Kentucky continues to rise in ESPN's FPI/SP+ rankings after blowout win

by: Zack Geoghegan7 hours agoZGeogheganKSR

UK Football vs. Eastern Michigan at Kroger Field on Saturday, September 13, 2025 in Lexington, Kentucky. Photo by Crawford Ifland, Kentucky Sports Radio.

Kentucky football’s 48-23 win over Eastern Michigan isn’t going to vault the Wildcats into the Top 25 of the latest AP Poll, but it did slightly impress the computer rankings.

UK went up in both of ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) and SP+ rankings following Saturday’s victory at Kroger Field. The FPI moved Kentucky up one spot to No. 41 nationally, while the SP+ rankings saw the ‘Cats jump three spots, also to No. 41. Both of these analytics-based systems bumped Kentucky up last week, too, despite a 30-23 loss to a ranked Ole Miss squad.

The FPI now projects Kentucky to finish with an average overall record of 5.3-6.7, which includes a 43.9 percent chance to reach the six-win threshold. That figure is up from just 37 percent last week. UK also has a one percent chance of making the College Football Playoff if you really want to dream big. Meanwhile, the SP+ rankings now grade Kentucky as having the 62nd-best offense in the country (+10 from last week), the 29th-best defense (-2), and the 8th-best special teams unit (+2).

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As for Eastern Michigan, the Eagles remain near the bottom of the standings among all Division I schools. The FPI moved up EMU three spots, but only to 123rd nationally out of 136 total teams. The SP+ rankings dropped the Eagles three spots to 131st.

Kentucky will enter the bye week with a 2-1 record. Up next will be the Wildcats’ first away game of the season against No. 11 South Carolina on Sept. 27. The Gamecocks lost to Vanderbilt 31-7 on Saturday after star QB LaNorris Sellers left early due to a head injury. As a result, South Carolina plummeted in both of ESPN’s advanced stats rankings, falling 16 spots to No. 37 in the FPI and a staggering 36 spots to No. 48 in the SP+.

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