Are we there yet?
Quite a trip for UofL fans who, a couple of decades ago, could only dream of having their own football stadium and being among the nation’s most competitive teams.
If all goes well, two days away from another major milestone for University of Louisville football. They never get old, just keep getting replaced by bigger ones.
National rankings often change significantly between the third and 12th weeks of the season. But for now, Louisville is ranked 10th and Florida State is No. 2 in the Associated Press poll.
One of the biggest games of the 2016 college football season, potentially one of the largest ever for the program. The significance of which will be greatly enhanced if the Cardinals win on Saturday.
No guarantees, not with 10 more games to go, but keeping open the long shot, the remote possibility, of getting to college football’s national playoff. Of having a shot at fulfilling Howard Schnellenberger’s prophecy of a national championship at Louisville.
Exactly what Tom Jurich had in mind when he rehired Bobby Petrino three seasons ago, having helped him through the rehabilitation process, counting on him to hang around, stay loyal to Louisville, knowing he’s one of the best college football coaches in America.
It helps, of course that Petrino may have latched onto one of the nation’s most talented and elusive quarterbacks ever in Lamar Jackson. The only player in major college history to pass for 400 yards and rush for 175 yards in a game. And as Kelly Dickey noted, “the primary reason that ESPN’s College GameDay is coming to UofL for the first time in the show’s 24 seasons.”
This could very well be the most-watched UofL game in history, with the game hyped all morning long by ESPN and with what could well be a new single game attendance record at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium. Not even a forecast of rain or possible thunderstorms will deter UofL fans from this one.
A far cry for some UofL fans, some of them sitting behind posts at the old Fairgrounds Stadium, making believe it was a football stadium, stomping their feet on those aluminum stands, willing UofL to become relevant, barely clinging to Division 1A status at times.
Someone once said to focus on the journey, not the destination, that joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it. There may be some truth to that for some people. But getting there is especially important to University of Louisville fans who have invested so much in making UofL football a national contender.
Pursuing a dream is not quite the same as seeing it become a reality, however. Actual attainment makes possible even higher goals and grander destinations. One follows the other.
Yes, we certainly have come a long way. From our first date, in fact, in that old, now really really old Cardinal Stadium. The journey has been great, despite the awkwardness of beginnings, in a snowy evening game, which we actually won. Probably because I had the good sense to wear red. How far can this journey go? Go Cards!