Nine Kentucky opponents received votes in AP Preseason Poll -- including Toledo

The AP College Football Preseason Poll is out, and, like the Coaches Poll, it’s chock-full of teams Kentucky will face this season. Six of Kentucky’s opponents are in the top 25, two in the top five. Three more received votes, including the team that the Cats will face first.

Texas is the No. 1 team in the country to open the season, one of ten SEC teams in the Top 25. The Cats host the Longhorns on October 18, two weeks after playing Georgia, the No. 5 team, in Athens. Alabama (No. 8) and LSU (No. 9) are the other SEC teams in the top ten. South Carolina, which hosts Kentucky on Sep. 27, is No. 13, the same as in the preseason Coaches Poll. Florida, which comes to Kroger Field on Nov. 8, is No. 15. Oklahoma (No. 18) and Texas A&M (No. 19) made the top 20, followed by Ole Miss (No. 21) and Tennessee (No. 24). The Rebels come to Lexington the second week of the season, while the Vols will make the trip up I-75 on Oct. 25.

Louisville did not make the Top 25, coming in at No. 29 with 90 points. In the Coaches Poll, Auburn and Vanderbilt received votes, but in the AP Poll, it’s Toledo and Auburn, the Rockets receiving 13 points to the Tigers’ 10. Of course, Kentucky opens the season vs. Toledo on August 30, just 19 days away. Yet another reminder that the Rockets are no cupcake; in fact, the spread for that game keeps narrowing, now down to 8.5 points.

Kentucky opponents in the AP Preseason Poll

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

Receiving Votes
29. Louisville (90) – Nov. 29 (Away)
36. Toledo (13) – Aug. 30 (Home)
37. Auburn (10) – Nov. 1 (Away)

AP College Football Preseason Poll

Check out the entire poll below. No. 1 Texas vs. No. 3 Ohio State will be a fun way to open the season.

Rank	Team	Trend	Points (1st-Place Votes)
1	Texas	+3	1552 (25)
2	Penn State	+3	1547 (23)
3	Ohio State	−2	1472 (11)
4	Clemson	+10	1398 (4)
5	Georgia	+1	1331 (1)
6	Notre Dame	−4	1325 (0)
7	Oregon	−4	1236 (1)
8	Alabama	+9	1179 (0)
9	LSU	—	1174 (0)
10	Miami (FL)	+8	889 (0)
11	Arizona State	−4	791 (0)
12	Illinois	+4	713 (0)
13	South Carolina	+6	667 (0)
14	Michigan	—	662 (0)
15	Florida	—	626 (0)
16	SMU	−4	565 (0)
17	Kansas State	—	512 (0)
18	Oklahoma	—	463 (0)
19	Texas A&M	—	434 (0)
20	Indiana	−10	423 (0)
21	Ole Miss	−10	370 (0)
22	Iowa State	−7	309 (0)
23	Texas Tech	—	274 (0)
24	Tennessee	−15	192 (0)
25	Boise State	−17	191 (0)

Others Receiving Votes: BYU 156, Utah 144, Baylor 132, Louisville 90, Southern Cal 64, Georgia Tech 63, Missouri 33, Tulane 23, Nebraska 23, UNLV 21, Toledo 13, Auburn 10, James Madison 9, Memphis 9, Florida St. 8, Duke 6, Liberty 5, Navy 5, Iowa 5, TCU 4, Pittsburgh 3, Army 2, Colorado 1, Louisiana-Lafayette 1.