Kentucky (once again) opens as the underdog against an SEC opponent

Kentucky hasn’t won an SEC football game in its last 10 attempts. Early money is saying the losing streak will extend to 11.

The Wildcats have opened as a 10-point underdog for next weekend’s road showdown with the unranked Auburn Tigers (4-4), according to our friends at BetMGM. The point total has been set at 47.5. Kickoff at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday, November 1, is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.

Kentucky is 0-5 against SEC teams so far this season, losing those games by a combined score of 172-97, including Saturday’s 56-34 home loss to Tennessee. Auburn will mark UK’s fifth straight game against a conference opponent, with another to follow against Florida back in Lexington. ESPN Analytics gives Kentucky a 22.7 percent chance to beat Auburn and a 39.1 percent chance to take down the Gators.

Not great!

The loss to Tennessee didn’t do Kentucky any favors with the advanced stats, either. ESPN’s Football Power Index dropped UK two spots to 53rd nationally (and last in the SEC) while the SP+ Rankings saw the Wildcats fall six spots to 66th in the country (also last in the SEC). For comparison, Auburn checked in at 24th in the FPI and 29th in the SP+ after the Tigers beat Arkansas 33-24 on Saturday.

That was Auburn’s first SEC win of the season, though. The Tigers are among the league’s bottom feeders, not far ahead of UK. This will be a winnable game for the Wildcats, but the results so far this season (along with this game being played on the road) have not inspired optimism that the SEC losing streak will end.

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