Kentucky opens as massive underdog ahead of road matchup with Georgia

The schedule only gets tougher from here for Mark Stoops‘ Kentucky Wildcats…

After getting smoked by South Carolina on Saturday night in Columbia, 35-13, Kentucky (2-2; 0-2 SEC) will hit the road again for another SEC away game. Up next? A pissed off Georgia team that just lost to Alabama by three points. Per our friends at BetMGM, the Wildcats have opened up as a 21.5-point underdog against the Bulldogs next weekend in Athens.

The total has been set at 48.5. Kickoff is set for Saturday, Oct. 4, at noon ET (ABC) inside Sanford Stadium.

Georgia will be a dangerous opponent for Kentucky. After winning its first three games, including last week’s 44-41 thriller over Tennessee, UGA was upset at home on Saturday by Alabama. The Crimson Tide has had Kirby Smart‘s number over the years, no matter who is coaching on the other side. The loss snapped Georgia’s 33-game home winning streak and extended Alabama’s regular-season winning streak against the Bulldogs to five.

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As a result, Georgia dropped seven spots in Sunday’s AP Top 25 Poll update to No. 12 in the country. But the Bulldogs remain a College Football Playoff contender. ESPN‘s Football Power Index (FPI) still has Georgia ranked seventh nationally. Meanwhile, Kentucky fell five spots to No. 48 — last among SEC teams — following its loss to the Gamecocks. The FPI gives UK just an 18.8 percent chance to reach the six-win mark, a number that had previously been floating around the 40s through the first few weeks of the season.

There’s no denying that Kentucky is currently sitting at the bottom of the SEC Power Rankings. The loss to South Carolina did not inspire much optimism moving forward. Mark Stoops has a track record of playing Georgia close, but not many will be betting on the ‘Cats to pull off the upset.

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