First Down Kentucky: Cats are a top 25 team in the power ratings

adamluckettksr

Jamori Maclin On Kentucky's Fall Camp

The AP Poll and Coaches Poll were recently released. Not surprisingly, Kentucky was not considered a top-25 team. That was not a surprise, but that does not mean that there are 25 college football teams better than the Wildcats entering the 2024 season.

The AP poll is often subjective, and the preseason poll almost always represents who was good last year. The rankings serve as a good starting point but do not necessarily tell us who the best teams are. ESPN’s SP+ rankings attempt to do that throughout the season and throws the records out the window.

Using an algorithm, Bill Connelly’s rankings system “is a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency”. In the final update before the 2024 season, Kentucky is seen as a top-25 team.

The Wildcats check in at No. 22 overall with the No. 28 offense, No. 31 defense, and No. 39 special teams unit. Kentucky has posted three consecutive top-30 finishes in SP+ but will face a brutal schedule. Georgia (No. 1), Texas (No. 5), Ole Miss (No. 8), Tennessee (No. 15), Florida (No. 23), and Auburn (No. 25) all appear on the schedule. Vanderbilt is the only power conference team Kentucky will face all season ranked outside of the top 35.

Kentucky’s schedule is brutal and might make the ceiling lower than normal for the Wildcats. I would have UK power ranked higher than some of the teams in my preseason top 25, but a top 25 poll isn’t always a good power ranking. The Wildcats enter the season with a top-25 roster, but finding a lot of wins could be difficult.

Join KSR Plus! With a KSR Plus membership, you get access to bonus content and KSBoard, KSR’s message board, to chat with fellow Cats fans and get exclusive scoop.

First Down Kentucky is counting down the days to the start of the season by looking at how Kentucky could replace Chip Trayanum and Pilot taking over Neyland Stadium.

Committee Approach SZN

News broke on Monday that Kentucky will be without tailback Chip Trayanum for a few weeks as the Ohio State transfer recovers from a broken hand. An early-season injury has arrived at a position room without much depth.

The Wildcats are now down to three healthy scholarship tailbacks as true freshman Tovani Mizell was seen wearing a red non-contact jersey during open practice as he recovers from a knee injury. Offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan must deal with some adversity before the season begins.

However, Kentucky was here before in 2022. The Wildcats appear better suited to handle the temporary loss. Hamdan will be forced to press the right buttons in a huge Week 2 game against South Carolina, and this loss could put more on the plate of Brock Vandagriff.

Gas station at Neyland Stadium

Many Tennessee fans mocked Kentucky when the Wildcats gave the naming rights to Commonwealth Stadium to Kroger. But the Vols are now following UK’s lead.

Tennessee sold Thompson-Boling Arena’s naming rights to Food City just a year ago, and now the university’s historic football stadium will have a corporate name. Tennessee is partnering with Pilot for what will reportedly be “one of the largest sponsorship agreements in the sport’s history”.

Pilot is now the presenting sponsor of Neyland Stadium and “the official travel stop” of Tennessee athletics. The Pilot logo will appear on the field this fall.

With revenue sharing coming to college athletics, schools must find alternative revenue streams. Corporate sponsorship is something that could now become very common in college football.

Only one question remains — what college football team gets the Buc-ee’s dollars?

Buy Ja’Mori Maclin stock

Kentucky might have to depend on its passing game early in the season. Dane Key and Barion Brown return, but another top target is emerging for Brock Vandagriff. Ja’Mori Maclin keeps generating buzz.