So a few years age when they made this schedule, they had some delusion that FIU was actually going to be good? They thought Maine was going to move up to I-A? Then they replaced Maine with Austin Peay State?
UCF plays in a very low level conference. They, like MU in 14, scheduled down. And the laughable idea that winning in the weak AAC with a non-conference of nothings is a "national championship" is the result.
To get an easy victory so as to pad the record.
Marshall has been after a football game with the WILDCATS for long before MH got here. A home game with UK fills the stadium, is on real TV, and brings prestige. Even if we have to go 2 or 3 for 1. But even a "money game" in Lexington with no return is a big deal. For MU.
For UK, it make no sense whatsoever. Understand that UK is flush with cash, due to the SEC TV deals, basketball, donors, and a huge local TV, radio, and display ad contract it just signed. The 10 to 15K empty seats at Commonwealth Stadium (AKA Kroger Field) are not really that big a deal, although MU probably could fill them, at least once. The priority for UK football is a single number. SIX. UK wants to go to a bowl, and it needs to find six, preferably seven, wins to do that. So UK has to play in the Greatest Conference In The History Of The World. Eight games. That is going to include a lot of virtually certain losses. So it has four games to work with. The state makes it play Louisville, which, as long as the NCAA allows UL's openly corrupt program to cheat without consequences, is going to be good. That leaves 3 games. They can play one I-AA, and will. Usually one of the in-state schools. Why not? So that leaves 2 games. Two games UK pretty much MUST win, every year. Why would they want to play MU, who might just beat them, when they can play a MACer or a lower CUSA team with no real shot. And one which will charge less money than we would. Fact is we are too good and too expensive to get a sniff from UK.
When I hear Arseco speak, I just remember the 40 totally contradictory ideas he spewed during the "great realignment" of which exactly zero came true. They were going to do this, no going to do that, whatever. In the end, everybody with a choice GTFO of that fanless deal, and every team there wants TFO right now. Without exception. You can only say fundamentally stupid stuff and outright lies so oftern before no thinking person takes you seriously.
And that is what every member of THE AMERICAN!!!!!!! looks. Desperate. Because they are. They all want out, and out before the TV contract runs out. Because playing fan-free football is just not a winning proposition on $$ terms, and the one good year does little to change the fan free nature.
