Mark Story: Alabama football or UK basketball? Both programs are storied, but whose is best?
Some say Alabama is the "Kentucky basketball" of SEC football programs.
Others say Kentucky is the "Alabama football" of SEC basketball programs.
I say it's time for one of our games of compare and contrast to see which team reigns supreme.
Kentucky basketball: Seven NCAA championships — all won on the court.
Alabama football: Twelve national championships — most of which are mythical results from sportswriter votes or power rankings.
Advantage: Kentucky basketball.
Alabama football: Three NCAA sanctions for rule-breaking since 1950.
Kentucky basketball: Four NCAA sanctions for rule-breaking since 1950.
Advantage: Alabama football.
Kentucky basketball: The Emery Air Freight package.
Alabama football: Phil Fulmer.
Advantage: Alabama football (more fun to have a human to vilify than an express-mail envelope).
Alabama football: The Man in the Houndstooth Hat.
Kentucky basketball: The Man in the Brown Suit.
Advantage: Even.
Kentucky basketball: Since Adolph Rupp retired, has had five head coaches combine to win 75.6 percent of their games with 16 Southeastern Conference (regular season)titles and three national championships.
Alabama football: Since Bear Bryant retired, has had seven head coaches combine to win 63.9 percent of their games with three SEC titles and one national championship.
Advantage (big advantage): Kentucky basketball.
Alabama football: Drew 92,138 fans to the "A-Day" spring game in 2007.
Kentucky basketball: Drew 24,000 fans to the Big Blue Madness "practice" in 2007.
Advantage: Alabama football.
Kentucky basketball: Ashley Judd — UK's No. 1 celebrity cheerleader.
Alabama football: Sela Ward — both a celebrity and actually a former Crimson Tide cheerleader.
Advantage: Even.
Alabama football: "Rammer, Jammer, Yellow Hammer! Give 'em Hell Alabama!"
Kentucky basketball: "Go Big Blue!"
Advantage (big advantage): Alabama football.
Kentucky basketball: Billy Gillispie agreed to seven-year, $16.1 million contract.
Alabama football: Nick Saban agreed to eight-year, $32 million contract.
Advantage: Kentucky basketball (getting its coaching for half the price)
Alabama football: Joe Namath.
Kentucky basketball: Pat Riley.
Advantage: Alabama (better to have a player instrumental in a pro sports league's history than a coach).
Kentucky basketball: Hired Tubby Smith.
Alabama football: Didn't hire Sylvester Croom.
Advantage: Kentucky basketball.
Alabama football: For $24.95, you can relive the past by purchasing a houndstooth hat on the Internet.
Kentucky basketball: For $24.95, you can relive the past by purchasing a 1978 men's basketball national championship DVD on the Internet.
Advantage: Alabama football.
Kentucky basketball: Streak that makes fans retch is 10 years straight without a Final Four trip.
Alabama football: Streak that makes fans retch is six years straight without a victory over Auburn.
Advantage: Alabama football (negative streak is four years shorter).
Alabama football: Rich Rodriguez turned down head coaching job.
Kentucky basketball: Billy Donovan turned down head coaching job.
Advantage: Kentucky basketball (less embarrassing to be turned down by a two-time national championship coach than one with no titles).
Alabama football: Current marquee player is Terrence "Mount" Cody, the 6-foot-5, 365-pound nose tackle who has "slimmed down" from 420 pounds.
Kentucky basketball: Current marquee player is Patrick Patterson, the McDonald's All-American who turned down Duke and Florida then played better than his hype when he got to Lexington.
Advantage: Kentucky basketball.
The final outcome: Awarding one point for each category advantage, two points for "big" advantages and a half-point for ties, Alabama football beats Kentucky basketball 9-8.
The Bear gets the last laugh on The Baron.
--Mark Story
Herald-Leader Sports Columnist
