The Kentucky-Western Kentucky Super Bowl is barely two weeks out and the buzz is like katydids on a heavy afternoon in August. Urgent, persistent and growing louder.

We like it, this Phase II of Honeymoon Stoops and Petrino. The two-word anthem sprung up to go with the countdown is good too. “can’t wait!”

Meanwhile, among questions to stir the stew …

• Does Petrino have enough stadium steps to keep his team’s ornery faction running until game day?

• Does Stoops deploy an Air Raid outright or run-throw guy at quarterback, Jason Whitlow?

• A win benefits which program most? Kentucky is desperate because of schedule that looks like a slog up Everest. A Western win: Brag rights is passe.` This could be threshold to start Petrino’s rehab back to “he’s a genius,” by media herd. Could spell a five home game sell-out run, Top Fever and amp up bowl talk. All grown out of one afternoon in Nashville.

• Las Vegas betting line favoring the Toppers means nothing, right? Wrong. Fuels “can’t wait!”

• Downside to these proceedings? A game featuring two Kentuckys ought not be played in an orange state.

Bottom line: Can’t wait.

STRONG IS WRONG

Louisville coach Charlie Strong is an advocate for paying student-athletes. Logic? Schools rake in millions while players “work so hard and get nothing.”

Sniff.

First, revenues go into athletic department accounts not university general funds.

More important, a little context.

Hot topic today is college graduates with student loans to pay back are set back. True-ism: Athletes on scholarship are a privileged class like never before.

Quartered in special dormitories, players have access to class planners, tutors, training table, dietary planners, nutritionists, physical trainers, work-out facilities, team doctor(s) and full medical care.

More perks? Game ticket privileges for family and celebrity (fan worship).

Seems Charlie Strong is so distanced from his undergraduate days, he doesn’t see a bigger picture. Or, his advocacy sounds good on the recruiting trail.

MENDEZ VALDEZ & GRAD SCHOOLERS

Mercenaries Nerlens Noel, Archie Goodwin and other one-and-doners have moved on, thankfully. Others gone from local college teams (with degrees?) are headed for international graduate school. Play-for-pay and live abroad.

Preston Knowles from Louisville will play in Israel; Murray State’s Ivan Aska is headed to a team in Greece; Kentucky’s Julius Mays will play in Italy.

Then, there’s Western Kentucky Hilltopper and graduate Orlando Mendez-Valdez.

Chosen MVP in the Mexican League, the 6-1, 185-pounder will play for the Mexican national team.

Now 25 and married, Mendez-Valdez reflected on life so far with a friend recently.

“Playing in the NBA is the dream of every kid, but as you get older, you start realizing there’s a lot more to life than basketball. That’s the direction my life has taken. Before, basketball was everything to me. I still have that competitiveness and drive to be the best, but I realize it’s also important to be a good husband and a good father when we start having kids.”

THE RIGHT STUFF

Impressive, Kentucky’s new offensive coordinator Neal Brown’s crisp and clear goal sets for Kentucky’s newest renaissance. ”We want to be at 75-plus snaps … be 48 per cent or better on third down … 50 per cent or higher on first downs, which means a good play is four yards.”

The SEC being the jungle it’s always been, lofty goals. But sounds good.

Then there’s new tight ends coach Vince Morrow. An Ohio native Morrow has received and re-directed praise for recruiting successes for UK in the Buckeye State.

Morrow’s views predicated on putting the state and Big Blue fans first, helped eclipse some of the John “burn down your village” Calipari idiocy spouted recently.

First, Morrow persuaded prospects from Ohio to visit Lexington for a Blue-White game that drew near 50,000 fans. After several commits, he told reporters “… the fans recruited the kids from Ohio. It was the people of Kentucky. I didn’t recruit them.”

Fans and the university first, as it should be.

And so it goes.