LOUISVILLE CARDINALS vs. KENTUCKY WILDCATS

Game Time: 3:30 p.m.

Location: Papa John's Cardinal Stadium: Louisville, Ky.

Television: ESPN

Favorite: Louisville by 3.5

All-Time Series: Kentucky leads 11-9

Modern Series: Louisville leads 9-5

Last Five Meetings:
Louisville 40, Kentucky 24 (2003)
Louisville 28, Kentucky 0 (2004)
Louisville 31, Kentucky 24 (2005)
Louisville 59, Kentucky 28 (2006)
Kentucky 40, Louisville 34 (2007)

Anxiety Level: 9.0. There's a lot on the line here, and not one of us has any idea what to expect.

Game Attire: Red Orange Bowl shirt.

The shirt's only other appaearance last season was in the Kentucky game, but it was a limited role due to being worn underneath the now infamous Art Carmody jersey. Red Orange Bowl's lone solo performance came, appropriately enough, in the 2007 Orange Bowl.That worked out pretty well for everyone.

I have a great deal of confidence in this choice.

Pregame Meal: Whatever I can stomach.

Bilal Powell Playing Alert Level: Olive Green (if he doesn't, I'm punching a puppy in the head).

Predicted Star of the Game: Doug Beaumont

Welcome to the big stage, my man.

Notable and Quotable:

--The leading rusher on the victorious team has outrushed the enitre losing squad in the last eight Battles for the Governor's Cup.

--Louisville was 0-5 last year in games which it turned the ball over two or more times.

--"It's an interesting deal. For a lot of guys, this is going to be their first real experience of playing a lot or starting in a game. And it's on the road, and it'll be noisy. It will be a different atmosphere than any situation they've ever been in in their life. --Rich Brooks

--"A lot of guys can hit it on the driving range, but then you've got to go on the first tee and hit it down the middle. We've been on the driving range. Now we have to get on the first tee and see how guys respond when we turn on the lights." --Steve Kragthorpe

--"I like the fact that we're playing this game right out of the box. Our players understand the importance of it. They've talked about it all year long and talked about it all during training camp. I'm sure it's the same situation in Lexington." --Steve Kragthorpe

--"This is the state championship. As far as who's down or who's favored or whatever, you have to throw all that out the window. This is a huge rivalry game and anything can happen." --Hunter Cantwell