Himmelsbach | DeVante Parker's lost chance & game predictions

Adam Himmelsbach takes his regular look back at the sports week that was...

• It was impossible to watch Louisville's game against Florida State on Thursday and not simultaneously be amazed by and feel badly for DeVante Parker. In his second game back since suffering a preseason foot injury, the senior wide receiver had eight catches for 214 yards against the defending national champions.

That came on the heels of his nine-catch, 132-yard outing against North Carolina State. It all makes you wonder if this could have been a record-breaking season for Parker. Dating back to last season, Parker now has four consecutive games with more than 100 receiving yards.

• So, I admittedly can't stop thinking about the UK basketball platoon. I've made it clear that I don't think the full platoon system — five men in, five men out — will make it through the entire season. But Wildcats coach John Calipari has said he is doing this because he owes it to his players. I think that backs him into a corner a bit. If he does pull back from the platoon and return to a more traditional rotation, it will be worth asking if he has changed his mind on that players-first approach.

• I got my first look at the Louisville basketball team on Saturday, as it defeated a gritty Barry team in an exhibition, 91-71. Yes, there were some rebounding problems. But it wasn't like UofL was being overpowered on the backboards. It was more an issue of technique and effort. Individually, I was most impressed by Wayne Blackshear's assertiveness. Rick Pitino used a short bench, but that shouldn't come as a surprise, because U of L's difficult non-conference game against Minnesota is just 10 days away.

• OK, stick with me here, but we're talking NASCAR for a second. Did you see what sparked the post-race fight between Jeff Gordon and Brad Keselowski? Gordon had gone over to Keselowski to yell at him for clipping him late in Sunday's race. That's fine. Then Kevin Harvick appears out of nowhere and basically shoves Keselowski toward Gordon and Co., like a third-grader instigating a fight. Well, it worked. But I think Harvick comes off as the biggest loser in this incident. Stay out of it.

• Finally, I hope everyone had a great Halloween. The cool weather reminded me of the time I went trick-or-treating in six inches of snow as a kid in Syracuse, N.Y. (Yes, I will tell grandkids that story someday.) Halloween made me think about the worst items that were placed in my plastic pumpkin when I was a kid. In no particular order: pennies, a toothbrush, raisins and coupons. What was the worst thing you ever received?

Too-early predictions:

Louisville 21, Boston College 17

Georgia 35, Kentucky 20

Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at 502-582-4372 by email ahimmelsbach@courier-journal.com and on Twitter @adamhimmelsbach.