When Kentucky finished the 2017 season with their first back-to-back seven-win regular seasons since 2006 and 2007, fans didn’t celebrate like many expected they would at the time of Mark Stoops’ hiring. “Just give us six or seven wins each season,” the collective fan base said back in November of 2012. It didn’t have to be special, a regular bowl appearance would be just enough to be satisfied.
When they finally broke that threshold last season with another seven-win season and a Music City Bowl bid, though, fans couldn’t help but think of the missed opportunities for even greater success.