Mark Stoops’ new deal brings a new reality: To whom much is given, much is expected

Quick hitters as we go over the river and through the woods:

21. Mark Stoops’ new contract. Based on the head coach’s full body of work at UK, I don’t have a problem with the University of Kentucky granting Stoops a $9 million-a-year contract that will run through the 2030 football season.

20. Oddly handled. I don’t understand why the new deal, which was signed the day before Kentucky’s horrid home-field loss to Vanderbilt, was not announced publicly. If UK feels strongly enough about Stoops to award him a top 10 coaching salary (for now), one bad — OK, really, really bad — loss should not have impacted that.

19. An irony. Kentucky made its latest financial commitment to Stoops during a season when the Wildcats (6-5, 3-5 SEC) have often not looked like a well-coached team offensively and on special teams.

18. The big picture. At least before this season, Stoops’ (65-58 at UK since 2013) big achievement at Kentucky has been advancing UK from its traditional status as a Southeastern Conference bottom feeder to the top rung of the middle of the league.

17. The next step. What Stoops has not yet been able to do at UK is pierce the SEC’s elite level where Georgia and Alabama reside and LSU occasionally visits.

16. A new reality. Starting with the 2023 season, Kentucky will be paying Stoops like a coach expected to compete at the top of the SEC. Fair or not, that will impact how the coach’s and his program’s results are perceived and evaluated.

15. Mark Stoops vs. Louisville. If UK can claim the Governor’s Cup on Saturday for the fourth straight time, it would give the Kentucky head man a 5-4 mark vs. U of L. That would make Stoops the first Wildcats coach in the modern era (since 1994) of the Cats-Cards rivalry with a winning mark.

14. Modern UK coaches vs. U of L. Bill Curry 1-2, Hal Mumme 2-2, Guy Morriss 1-1, Rich Brooks 3-4, Joker Phillips 1-2, Mark Stoops 4-4.

13. Modern U of L coaches vs. UK. Howard Schnellenberger 0-1, Ron Cooper 2-1, John L. Smith 3-2, Bobby Petrino 7-1 (4-0 from 2003 through 2006; 3-1 from 2014 through 2017), Steve Kragthorpe 0-3, Charlie Strong 3-1, Lorenzo Ward 0-1; Scott Satterfield 0-2.

12. Home-field disadvantage? If Kentucky beats Louisville (7-4, 4-4 ACC) on Saturday, the reason will likely not be related to the game being at Kroger Field. In the modern Governor’s Cup series, home teams are a combined 10-17.

UK is 5-10 vs. U of L in Lexington. U of L is 5-7 vs. UK in Louisville.

11. Malik Cunningham. The status of the veteran Louisville quarterback is uncertain for Saturday’s game after he missed U of L’s 25-10 win over North Carolina State last week due to an injury.

10. Seeking to avoid a dubious distinction. If Cunningham is able to start Saturday, he will be trying not to make the wrong kind of history. The U of L QB is 0-3 as a starter in the Governor’s Cup. Since 1994, no QB has ever lost four times as a starter in the Kentucky-Louisville rivalry.

9. Beau Allen. The former Kentucky Wildcats quarterback and ex-Lexington Catholic star concluded his first season starting at Tarleton State with 2,836 passing yards. Allen threw for 23 TDs vs. 11 picks while completing 56.8% of his throws. He also ran for 110 yards and a TD as the Texans finished 6-5.

8. A lot of eligibility left. Due to the “free COVID year” the NCAA granted all athletes in college in the 2020-21 school year, Allen still has three seasons of eligibility remaining.

7. Allen’s future. It will certainly be interesting to see what Allen does next. Stay at Tarleton? Transfer back up to an FBS program? Would he and Kentucky even consider a Stetson Bennett-Georgia style reunion?

6. Another UK expat thriving. To switch sports, another ex-Kentucky Wildcat who seems to be flourishing in a new locale is basketball forward Bryce Hopkins. Through his first five games as a Providence Friar, Hopkins is averaging 16 points and 8.4 rebounds while shooting 53.3 percent from the field, 50 percent on three-point tries and 77.8 percent on foul shots.

5. Kentucky proud. The Kentucky Wildcats (3-2) and Louisville Cardinals (0-3) men’s basketball teams may not be off to sterling starts to the 2022-23 season, but that does not mean our state has not had things to boast about so far in men’s college hoops.

4. Bellarmine. The 67-66 victory over the Louisville Cardinals by Coach Scott Davenport’s Knights on Nov. 9 likely stands as the greatest regular-season win in school history.

3. Northern Kentucky. The 64-51 victory over the Cincinnati Bearcats by Coach Darrin Horn’s Norse Nov. 16 likely stands as the greatest regular-season win in school history.

2. Murray State. The 88-79 victory over the No. 24 Texas A&M Aggies by Coach Steve Prohm’s Racers on Nov. 17 was the first win over a team ranked in the AP Top 25 for Murray State since 2012.

1. Next to take down a “big boy”? If the early rounds went right Monday, Western Kentucky could get a shot at LSU in the Cayman Islands Classic on Tuesday. If that doesn’t happen, Coach Rick Stansbury’s Hilltoppers are scheduled to play at Louisville (Dec. 14) and South Carolina (Dec. 22) before Christmas.