No bowl? No problem

Alabama, Kentucky not letting sanctions affect play

More in this column: • Redemption for RB Nix • Gamecocks' Holtz hurting • Worth noting: 'Horns shuffle

As he strolls through campus these days, Jared Lorenzen finds he has more than a few new admirers among his classmates.

"They definitely like us right now," said the Kentucky quarterback.

Of course they do, Jared -- what's not to like? All you guys have done the past two weeks is knock intrastate rival Louisville out of the rankings, torch UTEP for 77 points and obliterate any lingering memories of two straight 2-9 seasons.

OK, there is one thing. The Wildcats are on probation, and, barring a successful appeal, can't go to a bowl game this season, no matter how many points they put up.

It's the same thing at Alabama, which looked darn impressive in nearly rallying to victory on the road last weekend against second-ranked Oklahoma. With LSU and Auburn looking disappointing in their biggest games thus far, 'Bama may well be good enough to win the SEC West, but we'll never know. The Tide are banned from bowls for this and next season, and thus aren't eligible for the SEC championship game, either.

Cal, the third program under a bowl ban, also has exploded out of the gate under new head coach Jeff Tedford, though that could change with Saturday's trip to No. 15 Michigan State.

When the sanctions for Alabama and Kentucky were announced last winter -- both involving illicit recruiting violations -- the inevitable reaction from fans was doom and gloom. Thus far, however, both teams are playing better than at any point since 1999, the year 'Bama won its last SEC title and Kentucky went to its last bowl game.

The Wildcats appear to finally have grasped second-year head coach Guy Morriss' system, something they barely had time to do last season following Hal Mumme's abrupt offseason resignation. Third-year starter Lorenzen is playing at a new level, throwing five touchdown passes against the Miners, Artose Pinner has reestablished himself in the running game, and the defense is flying around the field, mauling star Louisville QB Dave Ragone in the opener.

"We have confidence going into every game now; we believe we can win," said Lorenzen. "Last year, that was a little bit of a question."

As for 'Bama, senior QB Tyler Watts is in firm control of the offense after splitting time with Andrew Zow the past three seasons, and the Tide's run defense completely squashed OU. Also, head coach Dennis Franchione seemed to open up the playbook in that game, beginning it with an onsides kick and later faking a field goal.

"I hope that our players take out of the game that if we play well and don't hurt ourselves with turnovers, we can beat any team we play," said Franchione. "We have some great games on the schedule to play and ... maybe when you go through something like this, your appreciation for each individual game is a little deeper."

Both the Wildcats and the Crimson Tide have caught the attention of former Auburn head coach Terry Bowden, who led the Tigers to an 11-0 season in 1993 despite their probation and bowl ineligibility. While they've impressed in the early going, he questions whether they'll be able to maintain their enthusiasm -- especially after a couple of losses.

"It's a pretty good motivation when you can say to kids, 'No one thinks we can win; everyone thinks we're cheaters,'" said Bowden. "Pride is a lot better motivation for kids than people think. But I think it diminishes with every goal they can no longer reach."

Kentucky's Morriss understands that. He has avoided talking about the bowl situation with his players as much as possible, and he's holding on to hope that the NCAA's Infractions Appeals Committee will overturn it.

If not, he at least hopes they'll hold out on their decision for a while.

"I hope that the NCAA does not really give us an answer until later on this year, because we still have that tiny little carrot to dangle in front of [the players] right now," said Morriss. "If they do come back and say, 'You definitely can't go to a bowl,' they don't have much to play for besides pride at that point."

Morriss probably will not get his wish. Kentucky presented its case to the appeals committee Aug. 17 (Alabama did the same the day before), and the committee normally responds within four to six weeks of the hearing, said NCAA spokesman Wallace Renfro, which likely means by the end of this month.

Whatever the outcome, don't expect either team to roll over. Both are fortunate to have good senior leadership, and, coming off a couple of disappointing seasons, there's a strong urgency by the players to finish their careers on a high note.

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