CBS Sports Predicts Wins and Losses for Kentucky Football in 2023

Kentucky is stacking up successful seasons under Mark Stoops, just not necessarily in consecutive years. Members of the national media are picking up on that trend and many believe the Wildcats are prepared to bounce back in 2023 after a subpar year with Rich Scangarello calling offensive plays.

What if I told you Kentucky would beat Tennessee and win 7+ football games? Most around the Big Blue Nation would describe that as a quality football season in the Commonwealth.

The Wildcats host the Volunteers Oct. 28. Despite an embarrassing outing last fall at Neyland Stadium, CBS Sports’ Barrett Sallee believes Kentucky can return to top form that put the Vols on their heels in a 2021 shoot-out at Kroger Field.

Quarterback Devin Leary should kick start an offense as Liam Coen settles in for his second stint as Wildcats offensive coordinator. The combination of Coen and Leary will be enough to keep them in the majority of their games and spring a couple of minor upsets along the way. The problem for Stoops is that his running game and offensive line struggled mightily last season. If he can get that sorted out, this might be one of the better wagers on the board. We have to see it before believing it, though. Pick: Over 6.5 (-160)

Barrett Sallee, CBS Sports

Picking Kentucky to win more than seven games, despite the juice, is not a hot take. After all, they’ve done at least that in every non-Covid season since 2016. Picking Kentucky to beat Tennessee isn’t that crazy of an opinion either. The Vols lost a lot from their Orange Bowl-winning team and will be leaning on the inconsistent Joe Milton to do the heavy lifting for Josh Heupel’s program.

This is the part that doesn’t make sense in Sallee’s analysis: He still believes Tennessee is a 9-win team. According to Sallee, the Vols are knocking off everyone on their schedule except Georgia, Alabama and Kentucky. One of those is not like the other.

I can’t believe I’m pushing back on a member of the national media who is picking the Cats to beat Tennessee, but I don’t get it. He actually predicted every Kentucky football game and came up with this. How far off is Barrett Sallee?

Kentucky Football Win-Loss Predictions by Barrett Sallee

• Wins: Ball State, Eastern Kentucky, Akron, at Vanderbilt, Missouri, Tennessee, at Louisville
• Losses: Florida, at Georgia, at Mississippi State, Alabama, at South Carolina

[CBS Sports: SEC Win Totals]

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