Monday Headlines: Mark Stoops Out and Kentucky in College Basketball Rankings

Well, it’s actually happening.

Mark Stoops and Kentucky football are parting ways after 13 seasons.

After a 4-8 season last season and a 5-7 season this year that included blowout losses to Vanderbilt and Louisville to cap off the season, the UK Athletics administration decided a change needed to be made, and Stoops reportedly agreed to allow the massive buyout to be paid over a longer period of time as opposed to the 60 days included in his contract.

It’s a sad, but necessary move for the football program. For all the good that Stoops has done, things have fallen apart in recent years, and it was hard to see a path forward for next season. Fans had almost no reason for optimism headed into next season, and with a 9-game SEC schedule ahead, it was hard to see things getting any better.

But that doesn’t negate the great things Stoops has done for Kentucky football. When he took over as head coach, the Wildcats were coming off a 2-10 season with a roster nowhere near ready to compete in the SEC. Stoops elevated the program to new levels and did things many didn’t think were possible.

Stoops deserves to be recognized for what he accomplished at Kentucky, but it was also clear it was time for a change. Both of those can be true.

On the basketball front, we’re tracking where the Wildcats land in the latest college basketball rankings. Where will the Cats land in the new AP Poll?

There wasn’t a lot to take away from last week. Kentucky played just one game, defeating Tennessee Tech 104-54 after being tied 25-25 with 6 minutes remaining in the first half.

Kentucky now ranks 8th in Haslametrics after sitting at 6th to start the week last week. The Cats are actually up to 11th in KenPom after starting last week ranked 12th. Kentucky remains at 15th over at Evan Miya’s rankings.

Kyle Boone over at CBS has Kentucky ranked 18th.

The Cats have two big-time games this week, taking on North Carolina tomorrow in the ACC/SEC challenge and facing off against Gonzaga on Friday.

Tweet of the Day

A lot of truth to this.

Headlines

Who are potential candidates for the Kentucky job? – Herald Leader

Stein and Hartline seem to lead the list.

Stoops agrees to extended buyout – Cats Pause

Best for both parties.

What went wrong for Mark Stoops at Kentucky? – KSR

A look back at how things fell apart.

UK Volleyball set to begin NCAA Tournament on Thursday – UK Athletics

Big games coming up this week.

Jayden Quaintance continuing to make progress – Vaughts Views

Can’t wait to have him on the floor.

Josh Allen sets QB rushing TD record – ESPN

76 career rushing touchdowns for the Bills QB.

NFL Week 13 winners and losers – Bleacher Report

The AFC South is turning into chaos.

Kiffin’s exit spells deeper problem for college football – Yahoo

Interesting thought.

Cooper Flagg breaks a LeBron James scoring record – CBS Sports

Big night for the #1 pick.

Projecting the new CFP rankings – NBC Sports

How will the committee handle Ole Miss?

Could Mike Tomlin and Steelers part ways? – SI

Would be the end of an era in Pittsburgh.