massive offensive linemen to move the line of scrimmage. But as many offensive schemes go, there comes a time when solid but not spectacular becomes archaic. 

Kentucky is there. The conference has adopted the spread offense concepts of run and shoot, veer and shoot, and exotic formations that highlight speedy receivers and quarterbacks who can sling the pigskin to any area of the field. 

While Kentucky has those types of plays in its arsenal, it seems like the Cats don’t have the same ability to consistently execute this system. 

This is not an indictment on Cutter Boley. The young signal caller can only run the plays he’s told to. But it was plain Saturday night against South Carolina that he did not have the weapons on the outside to make the Gamecocks pay for selling out defensively to take the running game away. 

The results were tragic. Carolina scored 14 points on turnovers in consecutive Kentucky offensive series to put the Cats away before halftime. 

It’s not just the play-calling that is signaling the end; it’s the philosophy that doesn’t match what is needed for the Cats to win. 

That falls into one man’s lap: Mark Stoops. 

Ideally, Coach Stoops retires and we, as a fanbase, celebrate the accomplishments of the football program with an eye toward excitement for the future. 

However, I don’t think it ends like that. It will probably end in a mess like it is right now. 

The next three games will likely signal the end: at Georgia, Texas, and Tennessee. The No. 5, 10, and 15 teams in the country before last Saturday. 

This isn’t going to be pretty, as is the case with most breakups. 

Week 6 SEC Predictions 

Last week wasn’t the best of weeks for the old man, as I was 5-3 in the conference. For the year, the Shop is 49-11. 

It’s a short week for the SEC, so let’s look at the matchups. 

Kentucky at Georgia: Last year, the Cats gave the Dawgs fits before falling 19-14. This year, the Dawgs are coming off a stinging loss to Alabama at home 24-21. You think UGA coach Kirby Smart won’t have his squad looking for blood between the hedges? A lot of improvement must happen for the Cats to have a chance at the upset in six days. I don’t think it’s going to happen. Prediction: Georgia. 

Texas at Florida: Another coach who is no longer on the hot seat but sitting on ashes is Florida coach Billy Napier. Napier just hasn’t led the resurgence of Florida football needed to keep his job. The Gators will play hard against the Longhorns, but there is too much of everything on the Texas sidelines and on the field. Prediction: Texas. 

Vanderbilt at Alabama: I never thought I’d be saying that the Game of the Week in the SEC would be Vanderbilt at Alabama, but here we are. Vandy has completely caught fire behind Heisman hopeful Diego Pavia. The senior quarterback accounted for six scores in a 55-35 win over Utah State last Saturday. No team in America might be hotter than Alabama. After a dismal performance, the Tide ratcheted up the intensity and has been exciting on offense and defense. This game promises to be a dandy. Prediction: Alabama.  

Kent State at Oklahoma: Then there’s Kent State. Poor old Kent State. They come to Norman to play the Sooners, who look to gain some momentum after the injury to Heisman frontrunner John Mateer. While Mateer heals, last year’s starting signal caller, Michael Hawkins Jr., goes behind center. Here’s thinking Hawkins and the Sooners play well and pick up some momentum. Prediction: Oklahoma. 

Mississippi State at Texas A&M: The Dawgs did everything but beat Tennessee Saturday in Starkville, losing 41-34 in overtime. Coach Jeff Lebby is the clubhouse favorite for Coach of the Year in the SEC, engineering a stunning turnaround for MSU. However, the sledding gets a little tougher as Team Cowbell goes to College Station to face an Aggie squad that might be a possible CFP squad behind a hard-hitting defense and quarterback Marcel Reed. It’ll be a four-quarter war. Prediction: Texas A&M.  

Shane Shackleford is a regional sports columnist from Speedwell, Tenn. He is the host of the webcast The Local Sports Coffee Shop and is also the author of Bounce: A Basketball Love Story (on Amazon) and the soon-to-be released 30 Wins, 2 Lessons: the 1978 National Champion Kentucky Wildcats. Shane is a retired teacher and coach, married to Liz Johnson Shackleford, and dog dad to Lady, Blue, and Rupp.