I think back to the South Carolina game in 2016 and all of the whispers surrounding the program at the time. Kentucky had just lost in devastating fashion to Southern Miss, followed by an absolute beatdown in The Swamp. After an underwhelming 5-7 season the year before, the Big Blue Nation wanted answers from head coach Mark Stoops right then, not professional coach-speak.
Not everyone wanted him fired, but absolutely no one was satisfied. With a loss at home to the Gamecocks, who knows what would have happened, and more specifically, who would be roaming the Kentucky sidelines each week going forward.