The Year Of The Cardinal Is Over

If you’re a Kentucky fan – especially one who lives within the confines of the commonwealth – you’re luckier than most of us if you don’t have to interact with a Louisville fan day in and day out.  But if you’re stuck running in to the Cardinal Faithful daily, you know as well as I do – it’s been a good year for Louisville.  The phrase ‘year of the cardinal’ has become lexicon, as they won a national title, made an unlikely final four run in Women’s basketball, their football team beat Florida in a BCS game – and then fought off high name programs to keep Charlie Strong, and watched their baseball team make it to the college world series.  But we aren’t here to talk about how great a year Louisville had – we’re here to tell Card fans that the luxury cruise is over.  

If you ask anyone, Louisville football couldn’t have been set up better for a championship run.  An easy schedule, key returning players, and a Heisman candidate.  A schedule so easy, in fact, that many wondered that if an undefeated seasons would have even been enough to get the Cardinals to a BCS game.  Fortunately we won’t be subjected to the endless discussions surrounding that, because they dropped a game at home against a solid but not world-beating UCF team.  Instead of landing in a BCS game, the football Cards are now looking at playing in the Russell Athletic bowl – the only bowl sponsored by the people that brought you disappointing Christmas presents this season.

Talking to Louisville fans before the basketball season, you would have thought Chris Jones was the second coming of Peyton Siva – only like, totally better.  There were visions of repeat title runs in their heads and some were saying they would be even better than last years team.  Not saying those are out of the realm of possibility, but with a loss to North Carolina – and looking bad while doing it – on top of a schedule full of Washington Generals, the Louisville mascot ought to be changed to a question mark.  Throw Kevin Ware and Change Behanan’s antics in there too, and to steal a joke from the internet – it’s been a #L1Cnothing kinda year so far.

Let’s not forget – the Louisville Lady Cards basketball team have only lost one game this year so far… when they lost to Kentucky.  Louisville women’s soccer?  Lost to Kentucky.  Louisville women’s volleyball?  Lost to Kentucky.

Looks – let’s call a spade a spade.  It’s not like the Louisville program is Thelma and Louise-ing here.  They could be worse.  But it is clear that whatever magic they had last year is wearing off, and they’re going to face a hard slap of reality tomorrow when the Cats take down yet another Cardinal team in resounding fashion.

Go Cayts.