One year after both Louisville and Western Kentucky endured disappointing seasons that resulted in coaching changes, both programs won bowl games.

Western Kentucky went 3-9 in 2018 and subsequently parted ways with coach Mike Sanford.  In 2019, Tyson Helton coached the Hilltoppers to an 8-4 regular season.  Today, WKU beat Western Michigan at the SERVPRO First Responder bowl 23-20 on a field goal with no time remaining on the clock.  The victory in Dallas pushed WKU to a 9-4 record and completed a remarkable turnaround from 2018.

Louisville endured a brutal 2018 season finishing 2-10 after posting 8-consecutive winning seasons that included a 2012 Sugar Bowl Victory for coach Charlie Strong and a 2016 Heisman Trophy award for the preternatural Lamar Jackson.  2018 was a cratering experience for a program that has had wins at the Sugar, Orange, and Fiesta Bowls since 1990.

Bobby Petrino was released after U of L fell to 2-8 in 2018.  Louisville hired Scott Satterfield from Appalachian State, won 7-regular season games, finished second to Clemson in the Atlantic division, and won for an 8th time in 2019 by beating Mississippi State in the Music City Bowl.  Louisville rallied from a 14 point deficit to win 38-28.

WKU went from 3-9 to 9-4, and U of L went from 2-10 to 8-5.  Each program has to look toward 2020 with far greater certitude than it approached 2019.