[Quality88]

NASHVILLE, Tenn.
Recognize the substantial improvement in the University of Kentucky football program.
Who would have predicted that sentence would belong near the top of a list of 2008 sports New Year's resolutions?
But consider this: In a school year where the Wildcats' signature athletic program, the men's basketball team, has been spanked at home by Gardner-Webb and San Diego, the football team is a 10-point favorite to defeat Florida State and Hall of Fame coach Bobby Bowden in today's Music City Bowl.
A Kentucky victory at Nashville's LP Field would complete an 8-5 season energized by a pair of storm–the-field moments. That would be Kentucky's second straight 8-5 season. That would be the first time the Wildcats have won at least eight in back-to-back seasons in 30 years.
"This group of kids has thrived at being the first to achieve a whole bunch of things at Kentucky," UK coach Rich Brooks said. "It's been a big motivator for us."
I bet this first has never been on the list:
When was the last time Joe Kentucky Fan was more excited about a bowl game, football recruiting and the arrival of spring practice than the start of the Southeastern Conference basketball season?
That is behavior usually restricted to the 11 other SEC schools. But here comes Brooks' team, arriving at The End of the football season that UK fans do not want to end.
Clutch wins for UK
An end to a season that ignited with the program's first victory against the University of Louisville in five years, delivered on a night when Kentucky made the poised plays that Kentucky usually lacked the poise to make.
Add another punishing, clutch win at Arkansas against Darren McFadden, the best running back in college football. Then another against a Florida Atlantic team coached by Howard Schnellenberger that just won a bowl game.
Then stick an exclamation point -- as well as thousands of giddy fans -- on the Commonwealth Stadium turf after the Wildcats defeated Louisiana State. On that day the Tigers were ranked No. 1 in America. On Jan. 7 those same Tigers are expected to win the 2007 national title with a smudge on their record applied by UK.
Finishing 8-5 with victories against Louisville, Arkansas, LSU and Florida State, a chinstrap-driven campus with two national titles in the past 14 years, would be even grander than the 8-5 season the Wildcats posted a year ago.
Skeptics will question that. They'll note that UK comes to this game with four losses in its past five games. They'll note that Kentucky squandered a substantial opportunity to end a 22-game losing streak against Tennessee before losing in four overtimes.
Florida State's problems
Then they will tell you that Florida State isn't really Florida State. Bobby Bowden, the Seminoles' 78-year-old coach, is being pushed closer to retirement.
In the 1990s, FSU won at least 10 games every season. This is the fourth consecutive year FSU has failed to win 10 this decade. Deion Sanders, Charlie Ward and Warrick Dunn aren't walking through that door.
Then there is the scandal. As many as 36 Florida State players are expected to miss this game because of an academic scandal or other problems. As many as 19 of those guys are substantial players.
Know this: As I calculated last week, in the past four years Bowden has signed 59 guys rated either four- or five-star players on the rivals.com recruiting service player evaluation scale. A five-star rating is the best a player can earn.
During the same period, Kentucky signed five four- or five-star players. Two of those guys -- linebacker Micah Johnson and defensive tackle Corey Peters -- will play in this game.
Even before Florida State's playing rotation got shredded, Kentucky had the better season. The Wildcats lost by eight to a Florida team that rolled over FSU by 33.

Cats poised to end grand season on a high note