Half of Kentucky's Opponents Ranked in Preseason Coaches Poll

half-of-kentucky-opponents-ranked-in-preseason-coaches-poll — Mark Stoops and his team run out of the tunnel at Kroger Field - Photo by Dr. Michael Huang | Kentucky Sports Radio

Need further proof that Kentucky’s schedule is one of the hardest in the country? Just look at the preseason Coaches Poll.

As you probably expect, the Cats did not make the Top 25, but half of their opponents did; two are in the top five. Three more foes are among the group receiving votes. That leaves only three teams on Kentucky’s schedule that didn’t get any votes in the preseason Coaches Poll: Toledo, Eastern Michigan, and Tennessee Tech (which is in the FCS).

The first ranked team that Kentucky will face? The No. 15 Ole Miss Rebels, who come to Kroger Field on September 6, a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on ABC. Three weeks later, the Cats will travel to Columbia to play the No. 13 South Carolina Gamecocks, which will be followed up by a trip to Athens to take on No. 4 Georgia.

After the second bye week, Kentucky will host No. 1 Texas, featuring star quarterback Arch Manning. One week later, No. 18 Tennessee comes to town. No. 17 Florida is the only other ranked team left on the schedule, a Nov. 8 date in Lexington, but Louisville, Auburn, and Vanderbilt all received votes, with Louisville coming in at No. 28. On3’s Brett McMurphy has the Cards at No. 25 on his preseason AP Top 25 ballot. That poll drops on Monday.

Kentucky opponents in the Preseason Coaches Poll

1. Texas – Oct. 18 (Home)
4. Georgia – Oct. 4 (Away)
13. South Carolina – Sep. 27 (Away)
15. Ole Miss – Sep. 6 (Home)
17. Florida – Nov. 8 (Home)
18. Tennessee – Oct. 25 (Home)

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Receiving Votes
28. Louisville (126) – Nov. 29 (Away)
32. Auburn (50) – Nov. 1 (Away)
50. Vanderbilt (3) – Nov. 22 (Away)

Nine SEC teams made the Top 25, with five more receiving votes. That leaves Kentucky and Mississippi State as the lone SEC teams not to get a vote from the panel, which includes Mark Stoops this season. I’d love to see his ballot. In his press conference last week, Stoops acknowledged how loaded Kentucky’s schedule is this season, but said to bring it on.

“It’s just an awkward schedule, but again, remember, we’re embracing it, we’re optimistic, and we’re excited about it. So, it is what it is. I can’t change that. I can’t change what our byes are. I can’t change who we play when, all that, you know. So, it is what it is. Bring it on.”

College Football Preseason Coaches Poll

Rank	Team	PTS
1	Texas	1606 (28)
2	Ohio State	1565 (20)
3	Penn State	1525 (14)
4	Georgia	1466 (3)
5	Notre Dame	1360
6	Clemson	1324 (2)
7	Oregon	1307
8	Alabama	1210
9	LSU	1056
10	Miami (FL)	823
11	Arizona State	806
12	Illinois	734
13	South Carolina	665
14	Michigan	580
15	Ole Miss	573
16	SMU	555
17	Florida	498
18	Tennessee	492
19	Indiana	460
20	Kansas State	438
21	Texas A&M	392
21	Iowa State	392
23	BYU	287
24	Texas Tech	261
25	Boise State	246

Others Receiving Votes: Oklahoma 221; Missouri 142; Louisville 126; USC 116; Utah 86; Baylor 76; Auburn 50; Iowa 49; Memphis 34; Army West Point 33; Tulane 31; Georgia Tech 27; TCU 24; Nebraska 19; Syracuse 16; Washington 15; Navy 14; Arkansas 14; Duke 12; Colorado 12; Minnesota 11; UNLV 8; Florida State 8; Kansas 6; Vanderbilt 3; Buffalo 1