I got a little bit of somethin, god it's better than nothin

Another slow, sweaty week as we count down to September 4th. Here's a few tidbits to help pass the time...

* Charlie Strong has his own sandwich at Champion's Bar & Grill. Sounds pretty tasty, but I prefer the "Charlie Strong Burger" served at Shenanigans in the Highlands. Two beef patties, grilled onions, pepperjack cheese...a fine product.

By the way, the "Kragthorpe Burger" jokes never get old. From my understanding it was made from top-ten sirloin, had all the condiments returning, and was poised to be a burger of national prominence. But then the waiter drops it in the urinal and covers it with hair before serving it to you.

* I love Jody Demling's work, but I think I would blow my head off if I had to cover recruiting for a living. I tuned in to his live blog today to be treated to 900 iterations of, "Does Quincy Miller like us? But does he like like us??"

Wake me when we have a commit.

* Speaking of, the football Cards got a big one today, literally. Ryan Mack, the 6'6'' 320lbs offensive tackle has given his verbal to Louisville. Click here to see him in action. Pretty impressive clips as far as offensive tackles go.

* And finally, the conventional wisdom about the 2010 Football Cards is hardening quicker than concrete. Roughly, it seems to be that the Cards will stink, but not as bad as last year, the team will play hard and show signs of improvement, and the fans will rally and reunite.

I'd like to buck the trend for a minute and propose that these Cards will be good. Like, winning many games good. Like, going to a bowl good.

Maybe I've just seen too many episodes of "Friday Night Lights" lately (a terrific show, I'm watching them nonstop to fill the hole that "Lost" left in my life) and therefore am delusional about how quickly a team can turn around.

But, as painful as last season was, I can't shake the memory that we weren't that far from a winning season, we were competitive in almost every contest. So I find it somewhat baffling how tempered most fans' expectations are.

We have the skill players to win now. Guys like Darius Ashley and Vic Anderson are top-flight talents, and there's a talented group of frosh that will battle for the reward of immediate playing time. Throw in some competence in the headset, a new team attitude, and actual fans in the seats, and there's no reason why dividends should not be reaped immediately.

The Governors' Cup sets the tone for the season, and we match up well against the Cats. We have the backfield speed that can expose their weakened defensive line, and they lack the true quarterback to exploit our, how to put it, mercurial secondary.

Win that game and all bets are off. So get hyped Cards fans, dream big. No one ever got anywhere on this marble through meekness, and life's too short to talk 10-year rebuilding plans. I'm calling for 8-4 next season and a bowl in temperate weather. You heard it here first.

Go Cards.