UK Fans of the Day want to know where Kentucky stands in the FBS rankings

As expected, Kentucky did not receive any votes in the AP Poll this week, but the Cats are climbing in some other rankings.

The 48-23 win over Eastern Michigan earned Kentucky a one-spot bump in both The Athletic and CBS Sports‘ ranking of the 136 teams in the FBS. The Cats are now No. 63 in The Athletic’s version and No. 60 in CBS Sports’. Eastern Michigan is among the lowest-ranked teams, No. 134 per The Athletic and No. 129 per CBS Sports, so Saturday’s game wasn’t going to have a huge impact, unless it was a loss.

Sadly, Kentucky is at the bottom of the SEC in both rankings — and by a sizable margin. Next closest in The Athletic’s rankings is Arkansas (No. 52); in CBS Sports’, it’s Florida (No. 48). That game vs. the Gators in November is looking more manageable after their rough start, right? At least there’s that.

South Carolina, Kentucky’s next opponent, dropped several spots in both rankings (down 17 spots to No. 28 in The Athletic’s poll and 20 spots to No. 36) after the 31-7 loss to Vandy, in which quarterback LaNorris Sellars suffered a head injury. His status for the Gamecocks’ game vs. Missouri this week is uncertain. Vandy soared, up to No. 14/21. The Commodores even cracked the AP Poll, coming in at No. 20. Vandy ranked? What is this world?

Here is where all of Kentucky’s opponents stand in both rankings. Because Tennessee Tech is in the FCS, they’re not included.

Date	Opponent	The Athletic	CBS Sports	AP Poll
Aug. 30	Toledo	65	72	NR
Sept. 6	Ole Miss	16	15	13
Sept. 13	Eastern Michigan	134	129	NR
Sept. 27	at South Carolina	28	36	RV
Oct. 4	at Georgia	5	3	5
Oct. 18	Texas	7	10	8
Oct. 25	Tennessee	20	14	15
Nov. 1	at Auburn	12	22	22
Nov. 8	Florida	50	48	NR
Nov. 22	at Vanderbilt	14	21	20
Nov. 29	at Louisville	26	26	RV

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Kentucky rises in ESPN FPI and SP+ Rankings

The computers are a little higher on the Cats than the humans. Kentucky moved up to No. 41 in ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) and SP+ rankings. The FPI now projects Kentucky to finish with an average overall record of 5.3-6.7, which includes a 43.9% chance to reach six wins.

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). Shoutout to Aidan Laros and Jacob Kauwe.