LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- This is the difference between Lexington, Kentucky, and State College, Pennsylvania.
In one town, a coach with zero College Football Playoff wins and an eight-game SEC losing streak is making $9 million a year and still holding the whistle.
In the other, a coach with two Playoff wins and an $8 million salary just lost three straight Big Ten games and got launched like a pumpkin at a fall festival.
James Franklin is out. Mark Stoops is still in.
And listen, nobody's arguing that Franklin didn't earn his pink slip. But when the car is sputtering, some programs pop the hood. Others trade in the whole vehicle.
Kentucky, for now, is still kicking the tires.
On Monday, Stoops took the podium, leaned into the microphone and talked about progress. Healing. Improvement. And a young quarterback trying to learn calculus while dodging defensive ends built like food trucks.
They've been practicing well. Staying positive. Making subtle strides. And if you squint just right, you can almost see it.
But the standings don't squint.
The QB is the future. But he's also the present.
Stoops isn't asking Cutter Boley to rescue the season. But he is asking him to grow up quicker than a prom date with a fake ID.
"He's a very confident young man," Stoops said. "He knows with hard work, he'll see results."
That confidence has been tested. Boley's numbers — 52.6% completion rate, four interceptions, two touchdowns — are less Joe Burrow and more Joe from accounting. But the raw material is there. He's 6 feet, 5 inches tall. He stands tall in the pocket. He throws it like he means it. And he doesn't flinch, even when the blitz is louder than a marching band rehearsal.
He's already seen this Texas defense once — last November, in Austin, where he came off the bench and casually hit a 43-yarder on his first throw. Finished with 160 yards on 10-of-18 passing.
But this isn't a relief appearance. It's his show now. Same opponent. Whole new stage.
Kentucky used the bye week well. But Saturday is a verdict.
Stoops gave the team more full-speed looks during the bye week. Ones vs. ones. Twos vs. twos. Grown men against other grown men. And if that doesn't sharpen you, nothing will. It was designed to get Boley more accustomed to facing live pressure. It was smart.
"We're just trying to develop all the guys on our team and let them see reps at a higher speed," he said.
Sure. But practice only gets you so far. Especially when Texas is coming — big, fast, and still smelling like that win over Oklahoma. They're No. 21 in the country and climbing.
This isn't just about Boley. Kentucky needs to surround him with more than hope. They need a running game with teeth. A defense with resolve. And special teams that don't make fans spill their bourbon.
Stoops talked about his team's improvement, and said numbers may not always show it, but seemed to imply that it has gotten better in subtle ways.
That's lovely. But subtlety isn't the SEC's strong suit. In the SEC, "subtle" usually means you've got a good punter.
The standard is shifting. Will Kentucky shift with it?
There was a time — not long ago — when going 7-5, beating Louisville, and beating one or two conference teams in your weight class was enough to win the offseason, or at least to keep the eternal flame of hope lit.
That time has expired. Stoops raised the bar. Now he's being asked to pole-vault it, with a second-year quarterback and a roster that feels like it's being built from a kit.
He says he likes this team and believes in it. And I do believe he does. And if you listen long enough, you might believe in it, too.
"I feel like this team is very united, working extremely hard and very much passionate about getting better each and every day," Stoops said. "And if we stay that way then we'll see the results eventually."
He might be right.
But in college football, "eventually" comes with an expiration date. Even if it's different in some places than others.
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