LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Over the past week or so, Rick Bozich and I spent some time gathering input from the WDRB Sports staff to put together a list of top stories in the area from the past decade.
With the New Year now upon us, I want to turn the other way and talk about five stories expect to be among the biggest we’ll cover in 2020.
I’ve never been much for predicting the future. I must have missed that class in school. I only know that when you feel like something is sure to happen, it almost never does. (Except for car trouble. That always happens.)
So proceed with caution. But these are stories I’m reasonably sure we’ll be covering in 2020:
LAMAR JACKSON AND THE SUPER BOWL
Lamar Jackson has had an MVP-type season in his second year in the NFL. He’s 27 days younger than the guy who won the Heisman Trophy this season, LSU’s Joe Burrow. At age 22, Jackson has won a Heisman, likely locked up the NFL MVP, led the league in touchdown passes and broken the league’s single-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback.
He’s been the youngest player in NFL history with multiple 5-TD passing games, youngest to win NFL offensive player of the week four times in one season, youngest to start a playoff game and youngest to post a perfect passer rating.
After leading Baltimore to a 14-2 record and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, will Jackson be able to take advantage and become the youngest quarterback ever to win a Super Bowl?
COLLEGE BASKETBALL POSTSEASON
Can Chris Mack get Louisville back to NCAA Tournament prominence? If you watched the Cardinals’ loss to Kentucky, you know he has some work to do. Can Jordan Nwora live up to his preseason billing and win ACC Player of the Year?
And what about John Calipari? How far will he be able to push his young Kentucky team once tournament time rolls around.
Even advancing to the Elite Eight would be a major story for Louisville, to play for a chance to return to the Final Four after vacating two appearances just two years ago.
And Kentucky hasn’t been to the Final Four since 2015, a dry spell few would’ve bet on given Calipari’s annual recruiting brilliance.
NCAA HAMMER
The NCAA’s investigation into the Louisville men’s basketball program and its alleged violations in the recruitment of Brian Bowen hasn’t gone away, but the story has been quiet for a while.
That can’t last forever. What the NCAA decides to do with Louisville and how that impacts the program moving forward will be a major story whenever it drops.
A new NCAA infractions process is in place, which, in the words of the NCAA, “brings independent investigators, advocates and decision-makers to the infractions process to minimize perceived conflicts of interest and to add different perspectives to the review of infractions matters. Select complex cases will be eligible for the independent process. Examples of complex cases include alleged violations of core NCAA values, such as alleged failures to prioritize academics and the well-being of student-athletes; the possibility of major penalties; or conduct contrary to the cooperative principles of the existing infractions process.”
What impact this new framework, called the Independent Accountability Resolution Process, has on U of L’s situation could be a significant component of this story.
OMAHA STAKES
Dan McDonnell has taken the Louisville baseball team to the College World Series five times in 12 years, and his team is ranked No. 1 in at least one preseason poll this season. Is this the year he brings a championship to Louisville?
The Cardinals had three returners named preseason All-Americans by Collegiate Baseball newspaper: pitchers Reid Detmers and Michael Kirian and third baseman Alex Binelas.
KENTUCKY FOOTBALL
Mark Stoops and the Wildcats just finished their football season with a win in the Belk Bowl. But with a slew of talented young players back, plus quarterback Terry Wilson, plus a Top-25 recruiting class, could 2020 be the year that the Wildcats push through to win their SEC division and get to the league championship game?
Getting past Florida and Georgia is difficult. But the gap isn’t what it used to be.
All of these stories are safe bets to be subjects of 2020 discussion. But there are others. Louisville City FC will begin play in a new soccer stadium. Could we have a conventional Kentucky Derby winner in 2020, and what happens with the horse racing industry? Jeff Walz has a top-10 team with Louisville women’s basketball, but can he get them back to the Final Four?
What do you expect to happen in 2020? Join the discussion on my Facebook or Twitter accounts, and follow our coverage at WDRB.com
Happy New Year!
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