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Wednesday Evening Cardinal News And Notes

Tomorrow is a school night. Get your math homework done ahead of time (via @needCRforCards).

By Mike Rutherford

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I_medium Spread Check: Florida State by 4.

I_medium Less than 24 hours now. Ohh my.

I_medium The Tallahassee Democrat says Thursday night games are always scary for FSU.

But when it comes to Thursday night games, FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher isn't buying into some sort of curse. After all, as he pointed out earlier this week, his team has a winning record in these primetime showdowns since he took over as head coach.

"Thursday night games are always tough," said Fisher, whose team takes on Louisville in the program's 15th Thursday night game. "But what are we? 9-5 overall? We're 2-1 in the four years we've been here. When you play good teams, they're all tough. And (Louisville) is a good team."

The one loss during his tenure was a stunning one, no doubt. The Seminoles, trailing 28-24, were driving in for the game-winning score against underdog N.C. State. They had a second and goal at the Wolfpack 4-yard line with 54 seconds left when FSU running back Ty Jones knocked the ball out of Ponder's hand.

The bitter defeat, of course, brought up those aforementioned painful memories of previous Thursday night losses. And Florida State fans are always wary of these games. On the road. Against an underdog looking to knock off the big dog.

But as Fisher noted, since that loss to Russell Wilson and N.C. State in 2010 the Seminoles are 2-0 in these games - including a dramatic, season-saving 28-22 win at Virginia Tech in 2012.

I_medium The Orlando Sentinel looks at why the Cardinal defense has been so dominant.

I_medium This is a pretty sweet creation:

I_medium I talked with the C-J's Adam Himmelsbach about Thursday's game, which feels like something we've kinda been waiting on for forever.

"They're coming to your house to play a conference game," Rutherford said. "And I think that's the biggest thing, is that UL has always dreamed of playing these games that aren't one-shot deals. It's a big deal for what it is, and it's also a preview."

I've often wondered whether it would be preferable to go 12-0 in a weak conference or 9-3 in a strong one. Everyone likes wins, and everyone likes seeing their team at the top of the standings. But everyone also likes fun Saturdays. And Rutherford pointed out that last season's UofL games, quite frankly, weren't much fun.

The pot of gold at the end of every season comes in the form of a strong bowl game against a strong opponent. But bowl games are fleeting. College football is the rare sport in which huge regular-season games can stand alone as huge events.

It's possible, even likely, that the excitement surrounding this Florida State game will dwarf the excitement surrounding whatever bowl game UofL lands in. That regular season/postseason comparison doesn't hold up in college basketball.

So everyone should soak up the Florida State game. Enjoy it as an event on its own, not a means to an end. And for UofL fans, the comforting reality is that even if there is a misstep, there are still opportunities for redemption. There are still big Saturdays to look forward to.

I_medium Being the new guy in town is old news for Rick Pitino.

I_medium The Tomahawk Nation folks are out with their game preview and staff predictions, and just one of the site's 17 writers like the Cards to spring the upset. This one is probably my favorite though:

Michael Rogner: I can't name a single Louisville player off the top of my head, but I'm sure they're great. Noles 38-17.

Why WOULDN'T you put stock into a prediction like that.

I_medium Chris Jones makes an appearance at No. 80 in the first installment of ESPN's top 100 college hoops players for 2014-15.

I_medium CBS' Dennis Dodd has a good feature on the comeback story of Michael Dyer, who is looking to make one last big national splash before leaving college football.

"I'm not going to get into my personal opinion of what the state police did ... at Auburn," Andre said. "He was in the wrong place at the wrong time and his name got thrown into it."

Andre also talked about lonely stretches of highway between Alabama and home in Little Rock. He didn't blame his nephew for legally carrying a gun.

"After dark," he said. "you could see absolutely nothing from Birmingham to the Tennessee border."

It made Andre uneasy when he escorted Michael through crowds at Auburn.

"I've been down there after games," he said. "I noticed the way a lot of those people bombard those athletes down there ... Don't get me wrong, people were appreciating his talent. But there were some people down there that had the wrong thing on their mind."

The SEC-level hype is gone. Michael Dyer is starting in the biggest game since facing Oregon more than 3 ½ years ago. He is on track to graduate in December. Before having a pro football career, he'll be assured of having a life.

Never charged, never convicted ... never better?

"It couldn't be any better right now," Andre Dyer said.

I_medium DJ K-Dogg's Florida State tailgate mix is now available for download.

I_medium I talked about the four Texas hoops players I had ranked in my top for a segment on the Longhorn Network yesterday. You can check it out here if the mood strikes you.

I_medium Tomahawk Nation's Bud Elliott and Ingram Smith discuss the U of L game with our man Mark Ennis in their weekly podcast.

I_medium If "Will" or "Gardner" rhymed with "zombie," I'd have something super clever to lead into this picture with.

I_medium Jeff Greer made his preseason ACC picks today and liked Duke freshman Jahlil Okafor as the both the preseason Rookie and Player of the Year.

I_medium These updated ACC football projections give Louisville just a slightly worse chance of finishing the conference season 6-2 than finishing 5-3.

I_medium The U of L men's soccer team played to a disappointing 0-0 draw with SIUE in the team's final regular season home game Tuesday night.

I_medium If you've already taken off work tomorrow and are looking to get the party going especially early, the Red Rage tailgate crew would like to invite you to "Sunrise Over Old Cardinal" with WAVE-3 at 5 a.m.

I_medium So DePaul has started a rape awareness campaign that includes "Consent the D" t-shirts. I'm....just....not going to say anything else about this.

I_medium Fans of the old Octonion can rejoice today, as Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician has unleashed The Quindenion on the world, and it is brilliant.


I_medium Rolling Stone takes a pretty extensive look into the notion that ESPN is pushing a pro-SEC agenda.

I_medium Red Lightining is all up in the Derby City.

I_medium David Hale of ESPN sees Louisville landing in the Music City Bowl.

I_medium This "Women Having A Terrible Time At Parties In Western Art History" post from The Toast is terrific.

I_medium Louisville has the No. 9 frontcourt in the country according to CBS.

9. Louisville

The Cardinals have maybe the best returning forward in the country in Montrezl Harrell. He's a monster on the boards, and dunks everything in sight. Late last season, he even improved his jumper and started feeling comfortable taking the occassional 17-footer. There's a good chance that he will be a first-team All-American this season. So why is Louisville so low? Well, simply put they don't have much to pair with him in the frontcourt. Mangok Mathiang will likely start next to him at center. Mathiang is at least a good fit with Harrell in terms of what he provides as a solid shot-blocker and defender. But he's also a weak offensive player at this juncture that will need to show some improvement there this season. Along with the two starters will be Jaylen Johnson and Chinanu Onuaku, both freshmen. The Cardinals figure to be a top 10 team on the backs of Terry Rozier, Wayne Blackshear and Harrell, along with incoming freshmen Quentin Snider and Shaqquan Aaron. But their frontcourt is pretty barren outside of Harrell, which makes them slide a bit down this list.

I_medium Tim Sullivan talks Jameis Winston, Jimbo Fisher and the willing suspension of disbelief.

I_medium Syracuse pretty much has the best media guide cover in college basketball history.

I_medium Dan McDonnell has elevated longtime pitching coach Roger Williams to associate head coach.

I_medium Bobby Petrino appeared on SportsCenter Wednesday morning and expressed great confidence in his team's ability to find a way to win against Florida State.

I_medium I have enjoyed the unearthing of all these relics this week.

I_medium FSUnews.com drops some stat bombs on Florida State/Louisville.

I_medium In an attempt to create the most Card Chronicle image of all-time, Ken Moser captures the CCBM in the midst of a DVR'd "Saved by the Bell" marathon.

I_medium We know that NFL Cards Senorise Perry, Preston Brown, Eric Wood and now Harry Douglas will be in the building tomorrow night.

I_medium A press release of interest:

Boys and Girls Haven and the Muhammed Ali Center are thrilled to host their annual Salute to the Legends Dinner featuring former UK and UofL athletes on Sunday, November 16th from 6 to 9 pm. Attendees will enjoy a night of nostalgia as they remember moments created by these legends in our community. The former players who have committed to this fundraiser for Boys and Girls Haven are Roger Burkman, Jack Givens, Mike Pratt, Perrin Johnson, and Pat Day among others.

The champion sponsors of this year's event are Oxmoor Auto Group and the Porcini/Farmer Children's Foundation.  In addition to dinner and drinks, the evening will include a raffle and live auction with items such as UK and UofL memorabilia signed by coaches and players.  Tony Cruise, local radio personality and part of the morning team on 840 WHAS, will serve as emcee of the event.

All proceeds from this event will help provide homes and a future to children and young adults who have been the victims of abuse, abandonment, and neglect.   Both individual and full table tickets for the event are available now at https://salutetolegends.eventbrite.com.  For more information on the Boys & Girls Haven or with any other event related questions, you can reach out to Brenna Cundiff, Associate Director of Development at 502-458-1711 ext. 139 or visit www.boyshaven.org

I_medium Good omen?

I_medium A pretty encouraging graphic from the Wall Street Journal:

I_medium True freshman linebacker Lorenzo Featherston has played a huge role in FSU's success this season.

I_medium TampaBay.com previews the big game.

I_medium Seminoles.com has a pretty handy "First and 10" game preview.

I_medium And finally, beat FSU.

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