Poor Anthony Grant and Mark Fox. They’re going about the business of getting settled, setting up staffs, establishing recruiting ties, and doing all the right things to get their new programs off on the right foot. Meanwhile John Calipari lands at Kentucky, finalizes the nation’s top recruiting class, and sets the Wildcats up as the presumptive favorite for the national title in Year 1.

Top-rated point guard John Wall ended the speculation today by announcing that he’ll join Calipari’s Kentucky team. He’ll complete a class of six newcomers who are all among the top 40 prospects in the nation according to Rivals.com.

With the SEC still recovering from a down period, Kentucky is now the clear favorite to win the league in 2010. Could they dominate the league like Calipari’s Memphis teams came to dominate C-USA? Given the expectations put on even ordinary Kentucky teams, would anything short of a national title for this group be a big disappointment (not to mention great comedy for the rest of us)? We might only get one year to find out – Wall and others in the class are considered one-and-done prospects who will put in only one season in college before jumping to the NBA.

Calipari has made things tough enough for newcomers like Grant and Fox, but even proven SEC veterans Pearl, Donovan, and Stansbury have to be a little uncomfortable now.