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ESPN/SEC Network analyst Peter Burns says one reason he feels like Kentucky is one of the 10 best college football coaching jobs in America is because UK fans are “realistic” in football.

“The fans are appreciative. So many fan bases today do not appreciate how hard it is to win football games,” Burns said. “Kentucky fans understand if they land a three-star (recruit) and he fits, they appreciate that.

“They have different level expectations than Kentucky basketball where if the team has two bad games in a row fans are losing their minds. For Kentucky football, that fan base appreciates when the team is good and when it is not they are not unfair in how they criticize and look at realistically how to address what the team needs.”

What if UK wins nine or 10 games this year, something that seems a lot less likely now after the 28-23 escape against Chattanooga last week?

“Not only would fans be paying even more attention then and probably expecting more but recruits and media from coast to coast would pay attention,” Burns said. “Stoops has built the foundation. He just needs some marquee wins.”

Kentucky has that chance soon with consecutive games against Florida, LSU, and Georgia.

“They need a win against LSU and I think right now Kentucky is better than LSU,” Burns said. “We’ll see about Georgia and Florida.

They just need a marquee win or two to say they are legit and they are on the cusp of that right now. If they are not the most fun team in college football, I don’t know who is.”

Burns remembers when Clemson for the longest time needed to get those marquee wins to grow the program and did it.

“It is tougher for UK because they are in the SEC. Put Kentucky in the ACC and they are going 11-1 or 10-2. They are that solid,” Burns said. “The problem is for all SEC teams week in, week out it is a battle. The biggest thing holding Kentucky back is being in the toughest conference in America.”